Its that time of year again

Anybody know any AT Northbounders starting out in Ga this week??

One of these years, its going to be me!

Don't personally know any this year but knew a couple last year...

Last Wednesday I did an AT run over Jane's Bald & Hump Mtn. on the NC/TN border and met 4 thru-hikers already. They were 3-4 weeks out from Springer Mtn. & having a blast.




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Frosty, who occaisionally posts here, started his thru-hike in March.

I'm just a lowly section hiker... hope to get Georgia done this fall if all goes as planned.

- Ivy

I am another lowly section hiker - I have 16% done and am on the 20 year plan. Though I might just do a thru after I retire in 20 years.

I'll echo this statement for myself

una_dogger said:

One of these years, its going to be me!

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Some folks came in the store the other day looking for a map of the AT. Their son just started the trail and they wanted to be able to follow his route on the map..so that would have been the last week of March.
The parents were in their sixties so figured their son was in his late thirties or so......his chance to be walking with the spring season as he follows it on up.
Wishing him good luck of course !

Although I do not know anyone personally who is currently hiking the AT, I do follow trailjournals.com and read their entries. I am struck by one common trait that a number of potential thru-hikers have in common and that is never having long distant hiked before attempting the AT. In fact, some have never even hiked before heading to Georgia.

It’s interesting and somewhat sad to read their posts about buying gear, quitting their jobs, selling their homes, and saying goodbye to their families only to quit a week into the hike. Some are just totally unprepared for what the AT does to a person both mentally and physically. Ironically, there seems to be a strange correlation between the number of “Prep” entries one has in their journal and how long one lasts on the trail. The more “Prep” entries, the shorter the hike.

By the same token, I find it uplifting when a person or team is able to battle through injuries, loneliness, fatigue, and continue hiking while others have already given up. They pour their souls out into their journals for all the world to read without guilt or hesitation. You begin to root for them as they fight their way northward and you are crushed when they give up, yet are thrilled when you see their photo standing next to the sign on Katahdin. Hiking the AT is an interesting experience.

i will not be polled ever again! what is with ya'll and the freakin' polls? huh?

but on this subject i want some card company or whoever does these things to make some thru-hiker tradin' cards cause my all-time favorite thru-hikers are ospreya, chickety, stinky, and frodo!! oh yeah, and those babes who did it barefoot!!! whooet!!! and that old dude named earl who did it about a huunert times in both directions (i think he even did it east-west a coupla times to boot!!! whooet indeed!!!

MadRiver said:

It’s interesting and somewhat sad to read their posts about buying gear, quitting their jobs, selling their homes, and saying goodbye to their families only to quit a week into the hike. Some are just totally unprepared for what the AT does to a person both mentally and physically.

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While it is "sad" to read about someone who decides to make the "life-altering" decision to hike and then get off the trail in Hiawasee, everyone has their reasons. We knew a number of people last year who got everything they needed from the trail in 100 or 200 miles. And that's great. You're sad to see them leave because everyone becomes family really quickly on the Trail, but you understand. It's not for everyone. Some may not be prepared, but with the community around you on the Trail, you have so much support and help, you're certainly not alone. If you truly love being on the Trail, then the only thing that's going to send you home is a bad injury. (Trust me on this one.)

MadRiver said:

Hiking the AT is an interesting experience.

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That's an understatment.

Oh yeah, a friend of ours who thruhiked last year is back at it again this year! And, I'm feeling like our next shot is only a couple years away. And to anyone out there thinking about it...stop thinking and start planning for '07!

i want some card company or whoever does these things to make some thru-hiker tradin' cards

Tee hee...I'll VOTE for that one (sorry, couldn't resist !!)

I'll echo what's been expressed here, the Trail and its community is a magical collection of people and places. Every year at this time I long for the trail and a good long backpack on it to reenergize me mind, body and soul.

My wife’s cousin (Stairmaster) thru-hiked in 2005 and I hiked with him from Mt. Cube to Galehead Hut. I could keep up with him on the flats and the descents, but he smoked me on the ascents. To give you some indication on how fast he hiked, we both left Galehead hut at 5:30 am. I arrived at my car, which was parked at the Ethan Pond Trailhead off of 302, around 3:30 pm. Stairmaster arrived at Lakes in the Clouds at 5:30 pm.

