Thru-hiking the AT in 4 months..
Has anyone ever done it?
What was it like physically?
Did you still have time to sight-see and really appreciate your surroundings?
Thanks
Yes it has been done numerous times my numerous people. High mile days little or no zeros. Under 120days you have some time to sight see but not as much as if you took 5-6 obviously.
I did in 2012. Physically - no problem. Right equipment, most importantly - shoes. Blisters? Just one. Hot spots? A couple. If no problem, it means: plenty of "time to sight-see and really appreciate your surroundings". I know, I know... It was my second thru-hike. First one in 2006 abruptly has ended with the broken ankle. But, anyway it can be done, even in my age (56 at that time).
I took 7 months to hike it and I still didn't see everything I wanted to
It can be done without issues . Limit zeros and town time. I did it in 126 days
Yes, it has been done by many. It is also is not near as draconian as some would lead you to believe.
An itinerary for a 4 month hike might look something like this:
28 days -- start at 14 miles per day and slowly build to 20 miles per day by the time you cover the 469 miles to Damascus VA
66 days -- 20 miles per day covering the 1321 miles from Damascus VA to Glencliff VT
15 days -- 14 miles per day covering the 211 miles from Glencliff VA to Stratton ME hiking the most rugged part of the AT
10 days -- 20 miles per day covering the 188 miles from Stratton to Katahdin
119 days total
If you think you can handle that then go for it.
Last edited by map man; 02-12-2015 at 22:26.
I love your number crunching map man.Originally Posted by map man
How about a 135 day itinerary?
I agree, very good number crunching. And you have one extra zero day to play with.
After doing the AT in just under 5 months, I can see where I could whittle a few days here and there. But an entire month? Maybe when I was 25. It ain't happening now.
2013 AT Thru-hike: 3/21 to 8/19
Schedule: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...t1M/edit#gid=0
Not quite 4 months but in 2012 I did it in 4 months & 10 days with 22 zeros. Spend 4 days at Trail days, 6 in NY with college friends and 3 zeros in NH with NorovirusI started off at 12 mile days and it took me about 2-3 weeks before I could consistently hike 20 miles a day. I briefly hiked with about six solo hikers at different times who each finished in around 3 1/2 months. They all had marathon backgrounds so they were hitting big mile days right out of the gate. I could stay with them for a few days but would need a day off every now and then to not breakdown physically. I tried to plan those days around towns I'd like to sightsee. If you're (young and) in shape 20 or 30 mile days aren't overly difficult when you have 15 hours of sunlight.
How about the same miles per hiking day but 15 more zero days?
But seriously, if you reduce every section by two miles per day (12 miles per day at your slowest and 18 miles per day at your fastest, instead of 14 and 20) you end up taking two weeks longer for the whole trip, or around 133 days.
The sections would break down like this:
31 days Springer to Damascus
73 days Damascus to Glencliff
18 days Glencliff to Stratton
11 days Stratton to Katahdin
133 days total
In both itineraries I'm assuming that the miles per day includes some zero days, so your miles per HIKING day would be a little higher for each section depending on just how many zeros are taken.
Last edited by map man; 02-12-2015 at 22:19.
Yes, my hike in 2006 was a few days over 4 months. Physically it was pretty easy, but I had done plenty of hiking prior and was in good shape, with a light pack.Has anyone ever done it?
What was it like physically?
Did you still have time to sight-see and really appreciate your surroundings?
Thanks
Only someone who hadn't done a 4 month hike would say that you don't have time to enjoy the sights of the trail. You are hiking the same trail at a similar walking speed. A 4 month hike means a daily average of 18 miles. A 5 month hike is 14.5 miles per day. So you only need to walk an extra 3.5 miles each day. That's probably an extra hour and a half of hiking (= 90 minutes less sitting in camp). How could that make a major difference to what you see ?
I spent a lot of time just chilling out enjoying views, watching sunsets, swimming in ponds and all the other things that make hiking special. I didn't spend much time in town (5 zeros) That seems to be the reason for most longer hikes.
As far as "seeing the sights" goes, I'd consider the towns part of that. Clearly you can't stop at every one, but IMO, minimizing town visits is more of an issue than supposedly missing stuff on the trail.
I guess I view a thru as being immersed in Americana of which the towns are a part of vs maximizing your isolation from civilization. Not saying the latter is a bad thing, just saying it might be good to understand what you don't mind missing if you want to keep yourself on an aggressive schedule. Pretty much when you did make a stop, I would think the memory would seem like one convenience store after another, with the experience of the good and bad that each community offers minimized.
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"I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
- Kate Chopin
yes it can be done and has been done. It would be basically a death march.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...to-hike-the-AT
Calculator on here- It blends MapMan's numbers with some other stuff to show you not just how fast to go, but how fast to go where and considers zeros.
2200/120= 18.33 MPD average, not much higher than the average thru.
2200/110= 20 MPHD average with 10 zeros is a bit more realistic to have some breaks.
I think the best strategy overall is neros over zeros- but that is discussed extensively in the Speed Hiking forums which should be your next stop if you are serious.
Neither is too hard overall, just takes a bit more effort than showing up.
You can still have many smiles even with the miles.
ON A SIDE NOTE-
Considering the recent discussions on trail impacts and overcrowding...
Perhaps more support of "fast" hikes is in order as a viable solution. There are lots of fit (enough) twenty somethings hitting the trail that could do five month and under schedules with a little support from the community. These schedules typically involve a later than typical start and/or earlier finish to help at Baxter and Springer.
A May- August trip especially shines as a very realistic trip and would put said hiker outside of the highest impact months at either end.
In addition, with some help/training, this type of hiker is more likely to use dispersed camping (stealth) sites and further reduce shelter traffic and impact.
Just saying...
Its not really uncommon. Usually by people who have the AT on their bucket list and are not regular hikers. Just a younger person up for the challange.
I call em the Jackrabbits. Also, have run into some who just wanna get out of the bubble. Myself, just not into going fast. 4 months is not even what I'd call a speed hiker.
Worrying about a schedule and mileage would be a little crappy and stressful. But if you can continualy put out big miles and be okay with it then the more power to you.
Not every hiker can afford to take off for 6-7 months, but for some 4 months is do-able. You are hiking the same trail, just longer days and less time in town. For some I think the less time in town is a good thing.
Pack light and move swiftly. Don't get caught up in trail towns and you'll be allright.
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