Planning on hiking the appalachian trail this spring.

You'll be going to all the diners along most of the trail you can b/c they all have incredible specials that are always worth more than you pay and it's fabulous eats.
You'll get used to people at Trailheads with grills or ice cream or baked potatoes. That generosity is pretty thin up North but in the southern portion you can expect alot of unexpected generosity
 
Cheetahplasticity said:
I plan on having food in my pack I'd just like to extend it in case I need that money for a broken backpack strap I or something. Also it's just something I like to do.
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Right. Good idea. I broke a strap and two women out day hiking went to an outfitters store like an hour away and brought it back to me for nothing.
You can easily get things sewn up by folks that know what they're doing tho.
 
birdsonthebat said:
Right. Good idea. I broke a strap and two women out day hiking went to an outfitters store like an hour away and brought it back to me for nothing.
You can easily get things sewn up by folks that know what they're doing tho.
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Good thing I have some sewing skill. Guess I need to bring needle and thread
 
You should google Ray Jardine. He wrote alot about hiking in general but he did the AT at least a few times. He's still living and is something of an authority on all kinds of outdoor type stuff
 
birdsonthebat said:
You should google Ray Jardine. He wrote alot about hiking in general but he did the AT at least a few times. He's still living and is something of an authority on all kinds of outdoor type stuff
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I will have to check that out. There's definitely a lot of areas I could improve on. Thanks for the tip
 
The less you carry, the better you are! Food and Tent weigh down your pack. You'll find what you need along the way. Trail Magic is awesome and ppl will help you out. The less you eat, the better off you are (at least, that's my experience)! Just have fun and have the smarts to know what you are doing. Be prepared and pack light, but get familiar with the trail first!
 
recordman said:
The less you carry, the better you are! Food and Tent weigh down your pack. You'll find what you need along the way. Trail Magic is awesome and ppl will help you out. The less you eat, the better off you are (at least, that's my experience)! Just have fun and have the smarts to know what you are doing. Be prepared and pack light, but get familiar with the trail first!
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I was thinking of protein/carb bars and multivits but I think that's a bit too expensive. Probably gonna try oatmeal and peanut butter. Maybe some jersey for different proteins and maybe a rat or two since I hear Theyre brave enough to go after backpack rations. I'm thinking a deadfall trap next to my pack might yield some meat
 
I'm starting my hike in mid march.... I'm hoping to beat the hoard of people that comes in april...
 
I made it from springer mtn, GA to Damascus, VA in 2010. I kept running into a kid named Greene lite who had a sponsor. He got hooked up with a children's Hospitol and got someone to pay so many cents per mile that was donated to the hospitol, but he had to do the thru-hike. I'm not really sure how you get hooked up with a sponsor unless you go through a church or boy scouts or something. The food drops are pretty important. You really need to plan it all out before you start, which means knowing where and when you're gonna be in a certain town or hostel that can get your food shipped to you (hostels are cheaper to get shit shipped and held over post offices). Since you're going to be burning 5-7,000 calories a day, a GOOD tip is to try and find food that is about 100 calories per oz. of food. Ramen (I know we're all tired of it), tuna and salmon packets, oatmeal and grits (light weight), nuts and seeds (shelled sunflower seeds are the lightest and really good for you), spam packets, etc... You don't really need a tent until you get into the whites in VA and north from there. Just carry a tarp or military poncho or something. If you get to the shelters early enough you can claim a spot before anyone else does. Water filter AND iodine tabs for water (filters break, but if you're out of both you can always boil, but a filter is lighter than fuel). Get a copy of the Thru-Hikers' Companion (book). It has maps and tells you where the next shelter/water-source/hwy/town (and what's in the town that could serve you, i.e. grocery, hostel, laundry mat, buffets, post office, etc.) this book will save your ass. If you can't find a sponsor just start fucking googling.

Hope this helps. And seriously, PACK AS LIGHT AS YOU CAN! You'll be surprised how much shit you ditch on the trail because after a few days ounces feels like pounds. Good luck with it! If you have any more questions, just message me; I'll help the best I can. ONWARD AND UPWARD!
 
If anyone needs it, I have a digital copy of the 2013 AT companion. Hit me with an email and I will send it to you. Or if someone wants to get it and upload it. I tried and the interface to upload the file in this thread went spastic.
 
Im considering doing the trail this year as well but my concern is my dog. I really would want to bring him, but carrying the extra weight may be bad, I am a pretty good pack mule and weight doesn't bother me so much. Any advice?
 
As long as you have a way to get your food, and are willing to take the chance in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park, where you are supposed to have a permit and pay for the nights you spend there, it can theoretically be done.
 
i am going to do it starting early march or late February. and for food i always do oatmeal+dried fruit+nutes+penutbutter+tortias+refriedbean pouches. i don't take any cooking gear to lighten the load i just eat things cold, and i carry a water filter with extra filters. dubel layer bivy+camo tarp for selter. 6 paires of socks and only two of everything elts. i also carry multiple camel packs.
any suggestions.
 
Late February/early March you are almost certainly going to get snow, lots of cold, some cold and rain, and other unpleasant wintery fun. Plan for those conditions, and you should be good.

Also for anyone else interested in the companion, I managed to get the uploader to not spaz out, and both it and the elevation profiles are now in the downloads section, under books and zines ->travel.

Enjoy!
 
Cheetahplasticity said:
I plan on having food in my pack I'd just like to extend it in case I need that money for a broken backpack strap I or something. Also it's just something I like to do.
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I hiked the AT in 2012 and im hiking the PCT this year. look man you wanna hav at least 3 grand to start,and that's still cutting it very thin trust me!! don't let someone bullshit you! 3 grand plus trail magic and hiker boxes will be sound. when you meet miss janet,and you will,shes a big help.
 
masshole said:
I hiked the AT in 2012 and im hiking the PCT this year. look man you wanna hav at least 3 grand to start,and that's still cutting it very thin trust me!! don't let someone bullshit you! 3 grand plus trail magic and hiker boxes will be sound. when you meet miss janet,and you will,shes a big help.
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Mind giving a breakdown of what you are blowin 3 grand on? I know it's easy to spend that kind of money on the trail; hostels, hotels, restaurants, beer, gadgets, etc...; but I hardly think it's required.

Ya need food, and there is some gear you will have to replace, like shoes. Other than that, where are you spending money?
 
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