Which section to hike in August?

[2tall]

Hi,
this is my first post and I'm not a native speaker, so please pardon me for mistakes

My wife and I have about 4 weeks in August this year to do a section hike on the AT. We dream about a thru-hike, but you know... even 4 weeks on the AT will be a dream come true for us...
Which section can you recommend for August? I've read on these forums but I haven't found out yet.

Some information about our thoughts and wishes:

1. We fly in from Germany, so transportation is an issue. Start and end of the section should be accessible for us.
2. We think we will be in shape for about 12 to 14 miles each day and also for a few climbs, but nothing too nasty, please. It's our first time on the AT, we did a few trails in Europe before.
3. What about the weather? Where on the trail is it not too hot/humid/rainy in August?
4. And what about the bugs/mosquitos in August?
5. We like to avoid crowded places, no huge groups of tourists, please.

Is it possible that a section like this exists on the AT?
Please help!
Any hints and tipps appreciated.

Thank you,
best regards from Germany,
Leo

[Driver8]

From New York, you can get public transport all the way to the Trail at the Appalachian Trail stop on the Harlem line of Metro-North Rail Road (take subway from airport to get to Grand Central Station). From there, you can hike northward. It will be warm, even hot some days, but relatively little rain. NY, Connecticut, Mass and Vermont are relatively gentle, with some beautiful scenery. You can make you way, depending on pace, all the way to Hanover, NH in that time. Time permitting, you could catch a ride, if you like, up to the Whites for some hiking there to cap it off. They are much tougher than what you will have covered to that point, but you will be trail worthy by that time and likely ready for it. From your end point, you could take a shuttle, a bus or public transport either to Boston or NYC to catch your return flight.

Read some guide books on whatever part of the trail you choose to do - there are tough stretches every where and lots of beautiful and interesting places just off the AT worthy of small side trips.

[Cookerhiker]

Hi,
this is my first post and I'm not a native speaker, so please pardon me for mistakes

My wife and I have about 4 weeks in August this year to do a section hike on the AT. We dream about a thru-hike, but you know... even 4 weeks on the AT will be a dream come true for us...
Which section can you recommend for August? I've read on these forums but I haven't found out yet.

Some information about our thoughts and wishes:

1. We fly in from Germany, so transportation is an issue. Start and end of the section should be accessible for us.
2. We think we will be in shape for about 12 to 14 miles each day and also for a few climbs, but nothing too nasty, please. It's our first time on the AT, we did a few trails in Europe before.
3. What about the weather? Where on the trail is it not too hot/humid/rainy in August?
4. And what about the bugs/mosquitos in August?
5. We like to avoid crowded places, no huge groups of tourists, please.

Is it possible that a section like this exists on the AT?
Please help!
Any hints and tipps appreciated.

Thank you,
best regards from Germany,
Leo

Welcome to WhiteBlaze and the USA. I hope your hike goes well.

Since you don't want anything too challenging, I'm not going to steer you to New Hampshire or Maine even though August is a nice time to hike those beautiful states.

Instead, I suggest you take a train from New York City to the town of Pawling, NY and start hiking north. This is assuming you're flying to NY from Germany. Allowing 26 days of hiking at 13.5 miles-per-day results in 350 miles. From Pawling, it is 350 miles to Glencliff, New Hampshire which is just before the White Mountains.

In August, you'll still have mosquitos but as the month goes on, they'll be less of an issue. Hiking through Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire, you could have some hot humid days but not likely on the whole trip. There will be other hikers out but I don't think you'll feel crowded. One nice thing is you'll meet Southbound AT hikers who started at Katahdin.

If you're able to hike more than 26 days and/or average more than 13.5 mpd, you'll be able to hike into the White Mountains. They're much more challenging but with 350 miles behind you, you'll be in good shape. If you can hike as far as Franconia Notch (Rt. 3), you can take the AMC shuttle to their Pinkham Notch Visitors Center from whence you can catch a bus to Boston, then train back to NY.

If this itinerary interests you, more info can be obtained on transportation options - just let us know. Good luck!

Edit: I didn't see Driver's post when I prepared this but note he's recommending almost the same hike!

[2tall]

Thank you very much for your posts!
Your suggestion sounds good to me. Seems that the transportation to/from NY is possible. What is the duration of train rides from NY airport to the AT?

Meanwhile I've read somewhere on these forums that there is also a nice stretch of the trail starting at Damascus, VA heading north into the Grayson Highlands and then further north. What do you think about that? How far can we get from Damascus in 4 weeks northbound hiking? What about the weather/bugs/tourist/terrain in this part of the trail?

