January Thru Hiker Needs Company

[takethisbread]

Stroke of common sense. I celebrate every day that I am reminded how unready I would have been. I am now working on the forty pound weight limit and looking for a "comparable" location for a shake-down trip. Departure from Springer is now set for March 18. Looking for fellow trekers.

great news!

you will have plenty of company and great weather although you will still run into some snow it wont stop you. The smokies in January is pretty tough. have fun

[tiptoe]

You're a brave soul, POPS, and I wish you luck if you decide to go ahead with this plan. Sounds like the hardest possible way to do the AT, though. Brrrrrr.

[SawnieRobertson]

Congratulations on your "stroke of common sense." So, when is your birthday, and where do you suspect you will be when it occurs?--Kinnickinic

[Slo-go'en]

Yes, starting in Mid March is a *much* better plan. When it starts to get too hot (and it will), skip up to MA or VT where it's cooler. You don't want to crap out and go home in the Mid-atlantic states and miss New England. It probably a good thing most of the wanna be thru-hikers don't make it up here, but it's a shame they miss it.

[Tinker]

In celebration of my 70th birthday I intend to start at Springer in mid January and finish at Katahdin after its opening, June 1. So far, I am a group of one, looking to gather a few more by departure time. Otherwise, I'll just count on later encounters along the trail. Respond here if you are interested in joining me. I'm hlsodom on FB.

By the time you reach the top of Springer, you'll realize "We're not in Baton Rouge any more, Toto".

It was cold up there on March 7th, 2006 (slush in water bottles in morning - it can get colder).

Best of luck to you, young feller!

Once you take a couple of months off (Jan. and Feb.) you might just have a nice hike.

If I had my druthers, I'd druther head north sometime in April (I hear the flowers are much nicer than dead, dry, brown leaves and snow).

You'll need some of this.......... If you make it to New England shoot me a PM here and I'll buy you a meal.

[Hoofit]

Best of luck Pops - get your shakedown at Neil 's Gap and shed a few pounds...40 pounds is more than you need and a lighter pack will feel good after carrying it for the first thirty miles from Springer.Hope to catch up with you later on as I have to finish up the trail in August/September from New YOrk State to Katahdin. I'll be hiking on puppy legs but at least I'll be through "rocksylvania".
I sure miss the woods........

[TEXMAN]

Stroke of common sense. I celebrate every day that I am reminded how unready I would have been. I am now working on the forty pound weight limit and looking for a "comparable" location for a shake-down trip. Departure from Springer is now set for March 18. Looking for fellow trekers.

POPS>> I am a 63 yr old that has a good chunck of the AT under my belt .. I live in Dallas Tx area ...If you would like to do a shake down hike on the ouachita trail in Arkansas in Dec or Jan send me a PM ....I am up for any type of hike you want ( a couple of days or a week plus.)... we could leave a car at each end and hike from one car to the next... Let me know

Old Man River
(alias TEXMAN on Whir=te Blaze)

[takethisbread]

You know a thing or two about hiking in the deep snow in Georgia and Carolina

POPS>> I am a 63 yr old that has a good chunck of the AT under my belt .. I live in Dallas Tx area ...If you would like to do a shake down hike on the ouachita trail in Arkansas in Dec or Jan send me a PM ....I am up for any type of hike you want ( a couple of days or a week plus.)... we could leave a car at each end and hike from one car to the next... Let me know

Old Man River
(alias TEXMAN on Whir=te Blaze)

[magic_game03]

Pops, I left on my third thru on Dec 29th. You will be lucky to even find a hunter, much less a weekender. I expect you will find registers in shelters that will let you know who's (thru's) around. I had to snowshoe about 600 miles of AT that year. Be sure you have a pair of snow shoes in a bump box or be ready to spend a lot of time town waiting for snow to melt. Also the trail is VERY icy. You will find long slides of ice, sometimes for miles, which will require some great foot work or crampons, 4-point insteps or microspikes. I'd stay away from the yack-tracks they were useless.