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Thread: Class of 2022

  1. #1
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    :banana Class of 2022

    Yep! I am starting this thread because while we have often talked about thru hiking from when my husband and I first started backpacking 25+ years ago this has been a "dream." Well about 18 months ago we sat down and"decided" we would continue working for 5 more years, had several things we needed to "accomplish" before we set out, etc. Then about a year ago we almost blew the whole plan but luckily didn't (like committing major money which would have kept us from leaving jobs for 6 months). Been discussing it again and we are committed. So at this time in the year 2022 we will be in some stage of getting rid of the vast majority of our possessions, visiting our son, and then packing up the rest of our stuff for our "post hike" life and getting to the trail head!
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  2. #2

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    Talk about "Plan Ahead and Prepare"!

    Good luck!

  3. #3

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    I barely know what I'm doing next week, let alone in 4 years! At least you'll know you're well prepared well you hit the trail...right up until you realize you aren't...lol

  4. #4
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    My wife & I were practically in your exact shoes back in 2010 ... 5 years away from retiring (with over 25 years of hardcore backpacking under our belt), and then wanting to do the AT for a retirement kickoff. We've been accused of planning things way too far in advance, but we were only 50 when we quit the jobs, and every one of our accusers is still trying to pay off their mortgage. It's pretty darn nice be a long range planner!

    We did retire right on schedule, and we did start the AT ... but quickly found out that the AT was the exact wrong thing for us at that particular time. There are numerous reasons why we bailed on the trip, but it basically boiled down to the fact that we ended up hating almost everything about East Coast hiking. We're from the Central Interior part of British Columbia, and our home backpacking territory is basically Jasper & west into BC ... pretty different from the AT. I'm not trying to start a troll war here, but for us that was what it was. It only took us 2 weeks to figure it out on the AT, and we're pretty good at making big fast decisions so we bailed. No regrets. We came back to BC and had the spring/summer/fall backpacking season of our lives.

    One big time recommendation would be to plan a two week vacation to hike the Georgia to the Smokies section ... a year or two before you retire, and at the exact dates you plan on starting the AT. You'll find out a bunch of stuff that you might not have thought of, and conclude the AT is just not your thing. We knew a bunch of facts from research, but that only gets you so far and very little of that is emotional. I was surprised by how much of a negative vibe my wife & I got from not seeing a single animal track on the AT in all of Georgia ... not something that would even be noticed by most people I suspect, but we are huge wildlife fanatics and Georgia left us feeling somewhat hollow. The other shock was just how bad the water sources were compared to our baseline thinking of water ... while most people we met were saying that the water sources were doing great that year because of all the rain. We did know from research that water was going to be different, but the reality hit us as a big negative vibe that brought us down. These two relatively minor things (and a few others) made us start thinking about what we could be doing the Canadian Rockies in the spring & summer instead ... and that basically sealed the deal on our bailout.

    So do your research, but get out to the actual trail and do some hardcore testing of your gear ... and your brain! I hope it works out for you, and you end up on top of Katahdin ... it's a worthwhile physical endeavor for a lot of folks.

  5. #5
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DuneElliot View Post
    I barely know what I'm doing next week, let alone in 4 years! At least you'll know you're well prepared well you hit the trail...right up until you realize you aren't...lol
    I don't know what I'm doing next week either! But I know that in 4 years we will be getting ready/be on the trail!
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  6. #6
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BCPete View Post
    My wife & I were practically in your exact shoes back in 2010 ... 5 years away from retiring (with over 25 years of hardcore backpacking under our belt), and then wanting to do the AT for a retirement kickoff. We've been accused of planning things way too far in advance, but we were only 50 when we quit the jobs, and every one of our accusers is still trying to pay off their mortgage. It's pretty darn nice be a long range planner!

    We did retire right on schedule, and we did start the AT ... but quickly found out that the AT was the exact wrong thing for us at that particular time. There are numerous reasons why we bailed on the trip, but it basically boiled down to the fact that we ended up hating almost everything about East Coast hiking. We're from the Central Interior part of British Columbia, and our home backpacking territory is basically Jasper & west into BC ... pretty different from the AT. I'm not trying to start a troll war here, but for us that was what it was. It only took us 2 weeks to figure it out on the AT, and we're pretty good at making big fast decisions so we bailed. No regrets. We came back to BC and had the spring/summer/fall backpacking season of our lives.

    One big time recommendation would be to plan a two week vacation to hike the Georgia to the Smokies section ... a year or two before you retire, and at the exact dates you plan on starting the AT. You'll find out a bunch of stuff that you might not have thought of, and conclude the AT is just not your thing. We knew a bunch of facts from research, but that only gets you so far and very little of that is emotional. I was surprised by how much of a negative vibe my wife & I got from not seeing a single animal track on the AT in all of Georgia ... not something that would even be noticed by most people I suspect, but we are huge wildlife fanatics and Georgia left us feeling somewhat hollow. The other shock was just how bad the water sources were compared to our baseline thinking of water ... while most people we met were saying that the water sources were doing great that year because of all the rain. We did know from research that water was going to be different, but the reality hit us as a big negative vibe that brought us down. These two relatively minor things (and a few others) made us start thinking about what we could be doing the Canadian Rockies in the spring & summer instead ... and that basically sealed the deal on our bailout.

