So far...so good

imported
#1

News from the trail in Connecticut: Taking a half zero in Kent today. This is day 56 since leaving Springer. The trip has been exceptionally good this year because the weather has been bomb. Only two real hot days. Also, this time (it only took me two other trips to figure this out) we are only carrying about 15 pounds. We were bummed by the crowds from Pearisburg to Harpers, but now things have thinned out a bit. Only passing 2-4 other thru hikers a day, compared to the 15-20 we passed in northern Virginia. I have decided, though, never to do a NOBO hike again during prime season. Just too many people! FYI - despite the drought, water is adequate everywhere.

Old Man

#2

56 days from Springer to Kent. Wow that’s very fast. Around 26 miles per day. It took me 61 days to go from Springer to Harpers Ferry, and I was doing much better than most. I’d say that most people would still me somewhere in the middle of Virginia after 56 days. You must be going twice the pace of an average hiker.

If you are going the pace you said, then when did you fly by me? I started April 23.

Peaks

#3

all thru hikes are speed hikes . day in day out, it’s about the miles. if you know how many “0” days you have then you’re not out there for the “wilderness” experience. thru-hikers seem to be obsessed about how many days on the trail they are. they get their patch and certificate and show up at ALDHA meetings and Trail days looking for pats on the back. sad. i’ve backpacked 16,000+ miles on the AT. no slide shows or patches or certificates to show for it. it’s just a trail. ain’t that tough to do either. a “thru-hike” is just a series of section hikes strung together. take a day off and you’ve broken the continuity of a “through-hike”. just my opinion.

Lone Wolf

#4

A thru-hike is what you make of it. I think that everyone has different objectives. A few are out there to make it a speed hike. But, the vast majority does not. Most people seem to plot along an overall average of 12 to 13 miles per day (80 to 90 miles per week). Most take days off, and certainly that’s very important.

Maybe the trail isn’t that tough, but a 5 1/2/ to 6 month extended thru-hike can be. Or at least, the reality of it differs from the expectation that someone has before undertaking the adventure. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a 90% drop out rate.
In any event, we certainly shouldn’t disillusion the readers of this forum by implying that the typical thru-hikers averages anywhere near 26 miles per day.

One other note, to quote the music of Takoma Ted: the people are the Trail. IMHO, that’s all to true. Not only my fellow thru-hikers, but also the section hikers, trail maintainers, others who help hikes on their journey, and the people in the small towns along the way. If you are doing a speed hike, then you miss so much of this interaction. Now, that’s really sad. People were the best part of my thru-hiker. So, probably the slower you go, the more you connect with other people. There’s a very good reason to slow down and savor the time on the Trail.

Peaks

#5

Lone Wolf, met you briefly a the Kennebec last year. We were going SOBO and I think you said “you’ll never make it to Georgia. You’re going too slow.”

Let people run the trail, let people walk it, and let people get out of the trail what they want.
Grimace ME->GA '01

Grimace

#6

It couldn’t have been me. Last time I was at the Kennebec was Aug. 2000. Me and Gypsy were SOBO. I never tell folks they will or won’t make it. Most never do though.

Lone Wolf

#7

I guess I met a differnt Lone Wolf who hiked NOBO last year. My bad.

You know, I guess I see your point. No point in bragging about how fast you can hike. It’s like saying, “Man, I had 8 beers last night!” Regardless, time in town was a valuable part of hiking the AT for me. Got to meet the people who support the trail and who make it accessible to all. I didn’t hike the AT for the wilderness experience and I have to admit the AT wasn’t a wild, wilderness experience for me. Being a stone’s throw from a road at all times kind of detracts from that.

Grimace

#8

Actually, contrary to what some have implied, I have found that most folks on the trail are not obsessed with miles per day. For us, moving quickly with light packs is perfect this time, but we don’t care if we have slow days too. Taking a zero in Dalton today and enjoying it. We really don’t hike too fast – lots of folks were faster than me between Goose and Dalton yesterday, for example, but we enjoy getting up early and don’t mind hiking into the evening. The first hike we had more gear and averaged less miles per day - it was lots of fun. The second time we cut down on gear and went a bit faster. This time we have just moved more to the light weight end of the scale.
If there is one thing that we ARE obsessed with this trip its to enjoy ourselves and avoid discomfort. “No pain, no pain” is the motto. We had one real tough day near Catawba and a couple of others that were sort of tough. Otherwise we’ve avoided the killer days. IMHO the mistake that many make is to work too hard – the key is consistency, not breaking your butt. Also, IMHO, the reason people work too hard is generally because they carry too much stuff. On the other hand, if you had asked me in '99, I would have been hard pressed to figure out what to unload to get my pack weight down to what it is today.
Peaks - we left Springer May 8, were at DWG July 4 – don’t know when we passed you. But, you are wrong when you say we miss out on stuff because we go too fast. We see and do different stuff than you, and we enjoy some things you don’t…and vice versa.

Old Man