What caught you off guard on your first Thru attempt?

[fiddlehead]

What caught you off guard on your first Thru attempt?

How much I really enjoyed being out there.

Now that I have a kid, I just wait for the time when he's old enough that I can get out again.
In the meantime, it's going into the jungle whenever I get the chance for a day (rarely two as it's just too hot and buggy)

[booney_1]

Don't use your spare socks for gloves. You should bring a cheap pair of wool gloves (like running gloves) to wear while hiking. I'd also bring a pair of mittens for when it gets real cold. Thin liner type of gloves are nice for when you are in camp and need finger dexterity, but want to keep hands warm. I would have minimum of three pairs of socks. Understand that much of the AT in NC goes along ridge lines. It can get very cold and windy in the winter.

[lemon b]

That would be 1978. What caught me off guard was my foot wear & the importance of really taking care of my feet. I was no rookie in total bag nights but actually started off wearing Army Jungle Boots, ya know the ones made for swamps with plastic soles. My thinking was they were light. Obviously, they don't do well on rocks. Changed out to sneakers and discovered they did not last. Finally just ended up with regular old leather work boots. Found out how little I knew and was rewarded with the development of an open mind.

[BrianLe]

I think it's the 9-1/2 pound base weight thing that threw me off. I suspect that your 85% of gear will end up being less than 85% of total weight.

Warm cap: definitely. In the teens I liked a balaclava that covered my nose (and other parts) --- for me at least, at cold temps my nose can be painfully cold at night. Perhaps less of an issue in a hammock.
Layering the balaclava with another warm (peruvian type for me) hat was good, so I could control temp. What you need when you're stationary is quite different than what you want while hiking. I really liked using a synthetic ball cap and earbags (something to keep the wind off my ears) when hiking in colder temps. Start hiking in the morning with the peru-style hat over my ball cap, stuff it in a pocket once I was warmed up.
The hat situation is also impacted by whether you get a down jacket or a parka (i.e., with a hood or not).

One factor to consider perhaps with a hammock: in the colder times, typical for me and folks I hiked with was to do most things at night and in the morning "half in the bag", i.e., leaning against the shelter wall as a backrest, lower body warm in the sleeping bag. In that context, the upper body warmth layer was most important, and I used a Montbell parka that was a great mix of weight to warmth I thought. In the hammock I'd guess you would do more of your "camp stuff" outside of the hammock, depending to some degree on whether you plan to stay at/near shelters or not. In Jan/Feb there likely aren't too-o many people on trail, and I really enjoyed the folks that were, so I could see perhaps you might use your overquilt that way in a shelter just to eat meals and socialize (?). Something to think about anyway.

I own a Mariposa Plus, and it strikes me as a great choice IF the bulk of your gear is under control. Quilt, underquilt and down jacket/parka alone can bulk up quite a bit unless you're happy compressing your down a bit more than I like to. Add to that more clothes than you take in warmer conditions and then factor in that slower travel in snow plus more calories burned in snow can make the food load a bit bulkier than is typical for the AT. Something perhaps to test out, though you can shove a lot of stuff in external mesh on that pack.

Definitely mittens. I found that these generally weren't available for purchase along the AT (I found that once I lost one along the way). But thin synthetic inner gloves (you'll know these from your military experience) coupled with warm outer mittens, and then bread bags perhaps for wet hypothermic conditions. Like you, I stay pretty warm when I'm moving, so long as I have my extremities covered. But with a down jacket as your warmth layer you might nevertheless want something more than just a shirt and wind/rain layer on the move at times. I had a light synthetic vest to beef that up for on the move, or to layer with my down jacket in camp, and that was a great cold weather combo for me.

One particular nice thing about layering things: as things warm up, you can just mail stuff home, rather than in every case having to do actual gear swaps. It's helpful to think about that transition, typically I think (for a NOBO) in Virginia somewhere, of course very much depending on when you start.

If you don't have a dedicated pair of sleeping socks, I really suggest that. I had down booties and those made things so much nicer in the colder nights/mornings.

I loved going early season. I thought the number (and type) of people was just ideal, and there was I think more of a sense of community and shared adventure. You sound like someone who will thrive in that --- best of luck!

[Just Bill]

A broken leg.

[Mtsman]

... I loved going early season. I thought the number (and type) of people was just ideal, and there was I think more of a sense of community and shared adventure. You sound like someone who will thrive in that --- best of luck!

Thanks Gadget. I appreciate the advice too!

A broken leg.

Whoa, you cant just come in here and say "broken leg" and fly off. How did you break your leg on the AT?

I am eager to hear more of what caught others "off guard" on their AT attempt/success.

[coyote9]

Definitely micro spikes.

[Wooobie]

Honestly the community of it all caught me off guard. I expected to mostly be alone.

[lemon b]

My feet. It was 1978.

[Ercoupe]

The two things that surprised me most

1. Taking breaks always produced new aches and pains for the next mile.

2. I always worried more about wife and kids, than about myself. I knew I was alright.

[Skinny Rooster]

I was surprised at how much my milage dropped in NH and ME, by almost 50%.

+1

The Whites and Southern Maine was a completely different ball game.

[Odd Man Out]

...16. How scary a bear sniffing outside your tent is until you realize it’s your beard scratching against your sleeping bag.

Enjoying all of these, but this one was the best. Thanks

[Proton]

I just emailed your response to my wife. It really explains my obsessive desire to get out to the trail. Thank you. (EDIT: message to datto.)

[1azarus]

Thanks Gadget. I appreciate the advice too!



Whoa, you cant just come in here and say "broken leg" and fly off. How did you break your leg on the AT?

I am eager to hear more of what caught others "off guard" on their AT attempt/success.

my goodness. You have just taught Just Bill the incredible power of a short and mysterious response!

[Just Bill]

Whoa, you cant just come in here and say "broken leg" and fly off. How did you break your leg on the AT?

I am eager to hear more of what caught others "off guard" on their AT attempt/success.

my goodness. You have just taught Just Bill the incredible power of a short and mysterious response!

Hell, pappy's been trying for years to teach me that. Just haven't sussed it out quite yet... but I'm open to tryin'.
How's this..

Mtsman-
It's in my book.

[Lone Wolf]

how easy, physically it was

[Cheyou]

How many rocks in Pa

thom

[Mountain Mike]

How hard it was at the start
How quick it became easier
That hikers are like minded & helpfull
After a couple of hundred miles food was prime motivator
Walking wet is normal
Putting on cold wet hiking clothes every morning sucks! (Still sucks after 7K miles & doubt my opinion will change)
Fellow hikers will become life long friends

[4eyedbuzzard]

1976 - Rain (it rains a lot in spring), cold (and cold and wet), monotony (just hiking day after day after day ...), loneliness (the trail wasn't near as crowded in '76), how much I missed non-trail stuff (friends, golf, beach, etc.). But mostly, how important (or not) thru-hiking actually was to me. It wasn't. I was done in Damascus.

[kayak karl]

the boredom !