2010 thru hike - slackpack

[Nearly Normal]

You know Jack,
You gotta lot a miles.
Good for you. I respect that.
I met you in Franklin and watched you close. I was surprised.
You look like someone who put his pants on the same way as everyone else. What is it do you want, exactly.

[Nearly Normal]

Maybe. I think I misinterpreted your post. Upon reading it again it may be that you meant "telling purists on the trail to mind their own business." I (probably wrongly) took it to mean telling other posters on this thread to mind their own business.

If what you meant was the former I agree that it would, in fact, rock.

No problem.

[Jack Tarlin]

Nearly Normal:

You ask, what do I want?

Well for starters it'd be nice if people actually took two minutes and read my posts before criticizing them.

For example, you've repeatedly admonished me about letting people hike their own hike.

Yet (and I've already pointed this out) if you look at my first post, the first thing I said was that my comments were NOT intended to be criticism of what Symbol was planning, and in fact, I went out of my way to wish him well with his trip.

How you got from this to "Stop telling people how to hike!!" escapes me.

And my comments about folks starting out with a long slackpack and only then putting on a full pack were not meant to lecture or criticize anyone, much less telling them how to hike. My comments were suggestions, and they were based on what I've personally observed from hiking the Southern A.T. 14 times in the past 15 years. I personally don't think starting a thru-hike with an extended slack is a particularly good idea. But (and I made a point of saying this), others are welcome to think.....and hike......differently.

In other words, people are welcome to hike however they wish.

But to get back to what you originally asked:

What do I want?

I want people to actually take 2 minutes and read what I actually write before jumping on it, and I'd really like it if people refrained from accusing me of saying things I neither said nor meant.

[Nearly Normal]

Nearly Normal:

You ask, what do I want?

Well for starters it'd be nice if people actually took two minutes and read my posts before criticizing them.

For example, you've repeatedly admonished me about letting people hike their own hike.

Yet (and I've already pointed this out) if you look at my first post, the first thing I said was that my comments were NOT intended to be criticism of what Symbol was planning, and in fact, I went out of my way to wish him well with his trip.

How you got from this to "Stop telling people how to hike!!" escapes me.

And my comments about folks starting out with a long slackpack and only then putting on a full pack were not meant to lecture or criticize anyone, much less telling them how to hike. My comments were suggestions, and they were based on what I've personally observed from hiking the Southern A.T. 14 times in the past 15 years. I personally don't think starting a thru-hike with an extended slack is a particularly good idea. But (and I made a point of saying this), others are welcome to think.....and hike......differently.

In other words, people are welcome to hike however they wish.

But to get back to what you originally asked:

What do I want?

I want people to actually take 2 minutes and read what I actually write before jumping on it, and I'd really like it if people refrained from accusing me of saying things I neither said nor meant.

Jack, you gotta quit reading between the lines.

[The Weasel]

Symbol:

What you initially proposed is what was classically known as "hiking", before backpacking seemed to take over the concept. It's known as "rambling" in Britain and similarly in other countries, where people go and just walk most of the day, covering a trail, and then sleep somewhere off-trail, and restart the next day. It's no big thing, and there are no "conventions". How you walk, and how it strengthens you, and how your mind works, is solely up to you, and the way you plan it; that some things have worked for others or not worked is something to keep in mind (and hence a lot of the advice above is worth considering) but not to slavishly follow: As you try things, you'll see what works and what doesn't. That's part of the adventure of hiking.

I rather like your concept, and hope you will give it a shot as described, and let others know how it worked. It's different, and that can be a very good thing.

TW

[Jester2000]

. . . You look like someone who put his pants on the same way as everyone else. . .

I don't think that's possible. I mean, have you seen Jack's pants?!?

[ARambler]

When I give this idea a little thought, I start out with some simple math.

I think the average time to drive from one trailhead to the next is about 45 minutes. The same driver will have to drive the second car at the end of the day, so he will be driving 1.5 hours a day. Note, the stronger hiker should drive all of the long hiking days, so the driving can balance two people hiking at different speeds. This increases the number of people that you are compatible with. If you are stronger, you drive most days.

At 1.5 hr driving for 133 days, you will be driving 200 hour over a thru hike. This is the equivalent of a couple weeks of hiking. Once you get in good enough shape to hike all day, the driving limits hiking time. I think you will also have more short days because the gap to the next road is so far. These short days could easily add another week. So, this slackpacking may actually take longer than a backpack. You may still find it more enjoyable, but you give up some of the enjoyable moments of hanging around camp and hostels with stinky hikers.

