Results 1 to 18 of 18
  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-28-2011
    Location
    Fort Myers, Florida, United States
    Posts
    172

    Default FL Trail Thru then AT Thru

    Not sure how plausible this is but my lease runs up at the end of January so I'm thinking of working my way up the Florida Trail before heading to the AT. I've done quite a bit of backpacking on the FT so I'm pretty used to the conditions and I've done a couple of hundred miles on the AT. Not sure how far I'll get but I guess we'll find out. I just don't want to start the AT too early and get snowed in. I don't have a lot of winter hiking experience so I feel it's better to spend the time further south training.
    "Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still." ~Carl Sagan~


  2. #2
    Registered User
    Join Date
    06-25-2015
    Location
    Neptune Beach
    Age
    56
    Posts
    654

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by johnnyjohnson2043 View Post
    Not sure how plausible this is but my lease runs up at the end of January so I'm thinking of working my way up the Florida Trail before heading to the AT. I've done quite a bit of backpacking on the FT so I'm pretty used to the conditions and I've done a couple of hundred miles on the AT. Not sure how far I'll get but I guess we'll find out. I just don't want to start the AT too early and get snowed in. I don't have a lot of winter hiking experience so I feel it's better to spend the time further south training.
    Sounds awesome.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Leonidas
    Join Date
    04-26-2016
    Location
    Birmingham, Alabama
    Posts
    1,065

    Default

    You going to do the AL roadwalk/Pinhoti/BMT/AT or jumping from the FT to the AT?
    AT: 695.7 mi
    Benton MacKaye Trail '20
    Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
    @leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail

  4. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-28-2011
    Location
    Fort Myers, Florida, United States
    Posts
    172

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JC13 View Post
    You going to do the AL roadwalk/Pinhoti/BMT/AT or jumping from the FT to the AT?
    Not sure yet. I'm not a real big fan of road walking but I know I'll get plenty of it on the Florida Trail. I'm thinking of just hopping a plane to Atlanta from Pensacola. Still trying to decide, though. I've been doing a little research on the Pinhoti Trail today so it's definitely still an option.
    "Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still." ~Carl Sagan~


  5. #5

    Default

    Chris Berry on YouTube did the FL trail into a AT hike in 2016. His videos may be of some help.

  6. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-25-2017
    Location
    Dallas, Texas
    Age
    68
    Posts
    806

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by johnnyjohnson2043 View Post
    Not sure how plausible this is but my lease runs up at the end of January so I'm thinking of working my way up the Florida Trail before heading to the AT. I've done quite a bit of backpacking on the FT so I'm pretty used to the conditions and I've done a couple of hundred miles on the AT. Not sure how far I'll get but I guess we'll find out. I just don't want to start the AT too early and get snowed in. I don't have a lot of winter hiking experience so I feel it's better to spend the time further south training.
    About a year ago I met a Serbian kid from Toronto just south of Harpers Ferry who had done that. Wife and I were on a section hike, the kid was on a through hike hitting 25-30 miles a day and still energetic at the end of a day. She credited the Florida Trail for her only needing a single one liter water bottle and not needing to filter.

  7. #7
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-11-2018
    Location
    Blairesville, Georgia
    Age
    60
    Posts
    147
    Images
    15

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by johnnyjohnson2043 View Post
    Not sure how plausible this is but my lease runs up at the end of January so I'm thinking of working my way up the Florida Trail before heading to the AT. I've done quite a bit of backpacking on the FT so I'm pretty used to the conditions and I've done a couple of hundred miles on the AT. Not sure how far I'll get but I guess we'll find out. I just don't want to start the AT too early and get snowed in. I don't have a lot of winter hiking experience so I feel it's better to spend the time further south training.
    just close your eyes and take a leap of faith bro ... you never know until you try . i always say a failure is not someone who tried to over come their fears or ventured into the unknown . a failure someone that never took the step into the unknown and continued to not know where their limits are . peace , love , and prosperity . donald " grateful " ballard

  8. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-28-2011
    Location
    Fort Myers, Florida, United States
    Posts
    172

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Thefurther View Post
    just close your eyes and take a leap of faith bro ... you never know until you try . i always say a failure is not someone who tried to over come their fears or ventured into the unknown . a failure someone that never took the step into the unknown and continued to not know where their limits are . peace , love , and prosperity . donald " grateful " ballard
    Thanks. I'm still working out the details but that "leap of faith" is definitely something I'm seriously of needing to take.
    "Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still." ~Carl Sagan~


  9. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-28-2011
    Location
    Fort Myers, Florida, United States
    Posts
    172

    Default

    Thanks for the video. I'll check it out.
    "Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still." ~Carl Sagan~


  10. #10
    Registered User
    Join Date
    05-08-2018
    Location
    Green Cove Springs, Fl
    Age
    42
    Posts
    7

    Default

    If anything be careful of the ticks. They are bad this year

  11. #11
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-02-2007
    Location
    mokpo, south korea
    Posts
    1,507

    Default

    i did the same trip you're describing in 2013. did the florida trail from jan 5 through feb 27. finished and hung out in pensacola for a week and then jumped home for a month (to help my parents move into a new house) before heading back to atlanta to start april 1.

    my "plan" was to hike to pensacola and then take a bus to montgomery (or birmingham...can't remember) and then getting a taxi to the start of the pinhoti trail. you might find this experience different than mine, but at the end of the florida trail i was DONE with road walking for a while.

    the reason i bailed on the pinhoti was that i just didn't do any research about it. i had already hiked the AT once before this trip and really didn't put much thought into planning the florida trail or the pinhoti. i just got towards pensacola and figured that i'd rather go home for a while. it all worked out.