Another question I'd like to ask is about resupply. During our trips in Europe we're used to be able to get to a village almost every day or every second day. So this will be the first time for us to carry food/water for more than two days. How difficult is resupply with food/water during your suggestion NY heading north, and how difficult is resupply with Damascus heading north?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but the AT will be a new world for us, I think.

Thanks again,
Leo

[Cookerhiker]

Damascus, VA is a nice place to start your hike but you probably need more time or higher mileage days. Getting to Damascus will take more time and $$$ than starting near NY. I recommend flying into Washington, DC. You then either fly to TriCities, Tennessee or take a bus and arrange for a shuttle to Damascus from the nearest stop.

Damascus to the Southern end of Shenandoah National Park is 390 miles which averages out to 15 mpd for 26 days. If you only hike as far as Daleville, VA near Roanoke, the distance is only 255 miles. In-between there are no easy points reachable via public transportation so you'd have to hitchhike and/or try to arrange a shuttle. Perhaps when you reach Daleville, you could call shuttlers and try to project where and when along the Blue Ridge Parkway you'd finish your hike in order to get a ride to Lynchburg or Charlottesville where you get a train back to DC.

Expect generally hotter weather at the lower elevations starting in Damascus but the nights should be cool enough if you're camping around 3,000'.

Resupply: since you can't very well mail yourself supply boxes from Deutchland, you'll have to resupply along the way. After Damascus, there are some towns or road crossings with food, some more limited than others. In many cases, you'll have to hitchhike to the nearest town.

I'd recommend you obtain the Companion for the listings of trail services. It's well-worth it.

Traveling from New York City to the Pawling AT crossing - from this link, click on "Harlem Line" and note that if you happen to travel on a Sat or Sun, the train stops at the Appalachian Trail station. Otherwise, take the train to Pawling.

[Blissful]

It will be very hot and humid doing any part of Virginia in August. The idea of doing New England will be better for that time of year and closer to an international airport for easier travel.

[2tall]

Thanks again for your replies!

So I think we're going to do decide that our hike will be from Pawling and then hiking northbound to the White Mountains.
The next thing we'll do is look for flights from Germany to NY and back.

After that it's probably a good idea to book an accomodation for the first night in Pawling, isn't it? Is Pawling also a good spot for getting food and stuff for the first days on the trail?

After Pawling we'll look in the guide book for further supply stops.
What about the transportation options at the end of our hike? Do we need to arrange this before our trip? Could you please list the options?

Thanks again, I'm really looking forward to coming to the trail.
Leo

[2tall]

Ok,
we have just booked our flights! We'll have 31 days for hiking on the AT.

We'll arrive at NY Newark on a wednesday, 1:10 PM. I think we can then reach the train at Grand Central station at 3:45 PM and arrive at Pawling at 5:19 PM, if I read the timetable correctly.
Does anybody know the costs for a taxi from Newark airport to Grand Central? Or what would you recommend?

Can you please recommend an accomodation for us in Pawling? We'd like to make a reservation for our first night via email/internet.

Is there a store for camping supply in Pawling? We plan to buy our stove/fuel there, because we don't want to have this with us on the plane.

@Cookerhiker or anybody else who knows: Could you please elaborate about the transportation options at the end of our hike at Franconia Notch or somewhere else in the White Mountains?

Thanks very much,
Leo

[Graywolf]

Good luck on your hike. i will be on teh Trail at that time as well. Come to thin of it, I will be getting home from Germany as I have a performance in Koln in July..

I am planning on the Southern AT, but debatting on the Whites..We will see as time grows near..

Have fun..

Graywolf..

[Cookerhiker]

Ok,
we have just booked our flights! We'll have 31 days for hiking on the AT.

We'll arrive at NY Newark on a wednesday, 1:10 PM. I think we can then reach the train at Grand Central station at 3:45 PM and arrive at Pawling at 5:19 PM, if I read the timetable correctly.
Does anybody know the costs for a taxi from Newark airport to Grand Central? Or what would you recommend?

Can you please recommend an accomodation for us in Pawling? We'd like to make a reservation for our first night via email/internet.

Is there a store for camping supply in Pawling? We plan to buy our stove/fuel there, because we don't want to have this with us on the plane.

@Cookerhiker or anybody else who knows: Could you please elaborate about the transportation options at the end of our hike at Franconia Notch or somewhere else in the White Mountains?

