Maryland AT in 3 days?

[tdoczi]

tdoczi, I'm not implying anything. Focus on whatever you like.

theres a myriad of things one could focus on. "the miles" and all the civil war history are but two of them. someone choosing not to focus on one of them does not mean they are focusing on the other.

you have to love binary thinking.

the hiking in MD is nothing special. its hard to argue otherwise. the historical sites might be fabulous, but that has little to do with hiking. especially as they are all accessible by motor vehicle.

but even if one is a fan of the history, i still have to wonder...

MD is about 40 miles. if one were to take 4 days to hike it, assuming equal days, thats 10 miles a day.

it is very easy terrain. whether you enjoy history or not doesnt change the fact that anyone who is an at all capable hiker should find the actual hiking part easy. so lets go with a hiking pace of 1.7 MPH (still awful slow for the terrain.)

at 1.7 MPH, 10 miles a day is covered in a hair under 6 hours. throw in an hour lunch break and an hour miscellaneous breaks and you're at 8 hours.

if one begins their day at 8am, those 8 hours brings you to 4pm. how much daily time can really be spent at the various sites of historical significance? even to a history buff, is gathland state park a place one can spend 3 or 4 hours drinking in all of the history? its my impression that it isnt. i could be wrong. but even so, does one encounter at least one such place on all 4 days of a theoretical 4 day hike? i'm not sure one does...

my point? even if you love history and stop at all the historical spots and really take them in, i tend to think spending 4 days hiking MD involves a lot of sitting around camp not doing anything. if thats your thing, more power to you, but someone who doesnt want to sit in camp until 9 am and then stop hiking for the day at 4pm is not "just concerned with the miles."

[Professor Paul]

I'd like to offer a slightly different take on the question. The most important inquiry concerned your experience and fitness. I think most folks on this site are very experienced hikers, many of whom have completed a thru hike or at least very long section hikes. If that does not describe you, then totally disregard their advice. Thru-hikers are wildly unrepresentative in terms of their ability and what they see as a challenge. I live in Maryland, and overwhelmingly, most normal people regard the AT as incredibly challenging here. Casual hikers see whatever portion they tried as the hardest hike they've ever done. Lamb's Knoll, for example, doesn't ever seem to get any mention as even existing--only Weverton Cliffs in the South and High Rock in the north seem to register as hills to thru hikers--but it is 700 feet and steep. There is nothing remotely as challenging as either it or Pine Knob anywhere east of the AT in the state.

I think thru-hikers forget what it was like when they first started on the trail. I am a section hiker, and I remember asking my shuttle rider for one section what he thought the hardest part of the trail was. He said, "The part you're hiking on for the first few days." Unless you've been hiking a lot, up very big, steep hills, in the weeks leading in to your Maryland hike, then Maryland will be the "part you're hiking on the first few days." And if you don't do it regularly, you will be surprised by how much harder hiking anywhere (but especially up hills) becomes when you have a heavy pack on. Also, you might get blisters, and the cumulative toll on your feet and back will add up over the course of the days. Even for only 40 miles, particularly if your feet are not used to what they'll be doing on that hike. So the first day might feel OK, but the second and third days will be more of a struggle, because you won't be as fresh and your feet will hurt. Allotting four days is prudent, even if you finish more quickly. Remember, most people who set out on a thru-hike quit in a span of miles/days not much more than four days or 40 miles. There's a reason.

A final point: the history you can see while on the AT section in Maryland is exceptional. Folks saying otherwise were too busy accumulating miles as quickly as possible to notice. The trail traverses the spine of South Mountain, which was central to many of the most pivotal weeks of the Civil War. Ruins, monuments, signs, and the like are everywhere in Maryland if you keep your eyes open.

[RockDoc]

You have to be pretty superficial and self-absorbed to say that any part of the trail is 'nothing special'. The implication is that MD is not worth much time because it's easy and short. Someone has a very small brain.

[tdoczi]

You have to be pretty superficial and self-absorbed to say that any part of the trail is 'nothing special'. The implication is that MD is not worth much time because it's easy and short. Someone has a very small brain.

if we were start a survey here for users of WB to rank their favorite states, even if we allow the civil war enthusiasts amongst us to weigh that in their rankings, MD is going to be down the list quite a ways. its hard to deny.

