Can I just ramble aimlessly and ask a few questions about the AT for a few minutes.

[xrayextra]

Hi bishbash,

I did a thru-hike this year from April 1st through October 9th.

So, the accommodation. Camping and lean tos are free. That’s the majority, say 120 days. Then 30 in bunk houses($20?) and 30 in cheapo motels($50), twenni won hundred bucks, blimey this is getting expensive.

I think 60 paid stays is a bit excessive. I spent 30 in hostels and 15 in hotels (and I thought that was way too many). Plan to split hotel rooms with other hikers. You will meet and end up hiking with lots of other hikers. Also, the hotel rooms are cheaper in the south than in the north. Hostels run from $10-$35, but typically $20 is about right, but again more expensive the further north you go.

Oh yeah, is it acceptable to drink spirits around the shelters, not gonna go hauling a 24 case of beers up there so thought a bottle of vodka, help me sleep at night, take the edge off etc.

Not only is it acceptable, but it's very common. I never saw anyone with vodka though (most drank whiskey or rum).

Total costs = about 7000 bucks, 1000 contingency fund, job’s a goodun. How could it possibly go wrong, see you there March 1^st 2018, it’s a date.

I'd keep an eye on the weather. It might be better to shoot for a mid-March start date. This year the weather was wacky and very cold with a late spring. Many people who started early ended up sitting out a lot of the weather for a week or two. If you're concerned about the heat, what some people did was to get up extra early and start hiking before dawn, find a good cool, shady spot around 11:00 or 12:00 and take a break for a few hours out of the high point of the heat, then hike on after the sun begins its decline in the sky.

[Pressure D]

Good advice Flatfoot!!

[bishbash]

Back again, hope you are all wintering well. I look in here every now and then when i fancy a bit of daydreaming, always cheers me up. less than 4 years to go now.

If you're concerned about the heat, what some people did was to get up extra early and start hiking before dawn, find a good cool, shady spot around 11:00 or 12:00 and take a break for a few hours out of the high point of the heat, then hike on after the sun begins its decline in the sky.

That does sound like a cool plan, have done some night hiking in england before and it works well. Might have to look into the visa issue as a few people have mentioned it.

[bishbash]

Have to say speaking to the immigration people at the border when entering USA is not a nice experience, normally dont let anyone talk to me like that but this is one occasion when there is really nothing you can do about it, you just have to take it.

[peakbagger]

One down side to a late start is that the days get extra long in Northern new England in late June. 16 hours of daylight. The farther north you are the longer they get.