Class of 2015 meet and greet...

[Dahoyt]

Let's get to know each other, post the following information:

Start date:
Trail name (If you have one yet):
Hometown:
NOBO or SOBO (and why):
Reason your thru hiking:
Level of experience:

The classes in years past have done this, and helps break the ice / get people acquainted with each other... Looking forward to meeting everyone on the trail! -Dahoyt.

[BCPete]

March 2 or 3 ... doing the approach trail.
Just Pete & Carol for now.
Prince George, B.C.
NOBO ... doing the AT the classic way b/c we're only going to be doing it once, and we want to start as soon as possible after retiring in Feb.
Been on our life list radar since 1992. My one big regret was not biking across Canada after high school (which I always thought would be cool when I was in HS - life got in the way of that one) - ditched the bicycle idea when my wife & I started backpacking a lot back in 1990.
25 years of backpacking in the Canadian Rockies ... in the area of 15,000 kms of by now.

[2015 Lady Thru-Hiker]

Hey Dahoyt, thanks for starting this thread!!

March 9th for the actual start of the trail. Planning to arrive March 5th and do lower half of approach trail from arch, up the stairs to the lodge. Planning to stay at the lodge from 5th thru the 8th for the Kick Off, then take off On the morning of the 9th to finish approach and make Springer.
No trail name at present. It hasn't found me yet :-)
Currently call Mechanicsville VA home.

Doing North Bound because it seems the wise approach for someone new to distance hiking.
Because it's in my heart to do it.
Let's see, I hiked 12 miles once....

[NCn8chrgrrl]

Hey, y'all! Thanks for starting this thread, Dahoyt!
I don't have a firm start date yet, probably late Feb/early Mar if I end up doing NOBO as planned. I'd like to go that way bc this is my first big hike, I can save the Whites til later , and the trail towns are a bit more numerous (kinda get my feet wet, so to speak). If I can't get my ducks in a row by then, however, I'm open to going SOBO.
I hike as often as possible, but have only done a little backpacking. Part of that experience was on the AT in Grayson Highlands during August. The blueberries were EVERYWHERE and I couldn't stop gorging myself, so my friends dubbed me 'Blueberry'.
The place I call home these days is in Kings Mountain, NC.

[Mountain Due]

Great thread.

Start time for me will be around March 20-25.
Trail name is Mountain Due.
Home town is Mount Joy PA.
Nobo.
I Retired in May and it's been on my to do list.
I've backpacked 4 times in Alaska, several times in Africa as well as Utah, Idaho and BC. I've never been out more than 18 days straight.
My gear list is coming together nicely and I can hardly wait. It's going to be a long year.

[matt9817]

Start date: First week of March
Trail name:
Hometown: West Long Branch, NJ
NOBO: traditional way
Reason your thru hiking: Just will be finishing college, something i have always wanted to do.
Level of experience: Moderate, hike a little around my area, and have hiked the NJ part of the AT

[wtrenda]

Start date: early March
Trail name (If you have one yet): none yet
Hometown: Maryville, TN
NOBO or SOBO (and why): NOBO.
Reason your thru hiking: Graduating from college...I don't want to grow up yet.
Level of experience: Been hiking/backpacking for about 8 years now...work in the outdoor industry now and this is my first of the major trails.

[kennajm]

Start date: 3/29 (in a wedding on 3/28)
Trail name (If you have one yet):
Hometown: Durham, NC
NOBO or SOBO (and why): NOBO. I'm from the south. Seems like 3-4-5 months in that new terrain will keep me excited every day.
Reason your thru hiking: Always wanted to. Been planning for about 15 years.
Level of experience: Backpacked in college, still hike today but haven't been on any long trips in a while

[YesRushGen]

