The NOC to Erwin, TN in late Sept to early Oct. I have completed Springer to the NOC already. Steadily working my way North.
Just completed Dicks Creek Gap, Ga. to Rock Gap, NC, I have now completed all of Ga. and 2 sections of NC. Only about 2000 more miles to go.
My May section with my newbie daughter only covered the 24 miles from Deep Gap (south of Standing Indian) to Winding Stair Gap/Franklin. Lovely section for AT first-timers. We had hoped to make it another 28 miles to NOC, but her knees were giving her problems.
Looks like I'll have the opportunity to hike from Pinkham Notch to Rangeley (99 miles) in late September with two guys from college who live around Boston. Even better, they'll meet me at Rte. 2/Gorham with a re-supply, and then one of them will be getting off at Grafton Notch and can re-supply me there, so I'll only have to carry 3-5 days of food at any one time!
GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014
Heading out this Friday to complete the section from Vermont Rt 4 to Glencliff. Then in mid August I'll be finishing my 12 year adventure when I set out from Caratunk.
Berserker, your section hiking sounds like mine. Rather than hiking the entire AT in an orderly progression, you're covering disparate, non-contiguous parts like I did. I started a stretch in VT, hiked some in PA and VA, back to VT, hiked the Whites, back to VA, hiked MD in 2 phases, a small stretch in TN, more in VA etc. etc. I finished after 28 years! What's your plan?Originally Posted by Berserker
Postholing in SW VA? Sounds familiar.
Me three. I started in 10th grade with a few scouting buddies, covering DWG to Unionville with overly heavy packs. After that we hiked from Duncannon to Lehigh Gap, stopping early due to one member relying on a windbreaker instead of a poncho in cold, cold rain. Then US-20 south to the NY/CT border in '75. After high school I went solo from US-20 north, dropping out at Manchester Center, VT after pulling my Achilles trying to extract my boot from a deep mud puddle after 14" of rain in one day.
At about that point I decided to try to hike the entire AT, but I didn't get much more covered until I graduated from college, when I covered Duncannon to Harpers Ferry with my future wife, and filled in the northern PA section with my mom.
Career got in the way then, relocating me to Michigan, from where I only covered part of the SNP in '88 with my youngest brother. And then I started a family, yet the lure of the Trail never diminished.
I finally decided to get serious in 2000, with 1-2 trips a year and a goal of finishing atop Katahdin in September 2013, 40 years after I started. I've still got to finish Franklin to Max Patch, plus Pinkham Notch to Katahdin. Hopefully my knees will hold out long enough to finish on schedule.
GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014
The plan is complete the whole thing in sections in 10 – 12 years. A buddy of mine and I decided we wanted to section hike the whole AT, and we started back at the end of ’07. Since then we have knocked down about 545 miles consisting of the section from Amicalola SP to I-81 in VA (minus GSMNP and 27 miles through the Roan Highlands), and the aforementioned section in VT. We are able to coordinate getting out on 4 – 5 weekend hikes and 1 longer hike (1 – 2 weeks) per year.
Now that we are a ways into this thing I have determined that we have an imbalance. The goal is to finish the Northern and Southern halves of the trail simultaneously. Since we both live in close proximity to the Southern half of the trail it’s a no-brainer that we knock those sections down on the weekend trips, and then do the longer trips up North. So we’ll be working our way up through VA and filling in the couple of sections in NC on the short trips, and working our way out from the end points of the VT trip on the long trips. We may also start a third “insertion” point in PA where we can knock down the Southern portion of the Northern half of the trail when we get long weekends (4 – 5 days). Hopefully this plan will get everything synced up in a few years, and we’ll finish the Southern and Northern halves together culminating in the final trip being the 100 mile wilderness/summit of Katahdin.
I know that probably sounded extremely dorky, but you’ll have to excuse me as I’m an engineer (it’s in my DNA).
Oh yeah, and skipping around is also fun because the scenery is always different on each trip.
Sounds like you had a good old time. The snow I was in thankfully wasn’t that deep.
We did the same thing NOBO two years ago. Have an awesome time, and if you can, add another day or two to enjoy the scenery.
