Going to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in about 75 days time, October-December

You will not succeed.

Good luck! I've considered doing it as well.

I'd be interested in reading about it, if you will be keeping a public blog updated. Or, start a thread here and use it for your updates.

The only suggestion I can give you is to search online and find the journal from the guy that holds the record. I recently read the reports/journal, and they will give you an idea of what he experienced.

If memory serves, it was the journal from his unsuccessful attempt, when he got caught on a mountaintop (maybe Mt Washington?)in a blizard in Maine or Vermont, and realized he couldn't get the record. He attempted it again a year or two later and set the record.

You are weak and inexperienced. I bet you don't make it past 40 miles.

Well given the fact that by starting in the north I will immediately begin the trail hiking through the "100 mile wilderness," meaning I won't reach my first town until I have already hiked 100 miles, if I don't make it past 40 I might be in some trouble!

Obviously since this is LetsRun I expected the dumb shit comments, but more useful ones by people who actually have half a clue would certainly be appreciated.

Good luck! I've only hiked about 300 miles of it, but it was a great time!

My biggest piece of advice is DON'T PACK TOO MUCH. Stick to the essentials: water, food, money, phone, i.d, water filter, matches, tent, a deck of cards, ear plugs if you run into boy scouts, a bar of soap, cooking supplies. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

To Smoked.

Thanks for your useful input. I will try to update this thread throughout my time on the trail as much as my days with Internet access will allow me to.

Slightly over two years ago, in July of 2011 I posted a very popular message board thread on here over a four day span where I attempted and was successful in running 100 miles and drinking 100 beers in 100 consecutive hours. Almost everyone on here doubted that I could do it, and I was successful. I may not be a good runner anymore, but I certainly have the fitness and more importantly the mental willpower to accomplish this goal if I want to.

Following my Appalachian Trail journey, in January of 2014 I will again do the 100-100-100 challenge. This time I would like to have it videotaped/recorded and have others to do it with me if interested.

I am not really in very good shape currently in terms of racing fitness, but for just hiking for two and a half months I think I will be fine. I'm about 168-170 pounds when my racing weight in college seven years ago was around 161-162. I hadn't run hardly at all in close to a year, but just started a couple of weeks ago and I can run 5-6 miles at a 7 minute pace or do a 10-12 mile hike on pretty rocky terrain with a 10 pound pack on averaging 4mph easily. On the trail my backpack with gear will weigh maybe 25 pounds I estimate and my goal will be only 3mph, doing about 12 miles a day at that pace.

You mean "doing about 12 hours a day" correct?

Depends more on your hiking experience than your running experience, IMO.

Starting with the 100mile wilderness, you'll like be carrying a lot more food (no resupply) - that'll slo you down a lot.

Weather WILL be an issue. That means more weight for gear, clothes, etc. you're hiking solo the whole way?

Hiking 35 miles a day for 2 months solid is a tough gig.

Good luck

Cheers

Carl

Yes, my typo, I meant 12 hours of hiking a day, at a 3mph pace. Correct, for the first four days or so I will need more food so my pack will weigh a bit more, and the terrain through Maine and New Hampshire in general will be more challenging so my mileage will be a bit less per day.

My brother will join me for a week or two though NY-NJ-PA and my college friend will join me for a week in PA-MD-northern VA. Then my girlfriend will meet up with me for the last two weeks or so of the trail. My brother is also driving me to the start of the trail in Maine and will hike up that mountain with me to start my journey. The vast majority of the time I will be alone, especially since I am hiking through the fall rather than the spring-summer, however I am fine with that and believe the solitude will do me good.

Good luck and all, but humping 35 miles in a day is a lot.

what (or who) is your girlfriend going to be doing while your jerking around on the trail for over two months?

What's the rush, bro? The trail is awesome, and there's lots to see.

Why, may I ask are you choosing to go on a long hike during a part of the year where the days and especially nights can get quite cold, and your hours with good daylight will get progressively shorter?

TysonBrock wrote:On the trail my backpack with gear will weigh maybe 25 pounds I estimate and my goal will be only 3mph, doing about 12 [hours] a day at that pace.

I haven't seen the AT outside of New England, but in the Whites 3 mph isn't terribly slow. Also, You'll have 11.5 hours between sunrise and sunset on your first day. So, color me impressed if you can manage 30+ miles each day.

Personally I wouldn't want to set up & break down camp in the dark every but whatever floats your boat I guess.

Wtfunny wrote:Weather WILL be an issue.

Indeed. You'll probably want to carry a traction aid aswell. Weather varies, but here are a few photos of (or near) the AT in October:

2012:

2011:

2010:

2009:

2008:

Can I join you for part of the trip?

Have you per chance read the book, " A Walk in the Woods?"

Also which direction are you going? I would assume since you are starting in Oct and finishing in Dec you are going from Maine to Georgia?

Most people you know start in April and go south to north?

I love a good adventure and assuming you have a plan I wish you a great time!

The hardest part is going to be supplies. 35 miles a day will burn a lot of calories. You will almost need constant resuply to maintain that level of activity.

TysonBrock wrote:

I plan to try and average around 35 miles most days so this will give me around ten extra days or so that I can use to relax in a town, or take it easy with less mileage if I am feeling tired....

My brother will be helping me plan for this hike and knows what he is talking about in regards to the AT, however any suggestions or comments from the board are appreciated as well.

It's a great trip. I through-hiked the AT thirty years ago at a significantly slower pace (by comparison, I only hiked 35 miles in a day once, on a relatively flat PA section, just for the hell of it, and I was pretty sore the next day), and I still consider it one of the highlights of my life.

Like most people who hike the AT, I went south to north over the course of a long summer. I fell in with different bunches of other thru-hikers, so the experience was as much social as athletic and "wild." That comradery helped keep things fun on long days of hiking. Going north to south, October to December, you're gonna be much more isolated -- not all a bad thing, but you'll have more personal demons to sort through.

Regarding that "northern wilderness," there are dirt logging and hunting roads crossing the trail. You can bail if you need to, but apart from Mt. Katahdin itself, that particular stretch from Baxter Park to Monson, ME isn't actually that challenging. Keeping your pace will be more of a stretch once you reach the Mahoosucs and then the White Mountains.

As far as pacing, it sounds like you'll be self supporting, so definitely study the guide books, and maybe check out whiteblazes.com threads & blogs for ideas and commentary from experienced thru-hikers.

You have September to get out on the trail (or a similar trail) to really test yourself over long-distance hiking -- and work the bugs out of the system. The numbers on what you presently can run mean nothing much in terms of assessing your aptitude for this sort of treck, which will be more about your psychological strength and motivation than pure athleticism. (FYI, walking 12 hours a day, every day, for weeks at a time, can actually get kind of boring at times, even though you're putting yourself in an incredibly beautiful landscape.)

You plan on hiking in the dark? You better. I don't think that by doing it this way you will enjoy your experience. Hope you do, but don't think you will.