    So do your research, but get out to the actual trail and do some hardcore testing of your gear ... and your brain! I hope it works out for you, and you end up on top of Katahdin ... it's a worthwhile physical endeavor for a lot of folks.
    I appreciate the advice.

    We won't be retiring but taking a "sabattical." Basically quitting our jobs and then needing to go back to work when we are done. So the financial considerations are pretty big, thus the planning so far in advance. We also have a 20 year old son who lives on his own but still needs us enough that we want to give him more time to be a little more settled, stable, etc.

    We have no idea where we will live when we get done. We may return to where we currently live, nearby or in a completely different state. If our attempt "fails" we would likely spend the rest of the planned time away traveling with a travel trailer and seeing more of the country.

    We are pretty familiar with the AT having lived in MA, ME and NH and hiking it and being trail maintainers there. I also spent some time last spring on the AT in GA - 5 days but missed my husband too much - so I am familiar that it is very different from the Whites.

    We also have plans to do short sections in the next couple of years but don't really want to "spoil" too much of the surprises. We also have a "new to us" State to explore so we will likely spend the bulk of our time hiking here in Texas and seeing the beauty here.
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  7. #7
    NOBO Mar '21 BowGal's Avatar
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    And here I thought I was over preparing for next year.
    Lol, my gear is laid out on my living room floor, have a base of 17 lbs. and 29 total weight. My hubby thinks I’m overthinking, but he’s not hiking the AT, I am.

    I’ll be doing a number of trails this Spring and Summer to get in a few miles.
    We don’t stop hiking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop hiking.
    - Finis Mitchell


    https://lighterpack.com/r/6yyu2j

  8. #8
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    I've been planning my 2020 hike for a while now. Early planning and dreaming seems ok to me.

  9. #9
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    hey pennypincher, as you have plenty of time ...look into doing a flip flop hike. some of the benefits are: you don't have to be as hard pressed to make it to Katadyhn before it closes, you tend to have milder weather throughout, and you don't have to fight the hordes on the southern end as a northbounder from Georgia. From what I can tell more people are doing that especially those in their forties and up. I'm 46 and that's my plan for next year.....! best of luck!

  10. #10
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    Started March 29th, 2022. My 65th Birthday. I lifelong present to myself! Happy Planning all...



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  11. #11
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    I'll be hiking in 2022 after graduating high school early, so hopefully I'll see you out there- I'm crazy about early planning too hahaha... Was originally planning a solo thru, but I'll most likely be with my mom, as she wants to do it if it is feasible financially (it will be the 40th anniversary of her 1982 thru hike)

  12. #12
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    I am also planning a 2022 hike..retiring March 1 and plan to be on the trail sometime around the 15th

  13. #13
    Ga.------>Me. ~2012~ pdcollins6092's Avatar
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    I am planning on being out there in 2022 as well. It will be my 10 year anniversary from.my first thru-hike of the trail.

    ~Skunkape~

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

  14. #14
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    I also plan on embarking in this journey in 2022. Still working on the logistics, obviously but shooting for a late February start. I have a lot to learn still! Not my first overnight hike but definitely will be my first long distance thru hike.

  15. #15
    Greetings Felllow Travelers SerenitySeeker's Avatar
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    I had to scratch my hike I was planning 10 years ago. Now I'm planning a 2022 also. Most likely a SOBO late summer after retirement.
    Hoping our class of 2022 has a great hike year!!

  16. #16

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    I plan to be part of the 2022 class as well. Plan a SOBO starting June 1st 2022. Anyone else doing SOBO?

  17. #17

    Default Class of 2022

    Quote Originally Posted by PennyPincher View Post
    Yep! I am starting this thread because while we have often talked about thru hiking from when my husband and I first started backpacking 25+ years ago this has been a "dream." Well about 18 months ago we sat down and"decided" we would continue working for 5 more years, had several things we needed to "accomplish" before we set out, etc. Then about a year ago we almost blew the whole plan but luckily didn't (like committing major money which would have kept us from leaving jobs for 6 months). Been discussing it again and we are committed. So at this time in the year 2022 we will be in some stage of getting rid of the vast majority of our possessions, visiting our son, and then packing up the rest of our stuff for our "post hike" life and getting to the trail head!
    I plan my SOBO 1st of June 2022. See you out there

  18. #18
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    Wow! Things have changed for us and plans changed drastically but the new plans STILL include me hiking the AT in 2022! Husband will be supporting from our new home - a school bus conversion into a full time mobile home - as I hike and he continues to work remotely.

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  19. #19
    Registered User Spotter's Avatar
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    Wow! Awesome!

    I plan to be NOBO in 2022, but I'm planning on starting at the southern terminus of the Pinhoti and connecting it with 72 miles of the BMT to start my NOBO on the AT. So I don't have a start date. I'll get there when I get there!

  20. #20
    Infinity buzz48843's Avatar
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    It is good to see fellow hikers planning for 2022! I am planning a NOBO starting late March. I look forward to talking with other hikers starting that year!
    Infinity
    Some of life's greatest lessons cannot be pried from books--they must be experienced in your bones.
    Kobi Yamada

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