3 week hike begins in 3 weeks at Springer. Unprepared is an understatement. HELP!

[0utlier]

I'm 44 and in OK shape. I run, mountain bike, and hit the gym from time to time. Since my early twenties I've obsessed over thru-hiking the AT, but now I'm married and have an 11 and 9 year old so being away for 6 months is unrealistic at the moment. Over the last few months I've been heavy into watching thru-hike videos and my desire for some AT time is through the roof.

As luck would have it my daughter is doing a ballet intensive in Athens, GA for 3 weeks beginning June 7th and Athens is 85 miles from Springer. My son is going to summer camp for 2 weeks beginning on the same date. I now find myself with the opportunity to hike 3 weeks of the AT. Unfortunately, June 7th is about 3 weeks away.

I have no gear and I have no extended camping experience, but I have much desire.

I've been consuming as much of whiteblaze.net as I can, but it can quickly become information overload.

I realize most people prepare for months or years for a thru-hike. Unfortunately, I find myself in a position where I have very little time to prepare for my 3 week adventure.

I'm not sure what I'm asking other than if anyone has any input. The gear list at http://lighterpack.com/r/50uokc seems to be pretty good, but any advice is truly welcomed.

[Tipi Walter]

3 weeks is a long time for an extended backpacking trip and yes, I consider your AT hike an extended backpacking trip, with several food resupplies. What others would call a section hike.

I know Mississippi is not the mountains but if you have a backyard or a porch or deck you could help yourself by using your gear and by starting to sleep out every night to see how you do on the ground and/or inside your tent. It takes a while to get used to a sleeping pad and learning how to quickly set up a tent so when it's raining or it's dark you won't get confused.

Thankfully the AT is not a remote location and you'll have a small community of folks to help if things go south. Plus, there are many bail-out points along the route.

[George P Burdell]

Get the gear online now if you can and camp in your yard a few times. Otherwise, print gear list. Stop at one of the Atlanta area REI stores on your way thru town. Rent or buy gear there; employees are usually knowledgeable and will help you. Drive to Amicalola State Park and camp there the first night. If that goes ok, start hiking next day. Reassess at Mountain Crossings a few days down the trail. Arrange shuttle in X days at Y location, plan out and back turnaround day, or bail out if necessary.

Maybe obvious, but don’t forget to pack food (not on the linked list unless I missed it).
Read up on safety- lightning, hypothermia, dehydration, etc.
Don’t expect everything to go perfect on the trail. Enjoy the good and the bad. Be safe out there.

[shelb]

This is AWESOME!!! I congratulate you for making it work when your family is occupied!!!

--Number one: Bring 3 pairs of socks! One to hike in, one to sleep in, and one to be able to hang and dry (these are interchangeable...just might have all three things going on at once)
--Next: bring Body Glide....good for chafing. MUCH better than Gold Bond (in my opinion). It also works on your feet.
__The reviews on your tent claim it leaks in rain. Pick up either a tarp piece to drape/stake over it....Anyone else - PLEASE chime in on this one! (Note: I do try to only stay in shelters, but have on occasion had to rely on my tent for shelter - usually when it is raining and others who didn't want to tent beat me to the shelter!).

Whoops...I thought that the gear list link you gave was your already owned link. Since you don't already own a tent, hold off on that and plan to sleep in shelters. But DO BRING A TARP - you must have some type of shelter for an emergency...even if it just means hanging/rolling in a tarp.

Don't carry too much food. Plan to complete 10 -12 miles a day with one day per week being either a 5 or below day - (known as nero or zero day). Bring one extra day's food and plan to pick up the rest at the store, gas station, etc.

You will have an awesome time!!

[MuddyWaters]

Im gonna agree with you, 3 weeks isnt much time from where you stand now. Without owning gear, especially.

But its not really a long time on the trail either. All you really have to do is arrange a bit of transportation, and start walking. Buy more food when needed. Yeah, some people plan for years, completely unnecessary.