Start Date: 3/12/2015
Trail Name: None Yet
Hometown: Suffolk, VA
NOBO or SOBO: NOBO - Partly for the traditional experience. Also, I want to be trail-hardened before dealing with the Whites and Southern Maine. Also, Mt. Katahdin seems an epic way to finish. Also, more people hike NOBO and I look forward to meeting new and interesting people on trail.
Reason for thru hike: Because the AT is there. To undertake an epic challenge. To prove I can plan, execute, and actually finish something that's really hard and demanding. To break the mold of a comfortable, formulaic daily routine. To gain a new appreciation for things that are taken for granted on a daily basis. To see some fabulous scenery.
Experience: 30 or so multi-night (min 2, max 7) camping trips. Most were in a barrier island habitat (False Cape State Park in VA), and a few were in the Blue Ridge Mountains (Crabtree Falls area). Also several 10-12 mile day hikes (Torry Ridge Loop near Sherando Lake) a couple years ago.

[Mike415]

Start date still tentative but most likely April 1 or April 15 NoBo ; doing this because I am not getting younger and cannot imagine being on death bed saying darn wish I had hiked at, been doing gear research ; reading all I can; will begin buying in may or June; will begin exercise routine in April . Have a lot to learn since I don't hike or camp much; that said I am excited; have time and resources to get on with it. Would like to find a partner (gal or guy) who is nols leader or outward bound leader to hike with. Will pay. I have two tin knees so I want to take it easy first month or so and want to watch how much weight I carry. That said I am pumped about getting this done

[Danwood]

Start date: I would like to make it for the kick off, so I plan on coming in on the 5th staying a few days, and then hitting the trail.
Trail name (If you have one yet): I have not been blessed with one yet
Hometown: Detroit, MI (I work offshore though, so I travel everywhere)
NOBO or SOBO (and why): I am going to solo a NOBO. The AT has been on my list for a while, so I want to be traditional about it. That and Katahdin seems like the best way to finish.
Reason your thru hiking: Everybody I know seems to be getting married and having kids. I don't really have any goals, but I have always wanted to though hike the AT, so I guess this is my own version of procreation...hehe. I told my employer that I was going to do, and if they didn't give me a leave of absence I was just going to quit. My job is in pretty high demand right now, so there doesn't seem to be a valid reason not to just go do it.
Level of experience: I have about 15 years of backpacking experience, but nothing as long as the AT. I love backpacking Colorado, and the UP of Michigan, but that's about the extent of my bigger experience.

[Treybien]

Start date: April 1, 2015
Trail name (If you have one yet): Hasn't found me yet...
Hometown: Scottsville, New York
NOBO or SOBO (and why): NOBO if only for the 'traditional' method of an AT thru-hike. However I certainly intend to HYOH.
Reason your thru hiking: Engage in a more personal relationship with myself and the environment. Looking forward to the social fellowship with like-minded individuals who are engaging the experience in a similar manner.
Level of experience: 23'er -half a 46'er...

[mattjv89]

Start date: Late Feb or early March, not making concrete decisions like that yet. I actually enjoy winter hiking with the right equipment, and I'm OK with moving slower for a while from the resulting weight penalty. Also, I want to stick a little outside the peak of the "bubble"

Trail name (If you have one yet): Still just Matt..

Hometown: East Lyme, CT

NOBO or SOBO (and why): NOBO. I like the idea of how a NOBO hike flows, and one of my earliest inspirations for thru-hiking was standing on top of Katahdin on a day hike thinking "this is already incredible, imagine what it would be like hiking over 2,000 miles to get here.."

Reason your thru hiking: To take a big step away from modern society and technology, because if I don't I'll spend the rest of my life wondering what it would have been like. Because absolutely none of the typical arguments against going (opportunity cost, kids, physical health, savings, etc.) apply to me right now. Basically if I'm going to do this there probably won't be a better time in my life. Many more reasons but you get the idea.

Level of experience: A couple weekenders, haha. Planning a 7-9 day shakedown hike this fall by which time I'll hopefully have most of my kit dialed in. I live right on the trail about 14 miles south of Killington so I'm just gonna walk out the door and head north during peak foliage season.

