Kind of funny that the approach trail mileage is not included in the AT mileage.
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Kind of funny that the approach trail mileage is not included in the AT mileage.
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Think of it this way, if you skip the approach trail (I did) and feel bad about it, you’re still going to have to climb all the way back down from Katahdin and then find a way out of Baxter sooooo it all evens out :)
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Yep it's cheating. When I submitted for my 2000 miler certificate with the ATC they reviewed my mileage tracker one must wear and saw that I skipped it. They denied my request to be acknowledged as a 2000 miler.
On the real, I was going to do it and then decided not to. Is what it is, I plan to go back and hike it and a little of Georgia again one day just for fun
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I once had to go around three trees off trail because of a blowdown. Probably skipped 13.6 feet of trail...
Completely ruined the purity of my hike.
I blame the trail maintenance crews. Shame on them.
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I am a charlatan, after all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarcasm the elf
Wait a second, you're from Charlotte? :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mags
No joke: Around ten years ago there was an approximately 3 mile detour and roadwalk in Connecticut due to a major bridge closure. The project took over a year and the CT DOT put up professional A.T. detour signs marking the road route. When the bridge work was finished there was a long delay before the DOT took down the detour signage and during that time there were a handful of purist thru hikers who genuinely argued about whether they should continue down the real trail, or follow the "official" reroute in order to follow the "rules."Quote:
Originally Posted by fastfoxengineering
:datz
In the end, the only person you need to satisfy is the one who stares back at you in the mirror.
If your goal is to hike the trail, as efficiently as possible, and an extra day is not practical, then by all means have Survivor Dave drive you to the parking lot up near the top. Hell, you might even be able to slack pack it. Run up, sign the register, run down, put your pack back on and hike north.
If your goal is to hike in the wilderness from Georgia to Maine, then you might consider starting at Amicalola, signing in, and walking under that cool stone arch, past the waterfalls, and really climbing Springer Mountain to the start of the AT.
With that atitude, you might even consider taking spur trails to peaks and overviews not on the trail. Or considering going to a shelter that's a half mile off the trail.
Good luck and enjoy your hike. I mean, if that's part of your plan ...
L Dog
You are so right. Nothing beats the wilderness experience from starting at Amicalola Park. From the asphalt parking lot thru the man made stone arch on the paved sidewalk passing by the gift store/museum and climbing the hundreds of treated wood man-made steps by the waterfall it all reeks of wilderness. And for an added dose of wilderness when crossing the paved road to the lodge just take a few steps to your right and you can see the lodge and parking lot with about one hundred cars parked in it. I was glad I had my compass and map.Quote:
Originally Posted by LDog
Yeah, yeah ... The first part up to the lodge is built for masses. After one gets past that, it's a beautiful trail that one generally has to themselves cause everyone else got a ride to the big-ass parking lot just below the summit.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Old Chief
L Dog
Well, my Georgia A.T. patch says "80 Miler", so that must include the approach trail also.
No, tha5's for the 78.3 miles from Springer to Bly, and the 1.7 miles you wandered off into the woods to... well you know.Quote:
Originally Posted by Last Call
You're right. It is a beautiful trail after the Lodge. A beautiful side trail that goes to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The ATC, the GATC, and Lone Wolf do not recognize this side trail as part of the AT. That may possibly be why the Approach Trail is marked by blue blazes instead of white blazes. Using the logic of those who keep saying this blue blaze trail is part of the white blaze AT and must be hiked to complete an AT hike without shame, you would also have to say that the blue blaze 1.2 mile trail to Whitley Gap shelter is part of the AT and must be hiked to complete an AT hike without shame.Quote:
Originally Posted by LDog
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Old Chief
No Chief, I would not have to subscribe to any of that. My post was not about any of that, and I have never suggested the approach trail had to be hiked, or even that it should be hiked to claim 2000-miler certification. I have consistently pointed to the verbiage on the ATC Application for Certification as sole authority about what matters in that regard. I did suggest that one ought to hike it because it is a beautiful trail. I might of implied that one might be cheating themselves out of a wonderful experience if they don't hike it. But I understand that not everyone hikes for the same reasons I do. And as a reformed purist who fervently believes in the original philosophy behind hyoh, I would never question one's bonafides based on whether they hiked it or not.
You're right again! I'll end my part in this by saying that I've hiked the Approach Trail 4 times, 3 times NOBO and one time SOBO and enjoyed it every time. Spending a night at Amicalola Lodge, eating good food there, and starting up the Approach Trail the next morning is a good start to any hike.Quote:
Originally Posted by LDog
I did the approach trail because there was no way I would miss any part - but HYOH!
FYI: The approach trail will not be a big deal if you have been training to walk up steps and have a lighter weight pack.. I am overweight (but not considered "obese," and I did major step training beforehand, and the approach trail was not an issue... (I had a pack that weighed less than 25 pounds). If you haven't trained and your pack is heavier than that, you will be challenged...
Stealth camp.Quote:
Originally Posted by skater
Yeah, and that.
It doesn't get any easier past Springer, so the first day will be what you describe, wherever you start. (Well, ok, starting a NOBO flip-flop from Harper's Ferry begins with Maryland, which is a lot easier, but we were discussing a 'traditional' NOBO.)Quote:
Originally Posted by shelb
This might have been brought up and I missed it. If you do the Len Foote Hike In trail to the Len Foote Inn, wouldn't you have to backtrack to the Approach Trail and then head to Springer so you can say that you completed the approach trail?