We are going NOBO 50 or so miles from Pinkham in August and self re-supplying with our own private caches near road crossings. Works well.
I have completed two sections this year so far, and have one more planned . . .
April 8 - 11, 2010 - Blackburn AT Center to Mason-Dixon Line - 53.5 miles
http://www.trippclark.com/blackburn_to_mason-dixon.htm
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=307377
June 10 - 14, 2010 - PenMar County Park to PA74, York Rd, Boiling Springs - 59.2 miles
http://www.trippclark.com/penmar_to_...ng_springs.htm
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=318343
In mid-October, I'll resume where I left off just past Boiling Springs and try to pick up a few more miles.
We'll probably pass each other on the trail this Saturday. I will be doing SOBO sections and on Sat I'll (hopefully) be doing the 24 miles btw VT 12 and US 4. I'm guessing you meant US 4 instead of VT 4.
Pain is a by-product of a good time.
As an accountant, I'm also dorky as evidenced by using a spreadsheet to track all my AT hiking. I've got 2 sorts - one geographically S-N and one chronologically oldest to most recent.The plan is complete the whole thing in sections in 10 – 12 years. A buddy of mine and I decided we wanted to section hike the whole AT, and we started back at the end of ’07. Since then we have knocked down about 545 miles consisting of the section from Amicalola SP to I-81 in VA (minus GSMNP and 27 miles through the Roan Highlands), and the aforementioned section in VT. We are able to coordinate getting out on 4 – 5 weekend hikes and 1 longer hike (1 – 2 weeks) per year.
Now that we are a ways into this thing I have determined that we have an imbalance. The goal is to finish the Northern and Southern halves of the trail simultaneously. Since we both live in close proximity to the Southern half of the trail it’s a no-brainer that we knock those sections down on the weekend trips, and then do the longer trips up North. So we’ll be working our way up through VA and filling in the couple of sections in NC on the short trips, and working our way out from the end points of the VT trip on the long trips. We may also start a third “insertion” point in PA where we can knock down the Southern portion of the Northern half of the trail when we get long weekends (4 – 5 days). Hopefully this plan will get everything synced up in a few years, and we’ll finish the Southern and Northern halves together culminating in the final trip being the 100 mile wilderness/summit of Katahdin.
I know that probably sounded extremely dorky, but you’ll have to excuse me as I’m an engineer (it’s in my DNA
Oh yeah, and skipping around is also fun because the scenery is always different on each trip.
Sounds like you had a good old time. The snow I was in thankfully wasn’t that deep.
I like your idea of finishing the whole hike on Katahdin - that's what I did making my longest section hike from Gorham to Katahdin, although technically, my last miles were between Katahdin Stream CG and Abol Bridge.
So far this year I've done Erwin to 19E and over the fourth of July weekend I hiked Amicalola falls to Neel gap.
I'm planning on I40 to Hot Springs over the Labor Day weekend.
Hiking Duncannon to Harpers Ferry. I'm a SOBO section hiker; working my way up the trail. (Park the car south, shuttle north, hike south back to car) - July. Expecting nice hot days. (Like it is here)
Well, My hiking buddy and I finished up Maryland the last weekend in June (saw quite a few Nobo thrus, skinny, skinny, skinny and movin' fast)
We will do our annual 5 or 6 day September Section hike. This year is Shenandoah NP Rockfish Gap NOBO to Milam Gap.
Give Me Mountains & I Am Happy!
09- Springer to Deep Ga,NC and Deep Gap to Fontana
10- Fontana to Allen Gap 15 miles north of Hot Springs,NC-- Hope to get back this fall to Erwin
Monson to Andover in Sept/ SOBO. Section 2 of my hike.
Hope to see you. I'll be spending Friday at the Long Trail Inn and hit the trail Saturday.
A section of the Superior Hiking Traill in Minnesota with hiker friends from AT Section ...September, for a week and we are so excited about this hike. With our group with work schedules for all and kids for some, it has been planned for a year.
(the Missouri Girls with our "sisters" from Arizona and Minnesota and Omaha).
Did the Smokies the second week in May and am hoping for at least a couple of long weekends in New Hampshire in July or August.
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