Anybody ever done some long distance hiking?

[desk]

i'm thinking about hiking the AT from Maine to Vermont (maybe to PA if i feel good) alone.

but i've never done any sort of long distance hiking (2 days max).

anybody else ever do something like this? if so, how was it? any advice?

 

[loup garou]

I know the AT member Entity did a very long hike a couple years back.

 

[TwoBills]

Shave every ounce. Keep it simple w/the food. Misquitto headgear. No cotton (ie: bluejeans). USGS maps are handy. Line to hang your food. Extra flashlight bulbs. High quality socks (3 pairs). Broken in boots. Oh, yeah, those cheap, .69 dress socks that you can get at Kmart or Wal-mart are the best wickers I've ever used, and I've tried a dozen or so different ones over the years.Water bag.

My basic kit weighs 12lbs. w/o food or water, just to give you an idea. It's the clothes that add the weight, so put a lot of thought into that. A layer of silk is good to have.

"The Complete Walker" by Colin Fletcher is something to read, to get into the right frame of mind.

Pace yourself. Have fun.

Here's a couple of links: Campmor Their catalog lists the carry weight of every item. Siera Trading Post Usually good for clothing. Been a while for me, but check them out.