Congrats! Hearing your story gives me encouragement that one day I'll complete the trail, too. (Just passed 1000 miles this year).
Congrats! Hearing your story gives me encouragement that one day I'll complete the trail, too. (Just passed 1000 miles this year).
Formerly uhfox
Springer to Bear Mountain Inn, NY
N Adams, MA to Clarendon VT
Franconia Notch to Crawford Notch
I did zealand hut to K this year, was the last section I owed - talked to quite a few who were doing their last section and finishing at K - since I did mine in random sequence/ direction I never thought it would be so common to finish sectioning at the N end - for me it was a time off/ logistics thing, I mostly do sections in winter and Maine is most practical in Aug/ Sept so it kept being put off
BTW - look at the ages of everyone who responded/ acknowledged this thread - almost all the same, I guess it makes sense that sectioning is a mid-lifers (non-crises) strategy
Congratulations JB. Remember you dropped me off at Amicola SP back in 2011. I've done sections in VT, MA and NC these past few years but nothing over 110 miles mol. Thinking about starting at Hot Springs in the Spring and getting up to Damascus. Well done for you.
Let no one be deluded that a knowledge of the path can substitute for putting one foot in front of the other.
—M. C. Richards
Congratulations on your achievement! This sort of thing always inspires me to get more. Thank you.
Michael
Great Job. It took me so long to get the entire trail done I ended up doing another trip to the south to go pick up a few pieces that I had to blue blaze (due to closures or unsafe conditions).
Congratulations! I'd just add... no need to be "finished", you can always start a second go-around. :)
Congratulations,
What was your longest amount of consecutive days including zero days that you were able to go? did you do fall and spring or just once a year, multiple times per year?
what was you pack weight in 99 compared to the last few years.
Thanks i will be back out again in the fall. my first section was cut short by a companion that had a knee injury this year. we only got in 4 days from springer but i want to fishish Ga and get into NC this year and have the goal to make it all the way.....someday.
My longest section was from Duncannon, PA to Great Barrington, MA. I think that was around 380 miles and I was out for about a month. The year I did that (2004), I lost my job in March, but got a severance payment. I was fairly irritated and just wanted to unwind by hiking. I always tried to hike in the Spring, usually April in the South and May/June as I went further north. My last section in ME, I started the first week in July. I only hiked one time per year, usually using my vacation time.
My pack weight in 1999 was 45-50 pounds (insane), and I was down to about 30 to 35 the last few years. I transitioned from hiking boots to trail running shoes over the last 3 years.
I did take off the years from 2005 to 2010 to recover financially from the job loss, and the loss of conditioning from aging from early/mid fifties to early 60's was quite noticeable. I used to be able to knock out 18-20+ mile days in my early fifties, but re-starting at 61, I was lucky to get in a 12-13 mile day. I almost always had to take a zero after 4-5 days each time I started, to let my body recover. Sectioning the trail can be a tough way to go, just because you have to go through several days of re-conditioning each year you start.
I will say that the AT is very tough on the knees, especially for someone from Florida. I am also a casual distance runner, but that only helped a little when I got in the mountains. I used hiking sticks the last 4 years which helped a little with the knees.
Way to stick with it! Congrats!
Congratulations. I'm just starting my learning and training hope to do the Trail once I retire.
Silly question but what makes a "Section". I plan on doing all of PA next year. Is that a section, part of 1 section, parts of 2??
Ed
I'd say a section can be any part you want it to be from a generic sense. I hiked from Pearisburg to Rockfish Gap one year so that was my section of the trail that I completed. There are officially defined 'sections' in the guide books but I doubt too many people just make their yearly (or what ever interval) hike based on those exact sections. I never really paid attention to the official sections.
Congrats from another committed section hiker. I think section hiking is underrated.
Just spent 6 days on the PCT and saw dozens of NOBO thru hikers within 200 miles of finishing. I would not like to hike with their attitude, mostly silent and rather unhappy. Only interested in finishing (the damn thing!).
In comparison, we section people were chatty and giddy.
Underrated? Far more impressive, to me, than a single year thru.
thanks for taking time to answer my questions, you sir are an inspiration!