If you are not stopping in town, for local information, you will have to deal with some unpleasant surprises, like what happens when the nearest parking spot is 3 miles from the trailhead, or the dirt road to Deep Gap washes out.

The suggestion of doing this with a single car is really difficult, both hikers have to drive 1.5 hr a day. Doing this with an extra driver, the way the Doyle expeditions are set up really helps the hiker make more easier miles. I would not want to spend every night in town. However, most hikers seem to look forward to their town stops, and the point of slacking is to make it easier, so I would use slackpacking to increase the number of town nights. This is a minor variation, and you would be able to make a quick adjustment.
Rambler

[modiyooch]

I don't think Symbol is a newbie to the concept. I think he is just looking for a partner. If you need someone in Maine in July, I may no someone.

[Symbol]

I think I may have found someone to start the trail with... aournd mid-March

[Gray Blazer]

I met you in Franklin and watched you close. I was surprised.

You weren't seing too much after 11:00.

[Symbol]

I think I may have found someone to start the trail with... around mid-March

^ Like I said above... I think I have found someone to start the trail with slackpacking. After excahanging just a few e-mails with this person, he seems to be like minded about the beginning of the trail.

My plan at this point is to start around mid-March and slackpack up to Fontana with this guy. Obviously there is no slacking through the Smokies. What I will do (and thanks to those who have pointed out how hard it would be to go up Shuckstack first day with pack) is in the days leading up to getting to Fontana, I will start carrying a backpack all day during the "slack". It won't be a full pack on day one but will add a bit of weight each day to get up to full pack weight a couple of days before hitting Fontana. (ease myself into it) We will then backpack through the Smokies and during that week will decide what will happen at the northern end.

That is my thoughts for now. We will see how this plays out in the next few weeks with this other hiking partner.

Thanks everyone for your advice and for commenting in this thread.

If any others out there are interested in slackpacking let me know.

[modiyooch]

1. My suggestion if you want to carry weight is to just load rocks, that way you can dump them as you feel. I think you'll be fine carrying a pack without a breaking in period.

2. I slacked 20+ from Fontana to Cades Cove.
I carried a pack from Cades Cove Clingsmans Dome, but I'm thinking it can be a slackpack. Keep in mind hat Cades Cove to Clingsmans Dome is a long drive. I did spend one night from Clingsman Dome to I40. I would have stayed twice but the shelters were so crowded I couldn't stand it. Two of my longest days hiking were in the Smokies.

[Symbol]

It is official... I have a partner! I think this guy is going to be a great fit.
If anyone else is interested in this... or starting out this way... post here and lets talk about it.

I will be in Georgia in early March.

[Jester2000]

It is official... I have a partner! I think this guy is going to be a great fit.
If anyone else is interested in this... or starting out this way... post here and lets talk about it.

I will be in Georgia in early March.

Nice! Good luck!

[Symbol]

1. My suggestion if you want to carry weight is to just load rocks, that way you can dump them as you feel. I think you'll be fine carrying a pack without a breaking in period.

2. I slacked 20+ from Fontana to Cades Cove.
I carried a pack from Cades Cove Clingsmans Dome, but I'm thinking it can be a slackpack. Keep in mind hat Cades Cove to Clingsmans Dome is a long drive. I did spend one night from Clingsman Dome to I40. I would have stayed twice but the shelters were so crowded I couldn't stand it. Two of my longest days hiking were in the Smokies.

Hey Modi... I lived in Boone for a couple of years... I LOVE western NC!!!

It is one messy drive from Hickory to Boone though! I wonder what decade they will finish 321?

[Symbol]

Nice! Good luck!

Thanks Jester!

[Hobbot]

It is official... I have a partner! I think this guy is going to be a great fit.
If anyone else is interested in this... or starting out this way... post here and lets talk about it.

I will be in Georgia in early March.

Excellent! See you somewhere on the trail

[Cookerhiker]

On my thruhike of the Long Trail in 2007, my hiking partner Northern Harrier and I used a 2-car shuttle for the northernmost 65 miles of the Trail (Smugglers Notch to Canada). You can read about it here. Actually, the first part was a 2-day backpack but every subsequent section was a slackpack.

However, we wanted to hike together so we drove both cars to the northern point, left one car, drove to the southern end, hiked to the northern end, and went back to get the car. Obviously this approach took occupied more time each day but bottom line, it worked.

Good luck on your hike - hope things work well with your partner.

[Symbol]

Thanks for your input, Cooker. I too have tried the scenario you mentioned to facilitate hiking together. It is okay for an occasional thing but it is way too much driving and too time consuming for doing everyday for the whole AT.

[spunky]

Congratulations, Symbol! I'm glad you found a like minded guy to hike with.