  12. #12
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-11-2018
    Location
    Blairesville, Georgia
    Age
    60
    Posts
    147
    Images
    15

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny Thunder View Post
    i did the same trip you're describing in 2013. did the florida trail from jan 5 through feb 27. finished and hung out in pensacola for a week and then jumped home for a month (to help my parents move into a new house) before heading back to atlanta to start april 1.

    my "plan" was to hike to pensacola and then take a bus to montgomery (or birmingham...can't remember) and then getting a taxi to the start of the pinhoti trail. you might find this experience different than mine, but at the end of the florida trail i was DONE with road walking for a while.

    the reason i bailed on the pinhoti was that i just didn't do any research about it. i had already hiked the AT once before this trip and really didn't put much thought into planning the florida trail or the pinhoti. i just got towards pensacola and figured that i'd rather go home for a while. it all worked out.
    dude , i was on the fla trail in 2013 - 2014 with my girlfriend . same time you were !!! i did not really see amyone but a few people but one that sticks out was a dude named Christmas . is that you ??? Christmas was hiking with a dude and basically slack packing they had some chick following down the trail . i met them up at three lakes ...

  13. #13
    Leonidas
    Join Date
    04-26-2016
    Location
    Birmingham, Alabama
    Posts
    1,065

    Default

    As to the roadwalks on the Pinhoti, the one road walk in Alabama is easily doable in a day. It is currently ~12 miles. The two-three in Georgia are a bit more, the ~20 mile from Cave Spring to the rail trail is pretty easy, plenty of shoulder and as long as you can push the miles it is not a big deal. It probably works out closer to pushing a 32.5 mile day though as camping is restricted. I have heard a couple people have camped behind the truck stops before Simms with permission.

    The next time you road walk is sections 26-27 and parts of 28. Here again, you are looking at a 30+ mile day to get to a camping spot unless you crash at a hotel in Dalton. 26-27 is 24 miles; 28 has a 2.6 mile road walk in the beginning, 3.0 in the middle and .5 at the end.

    Just some intel for you.
    AT: 695.7 mi
    Benton MacKaye Trail '20
    Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
    @leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail

  14. #14
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-02-2007
    Location
    mokpo, south korea
    Posts
    1,507

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Thefurther View Post
    dude , i was on the fla trail in 2013 - 2014 with my girlfriend . same time you were !!! i did not really see amyone but a few people but one that sticks out was a dude named Christmas . is that you ??? Christmas was hiking with a dude and basically slack packing they had some chick following down the trail . i met them up at three lakes ...
    Nope. Not Christmas.

    I was hiking with the group that had support from Chuck Norris. We all split up just past Palatka. I do remember passing some people in the Avon/River Ranch area. You?

    Johnny Thunder

  15. #15
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-02-2007
    Location
    mokpo, south korea
    Posts
    1,507

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JC13 View Post
    As to the roadwalks on the Pinhoti, the one road walk in Alabama is easily doable in a day. It is currently ~12 miles. The two-three in Georgia are a bit more, the ~20 mile from Cave Spring to the rail trail is pretty easy, plenty of shoulder and as long as you can push the miles it is not a big deal. It probably works out closer to pushing a 32.5 mile day though as camping is restricted. I have heard a couple people have camped behind the truck stops before Simms with permission.

    The next time you road walk is sections 26-27 and parts of 28. Here again, you are looking at a 30+ mile day to get to a camping spot unless you crash at a hotel in Dalton. 26-27 is 24 miles; 28 has a 2.6 mile road walk in the beginning, 3.0 in the middle and .5 at the end.

    Just some intel for you.
    Great info. Thanks.

    I wasn't worried about road walks on the Pinhoti. (truthfully, i didn't know there where road walks on the pinhoti). I was more concerned with the road walks getting to the pinhoti.

  16. #16
    Leonidas
    Join Date
    04-26-2016
    Location
    Birmingham, Alabama
    Posts
    1,065

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny Thunder View Post
    Great info. Thanks.

    I wasn't worried about road walks on the Pinhoti. (truthfully, i didn't know there where road walks on the pinhoti). I was more concerned with the road walks getting to the pinhoti.
    Yeah, the Alabama road walk looks pretty tough. I have heard it is super sketchy trying to camp pretty much the entire way. Maybe fly from Pensacola to Birmingham and get a shuttle/ride/hitch to the trailhead.
    AT: 695.7 mi
    Benton MacKaye Trail '20
    Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
    @leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail

  17. #17
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-20-2017
    Location
    Saint Johns, FL
    Age
    57
    Posts
    629

    Default

    personally, I think it would even be cool to shuttle over the longer road walk sections
    for example, finish the FT.... take a few zero days or whatever, then catch a ride to the pinhoti southern terminous
    honestly, I'd probably do the same thing for a full day road walk mid trail.... I'm just not a purest I suppose....

  18. #18
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-11-2018
    Location
    Blairesville, Georgia
    Age
    60
    Posts
    147
    Images
    15

    Default

    [QUOTE=Johnny Thunder;2207610]Nope. Not Christmas.

    I was hiking with the group that had support from Chuck Norris. We all split up just past Palatka. I do remember passing some people in the Avon/River Ranch area. You?

    Johnny Thunder[/QUOTE no brother was not me , man . if you need anything while you are in ga give me a shout brother . donald ballard ... 7723210905 . peace and have a safe hike

++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •