TysonBrock wrote:
Yes, my typo, I meant 12 hours of hiking a day, at a 3mph pace. . .
You understand that there are not 12 hours of daylight in October. There will be less than 10 hours of daylight by December 20th.
TysonBrock wrote:
Yes, my typo, I meant 12 hours of hiking a day, at a 3mph pace. . .
You understand that there are not 12 hours of daylight in October. There will be less than 10 hours of daylight by December 20th.
Planning to find out what you need to know before you start planning is a good start to most plans.
Citizen Runner wrote:
TysonBrock wrote:Yes, my typo, I meant 12 hours of hiking a day, at a 3mph pace. . .
You understand that there are not 12 hours of daylight in October. There will be less than 10 hours of daylight by December 20th.
No idea how doable it is, but trying it sounds awesome. Good luck.
Do you really think you can do 3mph with a 25 lb pack through the whites, or in general over rocky terrain?? Have you ever hiked before?
I just did 13 miles just south of the whites today, maybe 2-3000 ft elevation gain and it took me 4:45. That's less than 3mph. I was also jogging downhills and carrying around ten lbs. Not saying I'm in exceptional shape in the least, but I generally can haul when hiking. In the whites a day of 20 miles with a full pack is nothing short of stellar. On the trail in general 35 mile days are few and far between. I pulled 18 miles in 6 hours before on a section in NJ but by end of day my feet were shredded due to the rocks. Have you thought at alll about terrain?
If you are close to the trail now, I would suggest going to it and hiking for 12 hours with maybe ten lbs of gear tops and see how far you get. If you tell me the state you're in I can suggest a good section for you to try. I think you will find 36 miles in a day is very rough on the trail.
Thru-hikers that do 30+ mile days usually hike more than 12 hours in a day.
Oh and as previous posters have said, it gets dark early. Bring a headlamp.
Correction, re-read and saw you've done 10-12 ,lie hikes at 4mph. That seems quite fast, not saying you haven't done it, I would just suggest going on the AT for a day and seeing what you can do. I do know as I said before when thru-hikers, guys who have been hiking day in and day out for months haul butt, they usually hike around 3mph, so if you can do four that's pretty impressive and maybe you have a shot. Give it a go for a day and see
how much does a thing like this end costing you
divided durable--non durable supplies
assuming you had to buy everything to get started what would it cost to do the trail at 10% a better than average equipment supplies level.
what do you eat
how do you cook/heat it
how much water/liquid do you carry
how many food resupply points along the trail
equipment resupply
how much weight to you expect to lose
Yes I know this is not a weight loss plan
will you bulk up a bit to compensate
do couples who do this together have sex
do singles self-pleasure
is there casual sex with fellow travelers
how much of the trail is mostly out of sight of civilization lets say power cables fireroads antennae are expected
thanks
I strongly recommend hiking West to East, and not North/South.
Have fun trying to cover 35 miles a day through the Smokies in December.
She will have found a new boyfriend long before that point - don't count on her hiking with your smelly self near the end.
TysonBrock wrote:
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.
I came across the blog of the woman's unsupported AT trail record holder a few months ago. She did it in 80 days. She said that she failed a PE test in 5th grade because she couldn't run a mile in 11 minutes, but obviously her endurance is great.
Plan to take a few days slow near the start for blisters. You will probably develop some massive ones when you start logging 200 mile weeks for the first time ever + 12 hours a day on your feet.
I'll bite.
I am actually currently thru hiking the AT NOBO. Today is day 98 and I am in Caratunk, ME.
In short, you can do it, but the question you have to ask yourself is "why hike the trail in 75 days".
Sure I was banging out 30+ miles a day between Jerry's Cabin near Hot Springs, NC to Salisbury, CT.
But southern Maine is no joke. Whites are easier, but you still will be reluctant to hike more than 25+ miles a day.
75 days is no record. And you'll probably end up missing some trail treats. But some hostels to stay at north to south are: Shaw's in Monson, Sterling Inn in Caratunk, The Cabins in Andover, White Mountain Hostel in Gorham, Green Mtn House in Manchester, The Doyle in Duncannon, Bear's Den, Wood's Hole, Four Pines in Catawba, Mountain Harbor in Roan, and Elmer's Sunnybank in Hot Springs.
