First ever thru-hike in 85 days possible? 25mpd.

[Bansko]

Another option is to skip the less interesting part of the AT (the middle section) and just do the south and the north. Doing Springer to Marion, VA, then bumping up to NJ would eliminate a lot of the drudgery and save a lot of time.

I like that idea, maybe because I found MD and PA to be very boring (except for the historical sites). As some others have noted, NJ is a rather surprising section of trail that I thoroughly enjoyed. NY as well.

[CalebJ]

Why limit yourself to 85 days of walking 3-4mph for 15-20 hours? Just run half the time and you can do it in 60 or maybe beat the record of 45! Seriously, if you're trying to get it done as quickly as possible you might as well trail run it. All of those who have attempted and completed the AT in 100 or less days have no time to stop and enjoy anything. They all lament this once they've completed it or quit. So, calling it a hike isn't accurate, it's more of an endurance challenge for the body and the definitely the mind.

If you want a more prestigious accomplishment just sign up or the Barkley Marathons next year. It's only 100 miles.

***? Do you always make up statements and pronounce them as fact?

I'll bite. Since you quoted the whole post, I'm not sure which part you are referring to. Surely you're not referring to the entire post.

Apologies for not being completely clear. I was referring to this:
"All of those who have attempted and completed the AT in 100 or less days have no time to stop and enjoy anything. They all lament this once they've completed it or quit."
There may be cases of that, but it's certainly not accurate to imply that no one has ever enjoyed a thru-hike at 25 or more miles per day. Maybe it's not your style, but for those who prefer hiking to camping, it's not that unusual to spend enough hours on the trail to comfortably hit those numbers without rushing.

[Dogwood]

Not for or against a sub 90 AT thru.

What Rush was getting at which is commonly dismissed by those with such agendas is understanding this...

When you say yes to something, it is imperative that you understand what you are deciding what you are saying no to.

[Dogwood]

When you say yes to something, it is imperative that you understand what you are deciding to say no to.

[rocketsocks]

When you say yes to something, it is imperative that you understand what you are deciding to say no to.

In and of itself...I like that

[rocketsocks]

...and would think the opposite is also very true.

[Malto]

When you say yes to something, it is imperative that you understand what you are deciding to say no to.

From the second response to the OP on this thread....... I think it sums up both sides of the equation. If you have suggestions then I would be more than open to amend the list.

"Now the most important question, should you?
Just so you know the downsides of a fast schedule....
1) You will likely be hiking solo. There will be few people able and/willing to hike at your pace. I hiked solo until I left the Sierra.
2) You will miss some of the trail town experiences.
3) There will be days when you find that perfect place to camp at mile 18 but you will have to move on another few miles. I probably had much less desirable campsites then the average hiker but I was only using them to sleep.
4) You will feel the schedule pressure. I took five zeros in Tahoe to spend with my wife. I was a couple of days behind due to the high snow and calculated that I would have to average well over 30mpd for the rest of the trip. There were no more zeros and I could feel the schedule driving me to the border. This is also part of the mental game. You can see in my journal times when I struggled with this especially up near Ashland.
But there are positives.
1) You will see more sunrises and sunsets due to longer days. It is a myth that you have to move so fast that you can’t “stop and smell the roses.” My trail speed was just slightly faster than average. But my time lying in a tent was greatly reduced.
2) The main source of satisfaction may be the physical challenge.
3) Because you can “cherry pick” your window you will likely have better weather than the average thru hiker. My late start avoided the rain in SoCal and my early finish avoided most of the rain in Washington. I set my tarp up three nights and was rained on once and snowed on once in 98 days.
4) But the biggest benefit may be that a fast schedule is the only way many could ever have the opportunity to hike a long trail. My fast schedule was the only possible way I could afford to thru hike the PCT; I couldn’t put my life on hold for five months.
So bottom line, you should know what you are getting into, this hike is not for most people. But I enjoyed my experience and would do it again. Enjoy"

[Dogwood]

Yes Malta those r excellent facets of approaching a sub 90. I read through your journal entry the first time it was posted. Excellent tips.

However, as u r well aware, very fast hikes take more than a high fitness level or athleticism

I strongly expeCT you were a reasonably possibly highly exp

[Dogwood]

logistically trail life experienced hiker when you did your 100 dy PCT NOBO. This is an important factor in very speedy unsupported hikes. When I see this, not being from the US on a 90 Visa, a person not of Cams world LD experience,

[Tinstaafl]

Another angle to consider is resupply. Even if you're physically capable of doing those miles per day, as a "foreigner", where's your support? The great majority of throughhikers rely on someone to mail supplies to drop points so they can just pick 'em up and keep rolling. Without that, you'd spend a lot of time shopping vs grab a package and go.