Thanks very much,
Leo

Re. what's available in Pawling, I suggest you send a PM to Sasquatch who lives there and is a good source of info. He also does trail maintenance on the AT in that area.

Re. transportation options for the end of your hike, this link is the ATC Shuttle List which includes public transportation as well as individuals who do shuttles. If you reach the White Mountains, the bus to Boston is from the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) lodge at Pinkham Notch. I believe it's a Trailways bus but in any case, use the list from the above link to search more on the internet for schedules.

If your hike fall short of Pinkham Notch, the AMC runs a shuttle system from other points that you might reach - Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch - to Pinkham. It doesn't run in the off-season so it's not on their website now but it will run when you hike. I believe there are buses from Hanover as well if you don't get far into NH. The buses take you to Boston where you can get an AMTRAK train to NY.

Re. your arrival in Newark: taxi to Grand Central Station is very expensive and I'm not sure it'll save you time. Go to this site and see how you can take a train into NYC.

Hope everything goes well and that you report back to us after the hike.

[Papa D]

Hike the LONG TRAIL - ABSOLUTELY PERFECT FOR 4 WEEKS - ABSOLUTELY PERFECT IN AUGUST - greeenmountainclub.org - PRIVATE MESSAGE ME - I'LL TELL YOU MORE.

[tiptoe]

What day in August are you coming? I can possibly offer you both a garden meal, an overnight stay, and a ride to trail if it's early in the month. (I'm unavailable after Aug. 10.) I live in Connecticut, about 1/2 hour from Pawling, and you can take a train to my town. PM me if interested.

[Papa D]

Hike the Long Trial you crazy Kraut - hike the Long Trail - I'll let my crazy German friends, Thomas and Andreas translate for me and help you.

[sasquatch2014]

Cookerhiker alerted me to the post. I am not on as much as I once was.

I will be more than glad to help you anyway I can here in Pawling. You will have a great trip the trail is perfect for warming up in terms of terrain. While you will have a long day of travel and shuttling trains it will all be worth it once you are out on the trail.

There are 3 main options for the lodging in Pawling. We have a Bed and Breakfast in town they tend to be a bit pricy somewhere near or over $100 a night. There is a small motel just north of the trail that most hikers stay at both due to cost and proximity. You are also more than welcome to camp out in my backyard.

We have a a grocery store here in town and can stop to do a resupply and even set up some bounce boxes if you want to mail yourself somethings further up the trail. If you let me know what type of fuel you will be using I will be more than glad to make sure that we have some on hand to get you on your way.

Have a great time planning out your trip but make sure to allow yourself enough flexibility to change any and all plans as you go. I like to think that the freedom to be spontaneous is one of the best things about the trail. There are some great swim spots along the trail and you may have a big day planned but on a hot day just laying on the rocks and swimming can be even better.

[Cookerhiker]

This thread has the link to the AMC's shuttle service in the Whites which you'll find helpful for the back end of your hike.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...89#post1124089

[2tall]

Hi guys,
wow, thanks to everybody for your great help!
We've just arrived home after 4 days of hiking. I'm gonna read all your suggestions and my messages and probably answer tomorrow.
Have a nice day,
Leo

[2tall]

Hike the Long Trial you crazy Kraut - hike the Long Trail - I'll let my crazy German friends, Thomas and Andreas translate for me and help you.

Hi, Papa D,
and thank you for your offer.
We have already decided to hike a section of the AT and ordered a guidebook and some other books and videos about the AT.
Maybe it will be the Long Trail next year??
Anyway, thanks for your messages,
best regards
Leo

[2tall]

@tiptoe: I've sent a PM to you.

@sasquatch2014: You have mail.

Some other thoughts / questions to you experienced hikers:

- Is this section (Pawling - White Mountains) bear country? Do we have to hang bear bags?

- What about bounce boxes? Do you think they're absolutely necessary? How difficult is survival in this section of the AT without them? Is it worth the effort? What would you suggest? (We'd like to keep these things to an absolute minimum if possible.)

Any hints and tipps appreciated!

Best regards
Leo

[Driver8]

- Is this section (Pawling - White Mountains) bear country? Do we have to hang bear bags?

Yes, bear bag is a good idea. In the northernmost part of CT, there are bear-proof boxes at some campsites.

[tiptoe]

you can take the Air Train from Newark Airport to Penn Station. From there you either walk to Grand Central or take the subway shuttle. For Air Train details, see http://www.panynj.gov/airports/ewr-to-from.html