Working man's AT guide?

imported
#21

Two of us have been section hiking over the last 10 years and we got to Harpers Ferry in 2012, I figure that at 1000 miles every 10 years we will get done in 20 years (although we are going to flip-flop to Maine this year so that we can do the Whites while our knees are relatively younger. We try for about 2 weeks in May. Some years we have hiked north and some south, we have done as much as 185 miles and as few as 35 (the year of infected blisters). Someone once asked me if you could hike in different directions and I quoted the “Official” rule book “On page 357, paragraph 3, line 8 - yep, says so right there” They nodded and walked off, amazed that I could quote chapter and verse of the AT Rules. I was more amazed that they bought it…

That said, take what time you have, the trail will be there a long time, longer than me. Hope to see you out there. :cheers

Mapmaker

#22

I appreciate all the input from you fine folks.

I am still single, no children, no house, no pets and have most of my debt obligations paid off. I am making my final student loan payment this month OH YEAH! My job is nothing special, I only make ~$25k/yr and have no paid vacation. I’m one of 2 employees at this small business and I virtually run the company. I’d more or less have to quit because I don’t think they would hold the job for me. In Ohio the economy is about the worst in the country so jobs are far from abundant. That fear is the only real thing stopping me.

I am going to TN to do several day hikes in the smokies this spring. And I am planning on doing a 4-5 day section hike in the fall to see how my gear and systems work, and to see if I could live life out on the trail for months at a time.

I’ve taken all this conversation in so I’ll have to keep saving and hopefully make it happen soon. Thanks everyone.

DrBrown