[tdoczi]

A final point: the history you can see while on the AT section in Maryland is exceptional. Folks saying otherwise were too busy accumulating miles as quickly as possible to notice. The trail traverses the spine of South Mountain, which was central to many of the most pivotal weeks of the Civil War. Ruins, monuments, signs, and the like are everywhere in Maryland if you keep your eyes open.

is ok to just not be interested in history? or are those who are not somehow less in some way?

is it possible to not care about the history without being labelled as being "too busy accumulating miles"?

if one doesnt stop at the long trail brewery, were they "too busy accumulating miles" or maybe do they just not like beer all that much?

its funny how often HYOH comes with the very strong implication that your hike, while you're entitled to hike it, is inferior to mine.

[liberty lover]

Truly enjoyed this section.I did the 4 State Challenge and then went back and did this with my children.Much nicer to finish in Harpers Ferry if you can arrange transportation.We did it in four days/three nights.You should be fine.Very nice camping areas and nice shelters,with only a few short climbs.A nice climb if you go North up to Weaverton Heights,but well worth it.Ihope you enioy your hike

[Professor Paul]

I wasn't judging your hike. I was just commenting on the fact that there is a lot of history in that section, more than was implied in some other posts. I was also defending the Maryland section of the trail, which offers different attractions than other parts. I read a lot of books and other records by thru hikers. By the time they get to Maryland, they are always in full swing, churning out miles, thinking the middle section is easy and that anything not as dramatic as say, the Whites or Katadhin is not even worth commenting on. The average book gives Maryland a paragraph or two and just says, "It's really easy," and not much more. That perspective is totally unrepresentative of the experience of anyone who is not a thru-hiker. If a person is posting a question about how long they should plan to spend hiking in Maryland, you can be pretty sure they are much closer to the norm and won't have two or three months of living a thru-hike coloring how they encounter the middle states. Thru hikers sometimes lose sight of what it's like for the rest of the hiking community. I no longer trust anything a thru hiker says about things being easy. It's like Stephen Curry saying hitting a three pointer is easy.

[tdoczi]

I wasn't judging your hike. I was just commenting on the fact that there is a lot of history in that section, more than was implied in some other posts. I was also defending the Maryland section of the trail, which offers different attractions than other parts. I read a lot of books and other records by thru hikers. By the time they get to Maryland, they are always in full swing, churning out miles, thinking the middle section is easy and that anything not as dramatic as say, the Whites or Katadhin is not even worth commenting on. The average book gives Maryland a paragraph or two and just says, "It's really easy," and not much more. That perspective is totally unrepresentative of the experience of anyone who is not a thru-hiker. If a person is posting a question about how long they should plan to spend hiking in Maryland, you can be pretty sure they are much closer to the norm and won't have two or three months of living a thru-hike coloring how they encounter the middle states. Thru hikers sometimes lose sight of what it's like for the rest of the hiking community. I no longer trust anything a thru hiker says about things being easy. It's like Stephen Curry saying hitting a three pointer is easy.

a)i'm not a thru hiker. hiked MD as a section. in 2 days
b) i still say, relevant to any number of other places, both on and off the AT one could go hiking, the AT through MD is not noteworthy
c) i still think you dont get that suggesting someone who doesnt stop and enjoy the history must just be focused on churning out the miles as fast as possible is entirely missing most of my point. you really seem stuck on that. some people just arent interested. its ok.

me personally, i do enjoy history at the correct time and place, but when i am out for a hike, especially because i am not a thru hiker and my time is limited and valuable, i have no inclination to spend my limited time resources viewing civil war history at a park that anyone can just drive to if they want to see it. now, if there was some undeniably interesting artifact notated in a guidebook down a side trail a mile off the AT? yeah, i just might stop and see it, depending on myriad other factors.

a typical drive up state park though? not spending time there while i'm hiking. i didnt linger at the top of mt washington either, it isnt just that im "anti MD" or something

[Malto]

I wasn't judging your hike. I was just commenting on the fact that there is a lot of history in that section, more than was implied in some other posts. I was also defending the Maryland section of the trail, which offers different attractions than other parts. I read a lot of books and other records by thru hikers. By the time they get to Maryland, they are always in full swing, churning out miles, thinking the middle section is easy and that anything not as dramatic as say, the Whites or Katadhin is not even worth commenting on. The average book gives Maryland a paragraph or two and just says, "It's really easy," and not much more. That perspective is totally unrepresentative of the experience of anyone who is not a thru-hiker. If a person is posting a question about how long they should plan to spend hiking in Maryland, you can be pretty sure they are much closer to the norm and won't have two or three months of living a thru-hike coloring how they encounter the middle states. Thru hikers sometimes lose sight of what it's like for the rest of the hiking community. I no longer trust anything a thru hiker says about things being easy. It's like Stephen Curry saying hitting a three pointer is easy.