I like being around in the whites when the thru hikers start moving through..its like a bird migration. Its great to hear the stories, its also fun to be a trail angel, giving them stuff or rides to the trail head etc...

Puck said:

I like being around in the whites when the thru hikers start moving through..its like a bird migration. Its great to hear the stories, its also fun to be a trail angel, giving them stuff or rides to the trail head etc...

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My wife and I maintain the Webster Cliff Trail and during thru-hiker season we will leave a large cooler filled with goodies for the thru-hikers just after the bridge while we do maintenance. If we are going to be hiking anywhere in the area, we will drop off the cooler in the morning and pick it up after our hike. You do not get the throngs of people hiking the Webster Cliff Trail as you do other trails, so most hikers will not mess with the cooler and leave it for the thru-hikers.

Supporting those coming thru

Yup, I love doing NY Trail Magic hikes.

Last year I packed about 20 pounds of fresh local peaches in my pack and walked from NY/CT border to NY Nuclear Lake, leaving little "pyrimids" of peaches on the trail. I walked SoBo, and everytime I passed a NoBo thruhiker, I'd smile, knowing they were about to happen upon a little cool sweet trail magic on a hot June day!!!

That and leaving lots and lots of snickers bars at road crossings....and giving rides to hikers.

Does anyone know if this is ever done:

2+ hikers, 2 cars, assume heading 'North'.

Leave cars at the next road crossing and at/near your starting point. Start at the northern car, and walk *SOUTH* to your other car. Drive to the next road crossing. (You are always *WALKING SOUTH*, but making steady progress *NORTH* !) Repeat until standing on Baxter!

Does this have a name ?

Tom Rankin said:

Does this have a name ?

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Ultra-wacky-reverso-loopy-assisted-thru-hiking

Tom: There was a story in the Appalachian Trail COnservancy's magazine a year or so ago about a couple that essentially did just that... they hiked in the entire trail as dayhikes. I believe they did it over a series of years, not all in one shot. I am not sure if they had two cars or one and did a key swap in the middle though.

I also think Warren Doyle (& co.) has done at least portions of his thru-hikes in the manner you described... at least that is the way he did the 100-Mile Wilderness last year. I am not sure if he did the whole trail that way, but I suspect he did. There are others here who would know better than me though.

- Ivy

cbcbd said:

Ultra-wacky-reverso-loopy-assisted-thru-hiking

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I know you're kidding, but I just wanted to add that the intent here is to slack-pack, i.e. not have to sleep on the trail. At each road junction, the hikers would head for the nearest cheap motel, or whatever.

Tom Rankin said:

Does anyone know if this is ever done:

2+ hikers, 2 cars, assume heading 'North'.

Leave cars at the next road crossing and at/near your starting point. Start at the northern car, and walk *SOUTH* to your other car. Drive to the next road crossing. (You are always *WALKING SOUTH*, but making steady progress *NORTH* !) Repeat until standing on Baxter!

Does this have a name ?

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Last year, we met a German couple in the Shenandoahs (Hansel and Gretel, of course), who were doing exactly this. They drove to the trailhead everyday with car #1, then hiked South to where they had started the previous day to car #2. Then they drove car #2 to a hotel, stayed the night, then drove further North the next day and hiked back to car #1. Rinse and repeat. I don't believe they were planning to hike the whole trail in one year.

We just called it "German engineering."

We met another guy, the Milky Way Man, who was doing a similar deal with one car. His wife would drop him off and pick him up every morning. Also knocking it off sections at a time over a couple years. Best of all, he handed out Milky Ways to NOBOs...hence, the name.

trailbiscuit said:

Last year, we met a German couple in the Shenandoahs (Hansel and Gretel, of course), who were doing exactly this. They drove to the trailhead everyday with car #1, then hiked South to where they had started the previous day to car #2. Then they drove car #2 to a hotel, stayed the night, then drove further North the next day and hiked back to car #1. Rinse and repeat. I don't believe they were planning to hike the whole trail in one year. . . .

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This is a classic description of Slackpacking, an exquisitely civilized and sensible approach to hiking.

G.