[Dogwood]

not being recognized from the onset yet expectin only a yes go for it answer it makes me question the sub 90

[English Stu]

I don't agree not to ask on here, why not learn from other peoples experiences. You can decide what is valid to you or not.

On my hikes I still follow Ray Jardine`s advice and do a shakedown hike of a third of the mileage of the intended hike with all kit, with mileage just as you would intend the full hike. If you accomplish that you are well on your way to completion as you know your kit and fitness are good, your confidence will be great and any gremlins sorted out. 25 mile days in Scotland would be a good test. Advice in these situations is to not to walk fast but walk long...hours.

On my first AT section I met very briefly two of the first likely to finish SOBO hikers. I was also going the south so saw may of their Register posts-walking at five o'clock a.m, massive miles. However starting at five o'clock walking till dark, no time to chat eating biscuits on the hoof; similar on the JMT meeting PCT hikers, again superfit by then just sailing along.

[Bansko]

Another angle to consider is resupply. Even if you're physically capable of doing those miles per day, as a "foreigner", where's your support? The great majority of throughhikers rely on someone to mail supplies to drop points so they can just pick 'em up and keep rolling. Without that, you'd spend a lot of time shopping vs grab a package and go.

Thru hikers on the AT don't really need much mailed resupply. Food can be obtained locally. Besides, any equipment or favorite freeze dried food can be ordered from REI and sent to a Post Office farther down the trail. REI doesn't care if you have a UK passport, as long as your credit card works.

[Bansko]

The great majority of throughhikers rely on someone to mail supplies to drop points so they can just pick 'em up and keep rolling.

I should have noted that I disagree with that assumption. That might have been true in the past, but not anymore. From my experience last year the great majority of thru hikers buy their food locally.

[Dogwood]

Thru hikers on the AT don't really need much mailed resupply.

Depends. Thats not a given. Mailing boxes can very often saves valuable time on trail.

Food can be obtained locally. Besides, any equipment or favorite freeze dried food can be ordered from REI and sent to a Post Office farther down the trail.

That takes time. Again, theREI doesn't care if you have a UK passport, as long as your credit card works.[/QUOTE]

[Dogwood]

Again the OP is not from the US. It would benefit the OP to have US based logistical support. Additionally, reaching out to more of the international hiking community that have done fast AT hikes might also help.

[Slo-go'en]

Mail drops can also slow you down if you don't hit town at the right time of day or week. Show up after noon on Saturday, your stuck until Monday morning if the package is at the Post Office. Sending to a business or hostel can help avoid that problem to some extent, but not always. In the context of a fast hike, you really need to have this all planned out exceptionally well before hand for it to work out.

The real issue is still the fact you pretty much have to hike dawn to dusk with few breaks in order to cover 25-30 miles in a day. To do that everyday for nearly 3 months is a big strain both physically and mentally. It stops being fun after a few days and becomes a very hard job. Sure it can and has been done, but you have to be one of those exceptional people to do so.

[George]

I would put it this way: with good planning and preparation you might have about 10% chance of doing this - standard schedule hikers have about a 20% success rate - no big deal either way, as long as you are not the type that would regret the attempt because the schedule did not work out

[Tinstaafl]

Food can be obtained locally. Besides, any equipment or favorite freeze dried food can be ordered from REI and sent to a Post Office farther down the trail.

True enough, but that still takes time and energy you might not have when hiking 25+ miles a day.

A good trail boss can orchestrate supply logistics for you, including equipment and supplies that might not be stocked locally--and often at less expense than ordering from REI/Amazon/whoever. Probably more dependably too--though Slo-go'en has a point about making it to the post office on time.

From my experience last year the great majority of thru hikers buy their food locally.

Were the great majority of through-hikers trying to do it in less than 90 days?

[foodbag]

Yes, you can do it! Now that that's settled, I would suggest putting up with the visa process to get a longer visa, so that you can take your time and enjoy the Trail as it may be best enjoyed - at your leisure. They don't call it the Appalachian National Scenic Trail for nothing

Ultimately, hike your own hike, at whatever speed you choose. You only go around once....