How much planning for a Thru-hike

[Prettywoman0172]

How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

How much time does a NORMAL person usually spend planning a thru hike? (I am not really *normal*)

Ann

[rickb]

People spent a whole lot less time planning before the internet-- for me it was something like three weeks.

To my way of thinking it shouldn't take much effort to discover what other people are doing for gear and food and stuff. Good to learn from others, but most of the decisions are just fine tuning.

On the other hand, I do think that Spirit Eagle's "Thru Hiking Papers" would be a very, very good thing for any prospective thru hiker to read. They can be found here:

http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/THP_top.html

[4eyedbuzzard]

How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

How much time does a NORMAL person usually spend planning a thru hike? (I am not really *normal*)

Ann

NORMAL people don't thru-hike.
You need a pack, shoes, sleeping bag / pad, shelter, cookpot, clothing, AND MONEY AND FREE TIME AND DETERMINATION. Most anything will work except the last three which have some pretty well established limits. The water will be where it will be, and for the most part easily found as will food / supplies using the companion or other guide. People tend to over-plan because it is fun. You will be cold, wet, hot, dry, hungry, full, upbeat, downbeat, tired, rested, sore, and just about everything else. But beyond all that you just have to walk 2175 miles. No amount of gear or planning will get you there - only your feet, time, money, and determination will.

You should take a few short practice hikes to sort everything out. Even just some overnights close to home will answer a lot of your questions on what gear to use, what gear is unnecessary, how to pack, preparing food, etc.

[Lone Wolf]

How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

How much time does a NORMAL person usually spend planning a thru hike? (I am not really *normal*)

Ann

less than 9 months for me. most of that was watin' for my departure day. 99% of wannabe thru-hikers way-overplan. and most fail

[leaftye]

How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

The best planning is experience. That will teach you how much food you need and what kind, what to wear, how to camp, how to pack, etc. Resupplies & mail drops are still a consideration, but you don't really need to plan ahead more than 2 weeks. I usually spend up to an hour every night preparing for my next day and resupply (or two).

Most importantly, it will get your mind and body ready for the trip.

[Spokes]

How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? .....

Ann,
Did I send you these links to you already? They cover about all you need to know. I also met a couple times with a buddy who had hiked the trail the year before I did. He really just verified what's in the articles. Print them out. You'll refer to them often.

10 page Backpacker Magazine article on hiking the AT

Mountain Crossings Gear List from Trail Guru Winton Porter

You sound like a fast learner so no fear!

Good luck.

[khog03]

You can find pretty much any info you need by lurking on this site, reading articles, and visiting outfitters and such. Do your own research and take into consideration your own needs above others. As a beginner it can be very time consuming..but very worth it.The most important thing is to make up your own mind about your hike, and don't listen to everything people say.

[DapperD]

How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

How much time does a NORMAL person usually spend planning a thru hike? (I am not really *normal*)

Ann

I haven't thru-hiked but there is literature out there to help potential planners/dreamers. Someone mentioned the Spirit Eagle Thru-Hiking Papers, which I have read and liked. There is also a planning guide (I have an older version) which makes for interesting reading:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...ing_Thru_Hikes There is also another book which I enjoyed:http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=60061

[Jester2000]

less than 9 months for me. most of that was watin' for my departure day. 99% of wannabe thru-hikers way-overplan. and most fail

Pretty much what Lone Wolf said. There are an awful lot of people who plan for years and years and then quit because "it wasn't what I thought it would be like."

Get out. Do some weekends, a week long trip or two. Figure out what you're comfortable carrying and what isn't worth the weight (for you). Then read an article or two about resupply here or elsewhere, and then just do it.

You'll be fine.

[Praha4]

get out and try some short backpacking trips first to see if long duration hiking is something you would enjoy. ask yourself why do you want to try thru hiking? if the reason is you think you will earn some kind of trophy, you may be disappointed. It is a day by day experience with day by day challenges, both physical and mental. I commend anyone who gets out and hikes on the AT for any period of time, when 90% of the american population prefers to sit on their fat *sses in front of the TV and eat pizza and donuts, thats why we have a national obesity epidemic. I would not label anyone a "quitter" who decides to stop a thru hike.

Good luck, and just enjoy time on the trail.

[Marta]

Planning is what occupies the time between when you decide to do it and when you can arrange your life to have the time and money to do it. For some people that's a day or two; for some people it's decades. There's a reason that a lot of thru-hikers are just out of college (or high school), just divorced, or just retired. The hiking is easy compared to stepping out of the normal obligations of life, with the twin shackles of relationships and debt.

Don't be so quick to dismiss what Lone Wolf is saying. It may not be what you want to hear, but it's true.

[10-K]

There's the thought of hiking and there's the work of hiking. Until you start hiking, you're just thinking about it and that's very different than doing it. When you start a long distance hike, how you think about hiking will certainly change as reality sets in. At that point you'll know what kind of hiker you are.

I love the idea of thru hiking but my practical limit is less than a thousand miles and/or 6 weeks or so. After that, it stops being fun and I'm ready to be done. I miss my family and the repetition of day after day of doing the exact same thing takes its toil on me.

I don't mean to diminish anyone's accomplishments - it's a major feat to walk 2175ish miles in one whack. But it's not lilke a miracle or anything. It's like running a marathon - most anyone can do it with some preparation and a lot of people can start and finish with very minimal training.

