im getting ready to start my a t thru hike june firstish,starting pawling n y, north to katadin.take the train back to pawling,then sobo to springer.any input would be seen as kindness.
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im getting ready to start my a t thru hike june firstish,starting pawling n y, north to katadin.take the train back to pawling,then sobo to springer.any input would be seen as kindness.
Start a daily cardio workout and keep it up until you leave for your trip. I thought about everything BUT that and ended up not being in decent enough shape to do any kind of real mileage.
Never, EVER believe a section hiker about anything! There is NOT water right around the corner, town is NOT just over the next hill, and it most certainly is NOT all downhill from here. :lol:
Otherwise, just walk. That's all you have to do.
Make very sure of your connections in Maine. I don't know what the passenger train situation is like in Maine, but I know for a fact there is very little close to Katadin. Passenger service was pretty poor in that neck of the woods when I was up there 20 years ago. I doubt it has gotten better.
I agree, but even more so: Never EVER believe ANYONE about anything. There is NOT water right around the corner, town is NOT just over the next hill, and it most certainly is NOT all downhill from here. :D
Everyone's abilities are different! Everyone's PERCEPTIONS are different.
A true story: I was somewhere along the AT (that stretch where the AT is the border tween NC & Tenn, I met a young couple of weekenders going the opposite direction, as usual we said hi, I told them "Plenty of water over next 4 or so miles" They said "GOOD, cause there hasn't been ANY water since we got on the trail 3 miles back!!!!" we said our goodby's. About 1/2 mile later I crossed a stream that crossed the trail, as in I GOT MY FEET WET! NO way to have missed it. "NO WATER?" I finally figured it out, they were expecting a faucet or similar every mile or so. I had to stop & have a good laugh, filled my water bottles & headed on down the trail. Crossed / passed a spring & another stream before "Their" parking lot. I often wonder about those two.
I think people stress out too much with their preperations. If you know how to do a three to five day hike you are fine because basically it's just a whole bunch of them in a row. Just get your pack weight down but have the correct gear for the expected temps and start walking. Try not to tale to many back ups to the backups. I started with too many batteries and realized I could buy more three days down the trail. I was always in my hammock by dark...hardly ever even used my flashlight, let alone need extra batteries. If my one BIC lighter died I would have simply eaten cold. Just a couple of examples.
Oh like you thru hikers should talk :tongueup: I think every other SoBo told me the trail was pretty flat ahead, easy going or the climbs weren't that bad, and that was just in New Jersey, I hate to see what I'll face in Georgia :D
They are just mad that most of the trail maintainers are former northbounders...and mark the water sources accordingly. :lol:
Seriously to the OP; when you flip and start going south, pay close attention to where the water is 'supposed' to be. It is true that things (like water sources) are not marked as well for the southbounders. This is especially true in the southern states. Kind of easy to tell which direction the trail maintainer for any given section hiked when they did their thru. :laugh:
Best to keep your head on a swivel when you get thirsty. I can remember 6 different spots where I found a water marker on, what for me was, the wrong side of the tree.
ive been doing some pretty hard traing for over a year, and a half now.i can cover more than what i expect to do as a daily average right now,but im unaware of how that will pan out with anything higher than the ozark mountains.plan to start slow and let my body tell me when im ready for the next gear.
If memory serves, both of those are quite a distance from Katadin. I would look for bus service. Amtrak only goes to Portland. That's a long way away. Local buses would be your best bet to get there. There have to be outfitters nearby Baxter State Park. They may be able help you with those logistics.
You'll stumble upon plenty of water in most places, but a good chunk of the water sources ID'd in the guides will be just off the trail. Not far, but usually not terribly obvious either. Now and again, you'll find water well below the trail. Almost always, these sites are in areas that are fairly dry, so you'll be going regardless. Those water holes are usually very well marked. Just pay attention to your guide book and where you are on the trail. You'll be fine.
There is a hostel in Millinocket. Call him. He is chock full of advice.
