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AT - Anyone ever through hike it?

Pony_Driver

Red Skull Member
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May 25, 2020
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Did you do a NOBO, SOBO, Flip-Flop or section hike it?



One of my quasi bucket list items is to through hike the Appalachian Trail, which is ~2200 miles. Yes I know it is hard and you have to be crazy to want to do it. I am okay with both labels.
 
We hiked a very short section out of Mars Hill NC. Can't help you more than that. We did come a cross a few in the short distance we hiked. I'd like to do more of it.
 
Me personally, no. I know one who pulled it off. The best hiker I've ever known had to quit. Both developed stress fractures in their feet. One was able to rest up a bit and finish. The other wasn't a trustfunder and had to go back to work.
 
Thru hiking doesn’t sound appealing to me. I wouldn’t mind doing some sections of it and piecing the whole thing together to where you could say you’ve hiked all of it, but it’s not a priority. Might happen one day if one of the kids wants to do it.

The one I’d like to do is Death Valley - Mt Whitney, it’s only like 150 miles and is the lowest to highest elevation in the continental US. Since you’d have to do it in the summer/early fall to avoid a snowed in peak, I’d be ok with biking the middle section where you lose and gain elevation. Basically hike the entire gain only.

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I have done about 5 to 10 miles of it in each state. No desire to thru hike it. I have met a few that were thru hiking and some just looked done with life some were living the best life. I have done some research on thru hiking and it is not for me. You have to do a ton of thiniking ahead with food, lodging, and supplies.
 
CNCJerry said:
I have done about 5 to 10 miles of it in each state. No desire to thru hike it. I have met a few that were thru hiking and some just looked done with life some were living the best life. I have done some research on thru hiking and it is not for me. You have to do a ton of thiniking ahead with food, lodging, and supplies.
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I have seen people with the thousand yard stare on the AT and people living the dream on it. I think it all depends on your point of departure.
 
I live right off it, I've hiked a bunch here but never had a desire to do it all. My neighbor used to be some kind of contact for help/shelter for hikers. Saw a few pretty bitched up over the years.

I always hear how it's so bad here in PA. I don't know if it cause I grew up around it or what but most hiking is rocky here.
 
subybaja said:
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Meh, I’m sure it sucks, but I’m a FL native, only other place I’ve lived is TX. I’ve heard stories about how you Alaskans sit in your cars with the AC cranked when it hits 80 degrees occasionally :flipoff2:
 
Death Valley was 120 degrees yesterday. 112 in Vegas was hot enough.
 
Did death valley to mount Whitney on a motorcycle, that was good enough :laughing:

For a long through hike, unless you are good to be off work, doing it in sections makes the most sense. Easier to take your time, recoup, enjoy more of it.


However, mostly it's the same :flipoff2: trees and shit, then like rocks sometimes :rasta:
 
I wouldn't mind taking several months to spend in the wilderness but honestly if I did I'd rather do it where I basically traveled the country doing backpacking treks on lots of different places versus just logging a shit ton of miles on a famous trail just to check a box to say I did a thing.

It's be a lot cooler experience to do say a trek in the southern Appalachians then do one in the northern Appalachians, hit up the coastal mountains around Acadia, then hit the UP in Michigan, fuck around in the Black Hills for a minute, Tetons, Yellowstone, up to Glacier, over to the Olympic Peninsula, see some big ass trees in northern California, see some ancient rock scratchings in southern Utah, hit up some canyons. I mean, that sounds a lot more interesting than just one long ass hike on the AT.
 
I’m too fat right now but I’d eventually like to do it.

Look up Quadzilla Hikes on YT. He’s trying to do it with a $1000 budget- including his gear. He’s a fucking stud who did a calendar year triple crown (AT, PCT, CDT) last year and this is his third time on the AT.
 
NOBO. went to town every 2 weeks or so to drop by the post office / get new food. Averaged ~11 mi per day. Left at Harpers Ferry.