So.... go for it if it's what you want to do but know that if you change you're mind you're not a failure. Weekend, week long, and 2-3 week hiking trips are just as rewarding as a 6 month hike and have a much smaller impact on your life.

[4eyedbuzzard]

...Don't be so quick to dismiss what Lone Wolf is saying. It may not be what you want to hear, but it's true.

True. It was for me. I loved the idea of thru-hiking. But I didn't like the reality of it.
I tried back in the 70's and quit in Virginia. It was great for about two weeks. Honestly, I found that I get bored and especially don't enjoy hiking in wet and cold or hot conditions. I'm a certified fair-weathered hiker. I like hiking in nice weather, not caring about how many miles I hike, spending too much time in camp, cooking more than quick starchy meals, sitting by a fire, looking at the stars ... I simply prefer a few days to a week a few times during the year. For me it's about just being out there in the woods, doing a little hiking and camping and maybe fishing - thru-hiking makes it too much like work for me. Sometimes I wish that I had the determination to thru-hike, but I've come to the realization that I don't, and I'm comfortable with that.

[Blue Jay]

My original "plan" lasted about a day and a half. I made another one which lasted a whole week and that still stands as the record. Plans are great as long as you remain flexable and realize when they become counterproductive.

[sbhikes]

I gave my 2-week notice, and once I was free of my job, I spent 6 weeks planning and training. I was ready to go in 4 weeks so those last 2 weeks were hard!

Once on the trail it soon became clear that most of my plan should be thrown out the window. I hiked further each day than expected. I hated the food I purchased and sent way too much. I had been so overwhelmed by the guide book that I planned my stops based on fear and confusion. I was so afraid of hitchhiking I tried to only resupply in towns that didn't require it. I quickly learned

a) go with the flow and shop along the trail
b) stop at more town stops and carry less food
c) hitchhiking is actually fun
d) the only resupply planning needed is a list of towns and what kind of stores they have and post office addresses

With my list, I can ask Mission Control back home to mail me stuff, I can shop and mail resupply boxes from the trail, I can even order things from the Internet, ship them home and have Mission Control send to a post office.

I don't plan my whole life out at home. I just go shopping when the cupboards are bare. Trail life is just life.

Some people don't like to deal with resupplying on the trail, but I found it freed me from having to worry how far up the trail I would be able to go or whether my food would be fresh or whether I'd be sick of it by then.

[Prettywoman0172]

I will not commit to a thru hike, its just something in my head. I might not like it at all. I dont feel bad about the gear purchases though, because if I dont end up doing the hike, everything is still useable for camping, which Ill never get sick of

[Geo.]

How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

How much time does a NORMAL person usually spend planning a thru hike? (I am not really *normal*)

Ann

Hi Ann,
May sound daunting, but basically all you have to plan for is how you're going to eat and drink and what you're going to be wearing - kind of like anytime really!
Internet and forums should make the planning stage easier. I haven't hiked the AT, but my PCT thru was prepared for without computer input, from outside the States and with very little hiking experience, so be daunted not!
What I did was sent off for the Wilderness Press trail guide books and from them got postal locations that I could have food mailed to and then arranged for an agency in the States to mail dehyd food there as required. If you already live there and have friends or family there, then getting someone to mail food as required should be no problem. There were also stops along the trail that had a store or diner of some sort to suppliment the diet, so hitching off trail is not necessary if you don't want to do that. (Though if you're contemplating the AT then that may be different, I don't know.) The guide books were also good for describing water sources.
As far as clothing goes, there's plenty of advice around on that, just keep it as light as possible without compromising safety. (sun protection/cold weather protection)
Apart from that it's just a matter of getting yourself to the starting line followed by a series of day hikes until you get there! I found that the longer I hiked, the more 'trail hardened' I got and the easier it was. In fact it was a strange mixture of elation and sadness to reach my objective and to realize that after five months it was all over.
Main ingredient for success is determination and really wanting to accomplish a through hike.
Good luck, it'll be a grand experience!

[4eyedbuzzard]

I dont feel bad about the gear purchases though, because if I dont end up doing the hike, everything is still useable for camping, which Ill never get sick of

Yep. In the end a thru-hike is just 20 to 30 one week hikes anyway. Kinda. Not really. But it might help to look at it that way.

[Cosmo]

Ann--
Here's a really great book about a through hike. The author did very little planning, faced and overcame some pretty serious challenges.
http://skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html

This book really inspired me, and I set off in a serious way to get some long distance miles. Found out it wasn't for me--but I still love to hike and backpack, just in smaller chunks. And I still get to use all the gear I accumulated. My shorter hikes really let me savor the trail when I want to, or try and bust a couple of 20's if I'm feeling particularly perky.

Marta's right, start slow with situations you can just walk out of back to your car if things go awry. I often recommend a trip to Upper Goose Pond Cabin in Mass. If things go badly, there's a place you can hang out until you get squared away. You can choose a sub 2 mile approach or a longer one based on where you start from.

Cosmo

[Shadowman]

The second time I hiked the AT I only had three mail drops and if I do it again I probably will do none, so I would not worry about that too much. I would just concentrate on the gear mostly, take a water filter if you feel you must and you can send gear home that you decide you personally do not need. You don't need one except a time or two you will wish you had it. A camera with plain AA batteries, not much recharging on the trail. Simplicity and utility. I would prefer a 10 degree bag for the whole gig, others would argue 5 degrees this way or that or switch out a certain time of year. A lot of it is personal preference or opinion and nothing that must be this way or that to be successful. Good luck.