[illabelle]

But, but, but the planning for years, and the anticipation of what's coming up next is so much FUN!
Muddy is right, years of planning aren't necessary. Plenty of folks hop on the trail clueless, poorly conditioned, and poorly equipped. A lot of them drop out. But some of them make it all the way. Of course, those who are better informed, conditioned, and equipped tend to have a higher success rate, and enjoy their time more.

WhiteBlaze is a good resource, but information is sorta random here. You need a concentrated organized source of info:
For an overview of the AT, and lots of basic advice and information about backpacking, go to www.appalachiantrail.org and read everything.
For quick answers to the "how far from A to B" questions, go to www.atdist.com - it also will keep a record (on that computer & browser) of what sections you've completed.
For detailed info about the trail (where's the water? how steep is the next hill? where can I bail out?), get a copy of the AT Guide, www.theatguide.com - available in NOBO (northbound) or SOBO, looseleaf or bound, updated each year. Also there are some electronic versions to carry on a phone - not my thing, so somebody else will need to help with that if you're interested.

Best of luck to you!

[illabelle]

Since you don't already own a tent, hold off on that and plan to sleep in shelters. But DO BRING A TARP - you must have some type of shelter for an emergency...even if it just means hanging/rolling in a tarp.

A caution here:
It's fine to "plan on" sleeping in shelters, but understand that this limits your itinerary. Say you arrive at a shelter at 3:30, and you don't really want to stop, but the next one is 8 miles away. If you don't carry a tent/tarp/hammock, you don't have the option of hiking on for a couple of hours and setting up camp when you want to. Also, shelters sometimes fill up, especially during a hard rain - which is when you'll really want to be in a shelter.
A tent is pretty basic. I haven't used a tarp or hammock, but I've read that there's a significant learning curve to using them well. Keep that in mind if you decide to go that direction.
Bottom line - staying warm and dry is vital to your safety and to your comfort. Don't skimp.

[rocketsocks]

oh these are shinning times...have a goodn'

[bigcranky]

Hey, Outlier, hope you have a fun trip.

If you are willing to spend some money on gear, honestly the best thing to do is to show up at the outfitter at Neels Gap at the beginning of your 3 week trip and let them completely outfit you for gear. Those folks specialize in long distance AT hiking -- your local REI does not. I've met several hikers who have done that, and they got good advice and solid gear. They will also show you how to use everything before you hit the trail, and 4 days after you start you will walk right through the store again and you can make any tweaks you need.

You'll need to buy one of the trail guides and a couple of maps - the first two, from Springer to Fontana Dam ought to be plenty. The AT Guide and the ALDHA Companion are both good. (I'm a volunteer editor for the Companion but use both.)

Make arrangements to stay at The Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega. You can drive up there after dropping off the kid, spend the night, take the next day to hit the outfitter and get your gear squared away, spend another night, then get a ride to Springer to start hiking. You can leave your car at the hostel and they will come get you when you are finished hiking.

I'm going to PM you my summer gear list. Take it as a starting point, nothing more. When looking at gear lists, think of things in broad categories, not as specific brands and models -- for example, we can argue all day here on WB about the "best" pack, but notice that all the models mentioned in those threads tend to be packs in the 50-liter range with internal frames weighing about 2 pounds. Same with shelters -- there are a lot of choices, but they all tend to be about the same weight and with similar features.

Good luck with the preparation and the hike.

[0utlier]

I appreciate the help so far. Thanks bigcranky for the spreadsheet. How this is going to work is myself, my wife, and kids will drive to Athens to drop my daughter off. They will then drive me the 85 miles to Springer MT and kick me to the curb. In 3 weeks when my wife comes for my daughter they will then travel the 200 or so miles north to get me wherever I may be. I anticipate I'll be somewhere outside of the smokies.

I can spend reasonable amounts of money on gear. I've seen where some people have spent thousands on gear and others a few hundred. I'm in the middle somewhere.

My one concern is hiking the smokies. I realize I have to get a permit as well as possibly make reservations to sleep in specific shelters while traversing the park. It's my understanding that if you approach the smokies from 50 miles out and hike away from the smokies by at least 50 miles you can get a thru-hiker permit which relieves you from having to make reservations at specific shelters. I'm not technically a thru-hiker, but I think I may meet the criteria for a thru-hiker pass. Is trying to get a thru-hiker pass something I should do or is it bad form since I'm not actually a true thru-hiker?