[turgaer]

Start date: As early as the weather permits, probably mid-March

Trail name (If you have one yet): Don't have one yet

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

NOBO or SOBO (and why): NOBO, so that I don't have to wait as long before starting
Reason your thru hiking: I always start to feel more at peace after 2 or 3 days camping or hiking, so I was looking for ways to spend some time living outdoors after I graduate from college. I read something about thru hikers on the AT and I love backpacking, so it seemed like the perfect way to spend a long time living outdoors and close to nature. I'm still on the fence about whether I want to hike the AT or the PCT, but as long as I'm confident that I can hike the PCT later in my life, hiking the AT first seems like the way to go.

Level of experience: I have been hiking with my family for as long as I can remember, did my first backpacking trip at 13, and have gotten back into backpacking over the last few years. I now have some experience in various types of tough conditions and am pretty confident I can handle whatever the trail brings, but I still haven't done any trips longer than 5 days so I've never tested my endurance like that.

[CHRISTINE2015]

Start date: Mid-March, planning to try to make the ATKO
Trail name (If you have one yet): I don't have one!
Hometown: Currently, Little Rock, AR
NOBO or SOBO (and why): NOBO, from what I've read, SOBO is much more challenging to plan, and less people do it.
Reason your thru hiking: because I can!
Level of experience: almost none

[contrast009]

Start date: June 2015

Trail name (If you have one yet): Not sure yet

Hometown: Burlington, VT

NOBO or SOBO (and why): SOBO, I am graduating college in May, so it is easier to go South considering the start date, plus it will be interesting to do the hike in a non-traditional way.

Reason your thru hiking: I am fortunate enough to be graduating college with no debt and some extra money, So I had been brainstorming things that I could do after graduation and remembered that I had always thought it would be cool to do the AT. The idea developed from there until it became a solid plan to hike after graduation.

Level of experience: I have done a lot of day hikes, but have only ever done one overnight hike. I am planning on doing a week on the long trail this summer to make sure that I don't hate it, but I am very confident that I will love it and that my ability level is more than sufficent.

[Dahoyt]

Start date: End of Feb. or beginning of March.

Trail Name: Dahoyt.

Hometown: Rutland, VT.

NOBO or SOBO: NOBO, I'd like to go to the ATKO, hike on the edge of the bubble so I have company, and go to Trail Days. Excited to experience all of that.

Reason I am Thru hiking: To prove to myself that I can, to experience trail life for an extended period of time. Also to step back, get away from society, focus on myself, have a good time, and really live...

Level of Experience: Fair amount. Been hiking for a solid ten years, done many overnights, some week long trips, and a few longer the that. I have an understanding of what works well for me, what does not, so that learning curve is already gone. Fairly confident in my abilities in the woods and on the trail...

[CJMays]

Start date: Mid March

Trail name: Fancy Pants

Hometown: Acworth, GA

NOBO

Reason your thru hiking: Just went through a Divorce last year and am looking to do something big. It has always been a dream of mine to do a thru hike and I am ready to live the dream!

Level of experience: I have been backpacking since I was a Boy Scout and have nearly 20 years experience running around in the woods both on trails and navigating my way through unmarked areas.

[Rolls Kanardly]

If everything goes right, I will retire in December 2014 and be ready for my NOBO March 2015. I was going to retire three years ago and hike but medical things happened forcing me to stay at home so I continued to work. The extra time at home gave me an opportunity to buy one more tent and one more sleeping bag at half the weight and 5 times the cost. Hope I do not have to stay home another year..
Attachment 26430Rolls Kanardly, Dannie

[Conductor]

Hi Folks!

They call me Conductor and I'll be starting sometime in mid March coming from Portage, Michigan. NOBO simply because I think it's the better experience. Katahdin makes an excellent goal. I'll be retiring at the end of the year, been planning this next thru hike for a long time. I remembered just yesterday what it felt like to hike all day in the rain, but hiking is the best thing I do on any given day, even if my feet hurt, or it's raining or a rabid raccoon is blocking the trail. Nothing beats a day of hiking.

Thru hiked in 2006 same trail name, but I'm studying a few things to improve on that experience. Not to say it wasn't a great experience.