The OP gave absolutely no information on his capability or experience. In the absence of that info, others gave their perspective on the Maryland AT vs. the AT as a whole. Had the OP stated asked how the Maryland AT compared to the CO canal path then the answer would have lined up closer to what you are saying.

[Professor Paul]

This is the last I'll weigh in on this. I happen to agree with both of the previous two posts, even though they were each critical of what I'm saying. I had two main points; the first is that without knowing a hiker's fitness or experience, there is no way to know how much time to allot to the hike. Pretty much everyone was saying it was easy and would go by quickly. I disagree that this is the case for most people, though I know that in comparison with a lot of other AT hikes, it is easier. It's a comparative thing. But it's also important to keep in mind that in comparison to most other hiking east of the Rockies, and especially the kind of hiking that casual people do, in absolute terms the AT is tough. We don't know how the OP hikes, so we shouldn't assume anything either way. I was raising an alternative view, because that hiker could find it tough, not easy like everyone was saying. The other point is that Maryland is not necessarily boring. The history is excellent. It's not my thing when hiking, either, but it is an attraction that sets Maryland apart. Pretty much the whole way through the state, you're passing neat historical things. I don't think either of my points is controversial or even arguable, really. I also stand by my claim, which is unrelated and admittedly gratuitous, that thru-hikers are totally unreliable when describing something as easy. They are like another species when it comes to their hiking ability but don't seem to realize it.

[tdoczi]

I also stand by my claim, which is unrelated and admittedly gratuitous, that thru-hikers are totally unreliable when describing something as easy. They are like another species when it comes to their hiking ability but don't seem to realize it.

again, it is all relative. it is hard or easy in an absolute sense? who is to say. compared to the rest of the trail though? it is undeniably one of the easier sections. there are very very few people who would say otherwise.

does that make it "easy" in the grand sense of the word? i dont know, truly. but as far s hiking trails go, it is one of the easier ones youre going to find.

again, i am not a thru hiker. and also in my experience their abilities are, like everyone's, all over the map. i've met thrus who started the trail in april and were in the maine high peaks in early july blowing through them like they werent there. and ive met thrus who started in march who were lollygagging the days away in vermont in late september. as is typical of a lot of people in the world these days, not just on this board, you seem to (inadvertently at times) make everything an "either or" proposition, or more specifically, you seem to think "if something does not fit in category A then it MUST fit in category B" never acknowledging that categories C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L etc etc etc even might possibly exist (binary thinking). there are section hikers who could demolish the pace of some thru hikers. whether you're a section hiker or thru hiker is mostly irrelevant to how fast you can hike, or whether you care to enjoy the civil war history angle of hiking in MD.

[Malto]

This is the last I'll weigh in on this. I happen to agree with both of the previous two posts, even though they were each critical of what I'm saying. I had two main points; the first is that without knowing a hiker's fitness or experience, there is no way to know how much time to allot to the hike. Pretty much everyone was saying it was easy and would go by quickly. I disagree that this is the case for most people, though I know that in comparison with a lot of other AT hikes, it is easier. It's a comparative thing. But it's also important to keep in mind that in comparison to most other hiking east of the Rockies, and especially the kind of hiking that casual people do, in absolute terms the AT is tough. We don't know how the OP hikes, so we shouldn't assume anything either way. I was raising an alternative view, because that hiker could find it tough, not easy like everyone was saying. The other point is that Maryland is not necessarily boring. The history is excellent. It's not my thing when hiking, either, but it is an attraction that sets Maryland apart. Pretty much the whole way through the state, you're passing neat historical things. I don't think either of my points is controversial or even arguable, really. I also stand by my claim, which is unrelated and admittedly gratuitous, that thru-hikers are totally unreliable when describing something as easy. They are like another species when it comes to their hiking ability but don't seem to realize it.

I actually have no quarrel with anything you posted. As for it being boring, I have hiked it all five times so I don't find it too boring to keep doing.

[middle to middle]

I was out walking it and encountered the Univ. Md. cross country team running it in an afternoon.

[Bansko]

It's fairly easy and quite enjoyable. Three days? No problems unless you're completely out of shape.