I'm going on a 3 or 4 day out and back again hike. I'm either reading the wrong things or not paying attention, and am finding myself confused. Do shelters allow tent camping in the area around them? Do I need to register to use the trail if I'm only hiking a very tiny section of the trail? I noticed the Wayah Gap has a parking area. Can I leave my car there for several days, and is there a registration/fee for the privilege? I understand that if I leave my car, any damage is my responsibility because I'm the bloke that left it unattended.
I'm not in the best of shape, but I've been walking a lot over the last year. I walk between 5 and ten miles every day. Last week I loaded my pack and walked 14 miles to the nearby state park. Made the hike in four hours. I live on the prairie, so the landscape is quite flat. Am I pushing it to expect 9 to 10 miles a day on the AT?
This is my first trial run for when I plan to do a thru hike in the spring of 2021. I'll be doing a few more short hikes this summer and autumn, and longer ones next year. Thanks for any help you can give me. I'm going to be doing this hike about a week from today.