Attempted it in college over summer break. GPA dropped below 3.0 going into spring semester and I lost my scholarship. Made it half way to Maine and got word transcripts were in. GPA back up over 3.0, scholarship back, and needed to get back in time for fall semester. Honestly, I was going wayyy to slow and wouldn't have made it up North before they closed the trail to Katahdin for the season.

Lost a ton of weigh too (~30 lbs) if time wouldn't have kicked me off the trail the inability to eat enough calories would have eventually. Running wasn't difficult or fun before I left, but I did it. It was just boring when I got back home and not really a challenge anymore.
 
Gatorgrizz27 said:
Thru hiking doesn’t sound appealing to me. I wouldn’t mind doing some sections of it and piecing the whole thing together to where you could say you’ve hiked all of it, but it’s not a priority. Might happen one day if one of the kids wants to do it.

The one I’d like to do is Death Valley - Mt Whitney, it’s only like 150 miles and is the lowest to highest elevation in the continental US. Since you’d have to do it in the summer/early fall to avoid a snowed in peak, I’d be ok with biking the middle section where you lose and gain elevation. Basically hike the entire gain only.

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Just do the Badwater 135 and get it over with quickly!
 
WLDWUN said:
Nephew did it years ago

I am on the other side of the country and have done many sections of the Pacific Crest Trail
the passes there are a wee bit higher :laughing:

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Forester Pass is a cast iron fucking bitch. I thought it was tougher than the switchbacks on either side of Trail Crest going up to Whitney.
 
Gatorgrizz27 said:
Thru hiking doesn’t sound appealing to me. I wouldn’t mind doing some sections of it and piecing the whole thing together to where you could say you’ve hiked all of it, but it’s not a priority. Might happen one day if one of the kids wants to do it.

The one I’d like to do is Death Valley - Mt Whitney, it’s only like 150 miles and is the lowest to highest elevation in the continental US. Since you’d have to do it in the summer/early fall to avoid a snowed in peak, I’d be ok with biking the middle section where you lose and gain elevation. Basically hike the entire gain only.

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Do it during July (Badwater 135).
Oh and make sure you get a permit to use the common way to the top. If you come up from anywhere else you’ll have a better chance since the permits are a lottery.







I’ve heard weird things happen on the AT. The one YouTube tells me to do is the PCT. Most go South to North and get the desert done when they are fresh. They’re then stuck in the PNW with gear they can’t dry out every day.
I think the biggest challenge of these treks is the financial aspect. At 22 miles a day you’re out there for 100 days, plus a week before to send out resupplie caches and a week after to unload and renter society. 3 months away from work and family? Sign me up.
 
Agwheeler said:
Just do the Badwater 135 and get it over with quickly!
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You have to qualify by doing a few ultra marathons (typically challenging 100+ mile races) which have their OWN set of requirements to qualify for. Running sucks and it’s probably going to take as long to get into shape and plan a thru hike as it would be to find a crew and get into Badwater. No one needs a belt buckle THAT bad (a belt buckle is what you get for completing Badwater).
 
RunningProblem said:
I think the biggest challenge of these treks is the financial aspect. At 22 miles a day you’re out there for 100 days, plus a week before to send out resupplie caches and a week after to unload and renter society.
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Yep. You pretty much need to be a trustfunder, somebody that hit it big and was able to retire early, or a badass motherfucker who can pull it off with jack shit for support. There's really not much wiggle room for much anything else.
 
east_beast take a leave of absence from your work. Don’t have car payments, skip dining out, and put your disposable income towards gear and you’ll be surprised at how realistic it can become. Kindness of strangers, trail angels, imaginary friends from the internet…just maybe do it when you don’t have kids or a spouse to support. Maybe when you’re collecting unemployment.
 
east_beast said:
Yep. You pretty much need to be a trustfunder, somebody that hit it big and was able to retire early, or a badass motherfucker who can pull it off with jack shit for support. There's really not much wiggle room for much anything else.
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I section hiked about 250 miles of it in VA last year and the vast majority of people I ran into were more like homeless hippies than trust funders.
 
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