How should I handle the smokies?

[0utlier]

After a little further reading and calculations, getting beyond the smokies may be pretty optimistic for 21 total days on the AT by a total noob. It seems a more realistic end point may be Fontana Dam which would negate dealing with the smokies this go around. Thoughts anyone?

[Ashepabst]

it's 166 miles to Fontana Dam, so about 8 miles day on average. if you take three zeros, that just over 9 miles/day.


if it were me, i wouldn't plan on more than that, but take it for what it's worth.


what kind of shelter are you thinking about?

[Lyle]

If I recall, Springer to Fontana was 13 days for me. The Smokies another five. I didn't rush. I took one rest day at Hiawssee.

Smokies - I would just plan on getting a thu-hiker permit and not worry about it.

[hikernutcasey]

it's 166 miles to Fontana Dam, so about 8 miles day on average. if you take three zeros, that just over 9 miles/day.


if it were me, i wouldn't plan on more than that, but take it for what it's worth.


what kind of shelter are you thinking about?

I was thinking the same thing. Unless you really get in a groove you may want to think about stopping at Fontana. I guess you could always go on to Newfound Gap or even to Standing Bear farm on the northern exit of the Smokeys but the Smokeys are tough and with your limited experience and the need to make reservations for the shelters there you may not want to tackle that just yet. Just something to think about.

[illabelle]

You don't have to be a "true" thru-hiker to go through the Smokies on a thru-hiker permit. The 50-mile rule is their rule. If you are in compliance, go for it.

[Lyle]

If I recall, Springer to Fontana was 13 days for me. The Smokies another five. I didn't rush. I took one rest day at Hiawssee.

Smokies - I would just plan on getting a thu-hiker permit and not worry about it.

Keep your end point flexible. Stop at Fontana, stop at Newfound gap, or stop at Standing Bear or beyond - plenty of options to play it by ear. Enjoy yourself instead of being a slave to your schedule.

[bigcranky]

If you start at Springer then there is no problem with getting a thru-hiker permit for the Smokies, BUT you'll need to buy it in advance before you leave your home, print it out, and take it with you. The cost is reasonable ($20 IIRC), so if you don't get to the Smokies you won't have lost much. If you do get there, though, you will NEED that permit, preprinted and in your pack.

No worries on the "50 miles before and after" if you start at Springer - you well exceed the "before" and at that point the "after" doesn't matter as much, since you won't know how far you can go in three weeks. In any case, some thru-hikers quit in Gatlinburg and thus don't make it the "50 miles beyond" and they don't get into any trouble....

All that said, if it were me in your position, I would hope to get to Fontana Dam and be pretty darn happy with that. Georgia is tough on beginners, and the Nantahala Section, the whole ~60 miles before Fontana, is one of the toughest in the South. You'll want to start at ~8 miles per day, and you'll need some zeros, or at least some very short days when going into town for resupply and showers and all that, so given your time frame Fontana would be a good goal.

[saltysack]

Save some weight call jacks r better...they had some seconds...40 deg down quilt..$100....great quilt...lighter than the bag..trekking pile supported shelter cause u will end up using them...I can't hike without them....just my $ .02


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[Namtrag]

I attached a gear list I did up for a good friend who had zero gear. He had a pretty good budget, but I have some relatively inexpensive choices as well. My advice, if you think you will really keep backpacking, is to buy nice stuff, and cry about it only once.

I'd get shoes/boots asap and start wearing them around, and do some hiking in them. Order all the gear online, or get to an outfitter, pretty quickly so you have time to figure out how to set up your tent, pack your pack, etc.

Good luck! I envy you getting 3 weeks away!

[saltysack]

Don't sweat the gear...get quality big 4...pack..shelter..bag/quilt...pad...remember less is better...and no cotton...john Muir took only bread and tea on his extended Sierra trip.....



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