NJ Section Hike question...

[jbullock78]

Hello All, Newbie section hike question for ya!

I am planning a 4 day 3 night NJ AT hike as well starting after Christmas. I was thinking of heading SOBO due to shelter availability. The main question I have is mileage in a day. I am not in super-shape, just "normal" office drone. The longest hike I have done is 17 miles in 1 day in MD on the AT. Now, I was dead after that, but it was done. I was planning on 13 miles a day for a total of 52 miles.

Question: Given the short daylight hours do you folks think this is manageable (hour lunchbreak/bathroom breaks etc)? There is 9.5 hours of daylight and I don't want to be rushed to get to the next shelter before dark.
Any input/experience would be awesome-
Thanks,
James

Tentative schedule:

Total Miles	WayPoints	Daily Totals
0	Longhouse Drive Begin
1.8	Wawayanda Shelter, NJ
13.3	Pochuck Mountain Shelter, NJ Night Day 1	13.3
25.7	High Point Shelter, NJ Night Day 2	12.4
30	Rutherford Shelter Side Trail, NJ
32.9	Mashipacong Shelter, NJ
38.7	Gren Anderson Shelter Side Trail, NJ Night Day 3	13
45.3	Brink RD Shelter Side Trail, NJ
51.8	Blue Mountain Lakes Road	13.1

[Rain Man]

IThe main question I have is mileage in a day. I am not in super-shape, just "normal" office drone. The longest hike I have done is 17 miles in 1 day in MD on the AT. Now, I was dead after that....

Question: Given the short daylight hours do you folks think this is manageable (hour lunchbreak/bathroom breaks etc)? There is 9.5 hours of daylight and I don't want to be rushed to get to the next shelter before dark. ...

I think you will be rushed or at the very least, on the verge of being rushed to arrive by dark, given what you've said about your office drone condition and past experience. And those being the shortest daylight days of the entire year. Can you do it? I imagine so, but you may find yourself "dead after that" and especially back-to-back-to-back days of it. I'd recommend spending the next six weeks practicing daily. If you do that, I think you'll be okay.

Don't forget, Pochuck is a dry shelter, no water. Plan accordingly.

RainMan

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[FarmerChef]

Can you do it? Sure. But based on your description of yourself I agree with Rain Man that you may not be physically able to comfortably complete this schedule before dark each night. If you're comfortable with night hiking then this isn't a big deal but even if you are comfortable with night hiking you will walk more slowly than in the day time, something you need to be prepared for from a time perspective. Also, NJ is not nearly as flat as MD was.

I would highly recommend that you start walking hills and maybe a bit of stairmaster to help you get in shape. In addition to this, get out on the weekends for some day hikes. Since you're out in my neck of the woods, I would recommend starting at Harper's Ferry and heading south to get a bit more of a hilly experience. Even better would be to start at Rt. 7 and head south to Rt. 50 through the roller coaster. Now that days are shorter this would be a good time to test your stamina and see what you're comfortable with.

Shelter availability in the winter has never been a problem for me. Maybe others can comment on NJ in particular. I've always had shelters to myself in Thanksgiving and Easter.

[jbullock78]

Thanks for the Info! I was thinking it may be to aggressive given the daylight-

[FarmerChef]

Can you do it? Sure. But based on your description of yourself I agree with Rain Man that you may not be physically able to comfortably complete this schedule before dark each night. If you're comfortable with night hiking then this isn't a big deal but even if you are comfortable with night hiking you will walk more slowly than in the day time, something you need to be prepared for from a time perspective. Also, NJ is not nearly as flat as MD was.

I would highly recommend that you start walking hills and maybe a bit of stairmaster to help you get in shape. In addition to this, get out on the weekends for some day hikes. Since you're out in my neck of the woods, I would recommend starting at Harper's Ferry and heading south to get a bit more of a hilly experience. Even better would be to start at Rt. 7 and head south to Rt. 50 through the roller coaster. Now that days are shorter this would be a good time to test your stamina and see what you're comfortable with.

Shelter availability in the winter has never been a problem for me. Maybe others can comment on NJ in particular. I've always had shelters to myself in Thanksgiving and Easter.

Sorry. Reread this and want to be sure I didn't come off wrong. What I meant to say was starting walking hills and maybe a bit of stairmaster to get in shape for your hike. Not you personally If you were going on a long hike some of us would just tell you to get out there and get started, your body will acclimate as long as you don't overdo it. But as an avid section hiker, I know what it's like to have to be at point B after starting at Point A. If you want to get a leg up, get some extra exercise before you go, with a pack on if possible. It will go a good way to helping you prepare some of the muscles you'll need.

[Slo-go'en]

With a modest 2 mph pace, your longest day is about 7 hours, leaving you with 2.5 hours of daylight. Assuming you get up and moving at first light - which is easier said then done if it's cold out Seeing that it will be dark by about 4:30 in the afternoon, (maybe 5 pm down south in NJ) you'll be setting up camp and cooking in the dark for sure.

But the real problem which you can't plan on ahead of time is the weather. What if the trail is covered with snow and/or ice? What if it's just warm enough to rain? Winter storms often hit northern NJ. Anything but picture perfict weather is going to have a serious impact on your hiking speed. It could bring you to a complete stand still.

Unless you have the gear and desire to hike in less then ideal weather, you really need to be flexable schedule wise for a winter hike. You need to be able to slide the start and stop dates to coinside with good weather (which may or not be possible for a 4 day period in the winter). Or have alturnate plans to do something else if the dates you can go on this trip are fixed in stone and the weather for those dates turns out to be undesirable.

[jbullock78]

Nope you did not come off wrong- I do go to the gym regularly and have really just started section hiking (obviously different muscles). I have done only 3 day 2 nights trips in the Shenandoah, Southern VT, MD (PA-Harper's Ferry). I try to walk around DC with my pack-on during the weekends- I get a lot of strange looks! Thanks for your comments/suggestions!

[jbullock78]

Slo-go'en-
Thanks for the info- the weather is a big factor. I figured if the weather was bad, I would bag the trip. I will be in NJ for the holiday's and figured I'd do some section hiking while I have time off from work. I think I can handle a little snow, but if its rainy and 36 degrees, I think I would go another time. I have halfway decent inclement weather gear, but the cold and wet rain would be a killer.

The more I think about it, I will be setting-up/cooking in darkness if we have ideal conditions. Something I have not done, but there is a first time for everything! I guess an extra headlamp would be in order.

Thanks again,
JB~