Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and I would just like to say I am happy it exists.
So here's the deal. I plan on backpacking the Appalachian Trail in about a year or two (I am a teacher and have the summers off, so I am hoping I can do half the trail in one summer and the other half the next summer after that). However due to college and a very busy schedule, I have not done any major backpacking over the past few years and I need to get back into tip top shape. I currently live in western Virginia somewhat near Roanoke and I am looking for some medium sized (20 to 100 miles long) trails that I could do over the coming spring and summer.
Unfortunately I am having some trouble finding medium sized trails in my area. Most trails in the local state parks and national forests tend to a series of super small trails all connected together instead of just single long ones (I am originally from PA where trails like that are fairly common).
Oustide of section hiking the Appalachian Trail and Alleghany Trail in WV, the only medium sized trails I can find are the Shenandoah Mountain Trail and the Fore Mountain Trail. Do you guys know of any other medium sized trails in my area, or do you think I am stuck combing a bunch of small trails together and making a backpacking trip out of those? Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.