What's new
By:
Filters

AT - Anyone ever through hike it?

there is a you tuber video series of a grade school girl and her dad through hiked the PCT
you can do it, you just have to have the mindset and drive
 
My sister had planned to but basically her husband won't allow it and pretty sure he's sucking wind if they park near the end at Wallmart.

Her 1st husband was much more into camping, hiking and all that stuff. Current i think would rather play nintendo games. Collar of duty or whatever it is.
 
budget 10k on top of your regular expenses that don't pause.

SOBO is harder than NOBO

section hiking is harder and more expensive than a thru hike.
 
Little kid me & friends did a section (overnighter) from Blooming Grove to nearby Harriman State Park. Always wanted to do it again... HA!!

There was some organized group offering a SOBO seven week hike to GA & a bus ride back to original destination.

And a local young man (20's) did the whole route both ways with a dog. It was back then & missed out on local/world current events. He was getting ready to return to the AT. Never heard from him again-
 
Never Monday said:
budget 10k on top of your regular expenses that don't pause.

SOBO is harder than NOBO

section hiking is harder and more expensive than a thru hike.
Click to expand...
Why is it harder? Starting out in the rocky tougher terrain?
 
Hiked to center point knob from an access road about 100 times when I was 16, Steep ascent, Took a while before I didn’t have to stop on the way up. I’ve been to the start in ga, but not the end in Me
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
The ones I know have done the Pacific Crest Trail
It isn't a physical test
It is a mental Test

Some tough sumbitches
Click to expand...

OP, I'm no help but get it done, you'll have no regrets.


I've done a little under 1K miles of the PCT, from Lone Pine to the Oregon border. I did it over 5 yrs and much of that was with my Dad.
He grew up in Lone Pine so thats where we started.
 
Pennsylvania, new jersey, new york and Connecticut portions with my sons. Back in the early 2000's
Wasn't hard, great views.
Did sections in week blocks over the summer for a few years. By mid week, we would find a good section, rest for the day. Did not have any finish goals, just hiked till the week was up. No pressure.
 
RunningProblem said:
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.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I’m familiar with the permit deal for Whitney, when I’d looked at it previously the overnight permits were hard to get, but you could get a day permit fairly easily. I’m not sure what they do if you just fail to make it all the way back down and have a 1 lb down sleeping bag in your pack? :laughing:

No interest in doing an ultra marathon race, this is just an endurance to finish type deal.
 
east_beast said:
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.
Click to expand...
I did basically what you’re describing when I had a window to do so. That’s how I hike now but I also not a diehard like some may be. My opinion is some of the hardest miles I’ve done were in Maine, it’s just all around more difficult there. I’ll take hot and dry versus muddy, wet, boot rot, mosquito heaven. There’s a reason the .mil trains up there for this stuff

I did a lot of the AT the summer after high school but before college. After some point it just became a grueling death march and you see the same trees and nothing else for miles and miles and miles. My take away is I enjoy using my time on the good stuff and don’t care if I get to check off a through hike.
 
RunningProblem said:
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...

I think most of them are hippie bum gig workers that squirrel a few bucks at a time a way, rent a room from a friend, and then go hike as it works out.

Honestly if you rented your house out through a property manager, had a paid for vehicle and no debt, it wouldn’t be that challenging to take 3-4 months and go hike when changing careers. Down side would be it’s unlikely you’d have a new job “locked in” that far in advance so you’re still gambling.
 
rockmup said:
OP, I'm no help but get it done, you'll have no regrets.


I've done a little under 1K miles of the PCT, from Lone Pine to the Oregon border. I did it over 5 yrs and much of that was with my Dad.
He grew up in Lone Pine so thats where we started.
Click to expand...
I have immediate family that have also done that
I am referring to the Through Hikers, that is a different game
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
The ones I know have done the Pacific Crest Trail
It isn't a physical test
It is a mental Test

Some tough sumbitches
Click to expand...
There's series of videos on YouTube done by a young woman called Dixie. IIRC the channel is Homemade Wanderlust. She's done the AT, PCT, and the CDT. She talks some about the mental aspect.
 
Gatorgrizz27 said:
I think most of them are hippie bum gig workers that squirrel a few bucks at a time a way, rent a room from a friend, and then go hike as it works out.
Click to expand...
yes I personally know a few and that’s exactly it. They were also doing the van life before that got big too.
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
The ones I know have done the Pacific Crest Trail
It isn't a physical test
It is a mental Test

Some tough sumbitches
Click to expand...
that’s what I mean above by death march, physically your body adapts and everything just works as nature intended. You get real thin and lean. Being a guy who has adhd pretty bad I had a hard time motivating to just bang out the boring miles for the sake of doing it but that’s what a lot of it becomes.
 
I’d wouldn’t consider it.
 
Gatorgrizz27 said:
Yeah, I’m familiar with the permit deal for Whitney, when I’d looked at it previously the overnight permits were hard to get, but you could get a day permit fairly easily. I’m not sure what they do if you just fail to make it all the way back down and have a 1 lb down sleeping bag in your pack? :laughing:

No interest in doing an ultra marathon race, this is just an endurance to finish type deal.
Click to expand...
If you’re going down they probably only care if you have an overnight pass. Rumor is they’ll bust you on the way UP from the Portal and it’s a FAT fine for being in there with no permit. The overnight ones have less demand. Something about carrying a 1 lb sleeping bag for an overnight nap near the top is unappealing to folks.
 
I've only done little segments of the AT in NH and ME. I'm ok backpacking a couple of days. Doing a throughhike, no.
P8310117.JPG

On the end of the AT with a buddy. I'm on the right.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Back Refresh