Honestly, I would wait until next May and bang out a sub 3 month hike.
35 miles/day is serious hiking. You will be walking a lot in the dark. Check out Andrew Skurka, he has some good ideas for lighting solutions for night hiking. Try to aim for a base weight of 10 lbs if possible, a couple pounds will make a huge difference in the mileage you can cover comfortable especially with lots of elevation change. Also plan, plan, plan you must minimize your time hitch-hiking and in town.
If you are serious about this start hiking more in addition to running. 12-14 hrs on your feet is different than a 2 hr run. If you are planning to average 35 miles/day then you need to hit the trail FIT. Do a tune up trip and try and do 30-40 miles on consecutive days. The time on your feet with a pack is the hard part.
Just remember that the faster you hike the more recovery you will need. Long slightly slower days are better in the long run. There is a reason why hikers have broke most of the long trail records that were originally set by ultrarunners.
Go for it! Sounds awesome. My wife and I are planning a PCT hike for next summer.
My son thru-hiked north to south five years ago. Started in zero shape. I tried to hang with him on a 20 mile day when he was 800 miles in and I could easily (at that time) run a 20 miler in 2:30. I was in tears by the end of the day. Hiking with weight is a lot different than running, I found, even though I had done a modest amount of backpacking. Also getting food and re-supplies takes a lot of time. When Karl Meltzler (I think) tried to set a record the same year he had lots of foot issues from the heavy rains.
The obvious concerns have been mentioned:
1) Daylight - Hiking in the dark is slow and asking for a sprained ankle, even with a killer headlamp (need mucho batteries)
2) Weather - The NC Appalachians in December are no joke, be prepared for single digit temps. What the hell will you do if you get stuck in decent rain/snow/wind storm at 3k feet, temps at 25-30, the sun going down and everything you own is already damp from rain on the previous days - you can die, faster than you would expect.
3) Food - hiking 35mi in cold temperature is going to require a mountain of up. The old rule is expect to eat double in freezing temps (perhaps a little exaggerated IMO), but you will be needing to continuously eat to stay warm and healthy. This will require either more frequent resupplies (logistics, $$$) or carrying significantly more weight (slows you down).
Not yet mentioned:
Feet - youll probably get terrible blisters within the first week of doing 35 mi days, especially if its wet. Expect to take a few days lighter/off.
Either way this is quite the undertaking - I'm a tad jealous it would be loads of fun - but you seem a bit cavalier. It's completely doable but as it stands, but you should already be incessantly planning.
Some more concerns wrote:
2) Weather - The NC Appalachians in December are no joke, be prepared for single digit temps. What the hell will you do if you get stuck in decent rain/snow/wind storm at 3k feet, temps at 25-30, the sun going down and everything you own is already damp from rain on the previous days - you can die, faster than you would expect.
I'd like to reiterate this. There will not be nearly as many people out on the trails in the winter. If you go hypothermic it could quickly turn into a "To Build a Fire" like situation. Winter in the mountains is no joke.
How is this going to be fun? Sounds like a long and painful experience to me.
Fun? wrote:
How is this going to be fun? Sounds like a long and painful experience to me.
Of course it will be long and painful. It's Type 2 fun. Embrace the brutality! Unless you have hiked you won't understand the allure. I say just go for it, if you train and plan meticulously you should be ok. I say you should see if you can do it. People have done harder things (yoyo the CDT, triple crown in one calender year, etc.).
Post your gearlist on backpackinglight and get some critiques or post it here.
Hypothermia is a big concern out there - especially since you will be alone for the majority of the time. How do you handle lonely, cold nights?
You will have some company from finishing northbounders in the 100 mile wilderness during those first nights if you stay in the shelters, but most of the time you will feel unbelievably alone. Doable but extremely tough!
You mention that others are going to hike with you at various points. If you succeed at your scheduled plan, you are going to be a hiking animal and they will not be able to keep up with you for even one day - never mind several days in a row.
Good luck - Hike yer own hike!
Ah Ha wrote:
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!
I would recommend he reads Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Wood sometime before he sets out. Apart from being an hilarious read, I seem to recall there was a good deal of good advice in between the humorous parts - including an indication of just how difficult and strenuous undertaking the walk is as Bill never managed to complete it.