(plus, he will do drop bucket for you through the 100 Mile Wilderness for a fee).
He takes a load of hikers to the bus every morning at 9 am (NOBOs).
Some go to Bangor or Portland for the Amtrack.
Some go to Boston via bus.
Some go to Portland via bus.
you will have to check about the train that stops on the AT because you can only buy a ticket one way, and not the other - I forgot which it is. Either way, it was silly not to have a ticket station right there.
Dos has a better idea of current guidebooks. My hike was a million years ago in 2008.
Dos, be thankful. I carried AWOL's book the first year. You think it has errors now!? Even still, it was pretty easily the best of the field. The changes he has made since are all very positive. That profile will drive a hiker insane though. I finally stopped looking at the silly thing by the time I got to Connecticut.
you guys are alot of help thx.it seems to me that with my plan ill meet sobos,then flip and meet nobos,perhaps mixing with the sobos if i time it right.i hope to finish around x mas.im hoping that i see a few people ,but will enjoy my loner time.
Weekenders and section hikers are far more interesting people to hang out with than thru-hikers. All thru-hikers do is fantasize about food and tell stupid fart jokes.
And even better, weekenders carry way too much food and booze and they always seem to want to share it with you!
Number one tip for a successful thru-hike: Never quit on a bad day.
I have a video posted on the cook kit and I also thought you might try to find a trail angle in that area to give you lift to where you want to go
hairbear
here is a link to a hostel that will pick you up at Baxter in Maine and take you to a Bus Stop http://www.appalachiantraillodge.com/http://www.appalachiantraillodge.com/
all i can buy is pretend beers ,hey im a tight a.. hiker saving for the trip lol
now a more personal question.if im hiking out of the bubble of other hikers,what chances might come about that i find a little comfort with a lady hiker if only just to talk?keep in mind im 50 ,and invisible to younger women.
I'll offer a bit of advice, although I haven't thru hiked before so take it worth the price you paid for it.
If you haven't already, toughen up your feet. No need to have them tough as cow hide but if they are able to withstand the daily pounding your going to be putting them through before you start it will make your journey more pleasant. :cool:
got that covered ,im one of those barefoot freaks.if i have shoes on you know im at work,the rest of the time its natural feet for me.in fact in the summer i can scrub for a long time with a potato brush ,but will not get rid of the dark stain until cold weather.a person would think that this would make your shoes have no effect on your feet,but just the opposite happens for me,my feet do not like to conform to restriction.i have no point of reference would the trail be too rocky for the barefoot trek.
i wont try to do anything brutal to my feet on trail,but i wll enjoy my contact with the ground when i can.the ozarks here are rocky enough that shoes are required quite often.i only carry 1 pair of foot wear,going barefoot at camp to let my feet air /dry,and giving the socks time to defunkulate.(should be a real word for hiker feet.)one side note though,i would recomend walking barefoot to strengthen stabalizing muscles in your feet,build muscle,increases balance,increases blood flow for healing tired aching muscles.start slow first inside, then the yard.you dont have to walk through the woods barefoot to gain from it.you can still hike in your shoes only with amazing ankle strength.
i am also kind of a clean freak .what methods of keeping your gear and self clean over the long haul?i know i will stink,ive gotten used to that hiking, but cutting down on the wear your gear for 30 minutes ,and you smell like a month ago syndrome is what im looking for.
hygiene can be the first causalty of long distance hiking, especially on the AT were it is worn as a badge of honor... I don't think you will have much trouble with gear, as most packs and other gear will last much longer than we give it credit for. if you damage or step on your alcohol stove you can just make another one, but you should have a plan of what to wear when you do get to do laundry- usually your rain gear or sleeping cloths and everything should be as quick dry as possible and pre-shrunk.- watch after your feet, blisters, hotspots, etc.
Dr. Bronners unscented soap will clean just about anything and you can use it for toothpaste as well
i want to thank everyone for responding to all my questions....happy trails.....hairbear