thru-hiking the appalachian trail

[cygnustaxt]

I know there use to be a thread on this but i thought i'd start a new one.

Has anyone ever attempted this?

I'm planning on hiking NOBO(northbound) from Springer Mountain to Katahdin. I've done a few section hikes so I do have experience on the AT now I think I'm ready to take on the whole thing. My plan is to hopefully be able to leave right after school ends. I was shooting for April first but it looks like I might have to start in mid-may 09. I don't think it will be a problem starting that late. I'm going solo so I can pretty much just set my own pace. I guess the main goal of any NOBO is to get to Katahdin before october since the park closes for the winter, No worries though. I'd like to bring a decent amount of weed with me. How much do you think i could bring with me? I'd like to get away with a half pound, any one carry more? I mean this is 6 or 7 months of hiking so I really dont have a clue as to much i should bring. I mean i smoke like three times a day but im sure i wont be smoking that much on the trail. Oh well if anyone else has hiked the AT with weed how much did you bring?

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

i'm making "wing-it" plans to hike across country... going to head north to Washington to pick up a friend and head off.... "that-a-way" lol

stock up on supplies, take blankets, sleeping bags, tent, tarp/tent cover, and food, and rough it across the country, with sprinkles of hitching along the way...

could be fun...

maybe even hit the Appalachian trails too, who knows... being a "wing it" plan, we dont know what route we'll take to go where and when we'll get there haha.

[cygnustaxt]

haha yeah i'd like to just pull a jack kerouac and hitch across the us to cali. I'm just gonna stick to the trail for now though, even though its in the middle of the forrest, i think i'd feel safer doing that than hitching heh. I know i'll have to hitch when i'm going into town for supplies but that doesn't bother me too much since they will all be hiking towns so they're use to it.

[dragonrider]

So did this trip or any part of it happen? What was it like?

I'm on the opposite coast, so I am thinking of doing parts of the Pacific Crest Trail next season. I am doing a few short trips of just a couple nights right now to refamiliarize myself and work out my gear. I'll probably do at least one snow camp this winter. Do some longer trips next spring. And then next summer I want to go for at least a week or two straight. If it looks like I can handle it and have the time, I might try for the John Muir Trail. The John Muir Trail is one section of the PCT that runs from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney, highest peak in the lower 48. It is about 210 miles and people usually do it in 3 to 4 weeks. I'd really like to do that if I can.

If you have any experience with these longer duration treks, I'd love to hear about it.

[cygnustaxt]

wow thats cool man! I haven't started my hike yet, I'm going next season. Hopefully it will work out where i finish school within a week or so of me going, that way i'll have plenty of time for the trail. I've just been working on picking up all the gear i need. I can't wait though, I'm still very excited and so far everything is working out as far as school and work is concerned.

[dragonrider]

Have you ever heard of the book A Walk in the Woods? Here is something about it on Wiki: A Walk in the Woods - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Walk_in_the_Woods) I hear it is a very funny book about hiking the AT. It was recommended to me, and I think I'll pick up a copy soon.

I went on a short overnighter in the Sierras this weekend. It was just 4.5 miles in to a nice lake, camp overnight, and then back out, but was a great time. It is starting to get cold, so it gave me a chance to try out my cold weather gear. The trail we were on is part of the Tahoe Rim Trail, which is a 165-mile loop around the Lake Tahoe basin. That is another long thru-hike that I would love to do someday if I had the chance. I think I could get the time to do a long thru-hike next season, but the guys I have been hiking with lately both have families and babies, and it is hard to them to take any time away from their responsibilities. If I spent 3 or 4 weeks doing this, I think I might have to get different people to join me for a week at a time on different segments.

This is the segment of the TRT we were on: map- Echo Lakes to Barker Pass (http://www.tahoerimtrail.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=179&Itemid=212) We went in at the Echo Lake trailhead, and we camped at Tamarack Lake.

[FourTwenty4Life]

I might be doing the Appalachian Trail this year with 1 other person. It's probably going to be for 1-2 weeks. There is something therapeutic and amazing about being in nature while high. I plan on bringing 2 ounces and plenty of supplies. I'm just debating what time of the year to do it. Can't wait.:hippy: