So how many of you on AT have walked the AT?

[dug777]

After reading Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods' years ago i've harboured an ambition to at least walk a portion of it one day...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Trail

So have any of you done it? Done all of it? Walked on about 400 metres of it even?

 

[theknight571]

I heard about someone walking it on the radio a couple of weeks ago, so I read about it... does that count?

 

[dabuddha]

One of my co workers did. I think he said he spent 2-3 months or so.

 

[Feldenak]

I backpacked a small section of it (Caledonia State Park, PA to Harper's Ferry, WVa)

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: dabuddha
One of my co workers did. I think he said he spent 2-3 months or so.

:Q

if he did it all, he was motoring :Q

iirc the fastest anyone has ever done it is about 3 months.

 

[Bryophyte]

I'd like to someday. The longest/hardest hike I've done is the Chilkoot Pass trail in Alaska/Canada.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: Feldenak
I backpacked a small section of it (Caledonia State Park, PA to Harper's Ferry, WVa)

pretty? Piney mountain?

 

[GasX]

I have hiked and camped a number of sections. About ten years ago, two of my college roomates started in Georgia. One made it to North Carolina before he had to return to work, but the other guy made it all the way to Maine.

 

[GasX]

One of the things through hikers learn fast is simplicity. There is a saying among them that you could completely outfit yourself by picking up discarded equipment on the first 100 miles of trail.

During their hike, I met up with my friend and he was hiking in sandals and keeping his gear in a fanny pack. It seems many hikers network to find people who will drive their gear a couple of days up the trail when the weather is good. Anything to avoid another day with 20+ lbs on their back...

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: Mwilding
One of the things through hikers learn fast is simplicity. There is a saying among them that you could completely outfit yourself by picking up discarded equipment on the first 100 miles of trail.

During their hike, I met up with my friend and he was hiking in sandals and keeping his gear in a fanny pack. It seems many hikers network to find people who will drive their gear a couple of days up the trail when the weather is good. Anything to avoid another day with 20+ lbs on their back...

yeah, there's nothing quite like the joy of walking without a pack after any length of time carrying one

 

[Linflas]

I've been on pieces of it here in Virginia and back in ancient times when I was in Boy Scouts we did a lot of hiking along the C&O Canal, once even with Justice William O Douglas. I think portions of what we used to hike are now part of the AT.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Mwilding
One of the things through hikers learn fast is simplicity. There is a saying among them that you could completely outfit yourself by picking up discarded equipment on the first 100 miles of trail.

During their hike, I met up with my friend and he was hiking in sandals and keeping his gear in a fanny pack. It seems many hikers network to find people who will drive their gear a couple of days up the trail when the weather is good. Anything to avoid another day with 20+ lbs on their back...

Ultralight would be the way to go, if you're comfortable with it anyway. 20+lbs is a LIGHT pack. Most newbies would probably be doing 30lb+, even 40lb+. If I were to do it my pack weight would probably be around 30-35lb because of my 10lb of photo equipment

I hope to thru hike it one day though... and then there's the Pacific Rim trail...

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: Feldenak
I backpacked a small section of it (Caledonia State Park, PA to Harper's Ferry, WVa)

pretty? Piney mountain?

It was gorgeous. I was around 15 and my Boy Scout Troop organized the trip. IIRC, we hiked that section not long after we got back from Philmont.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: Linflas
I've been on pieces of it here in Virginia and back in ancient times when I was in Boy Scouts we did a lot of hiking along the C&O Canal, once even with Justice William O Douglas. I think portions of what we used to hike are now part of the AT.

Nothing to do with the AT, but my Scout Troop used to regularly hike the Sandy Beaver Trail (follows the old Sandy and Beaver Canal) in Ohio.

 

[Abe Froman]

I walked the Oregon Trail almost every day in elementary school, hunting rabbits, wolves, and even bears, trading with fur traders, that was, until I died of dysentery.

 

[KB]

I have hiked several small parts of it, mostly in Virginia/MD. One day when I don't have a job (maybe retired) I will do the whole thing.

 

[Spineshank]

Never did the whole thing but ive been on most of it in PA. The rockies are so much nicer to hike on though.

 

[iamtrout]

Originally posted by: Abe Froman
I walked the Oregon Trail almost every day in elementary school, hunting rabbits, wolves, and even bears, trading with fur traders, that was, until I died of dysentery.

Yeah dude, I used to AWP rabbits like non other.

 

[ThePresence]

I will never spend a night outdoors again if I can help it.
I used to be a big outdoors guy. Camping, hiking, the works.
One night waking up with a bigass bear 4 inches away from my face made me realize that there is a reason why man progressed from sleeping under the stars to five star hotels.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: ThePresence
I will never spend a night outdoors again if I can help it.
I used to be a big outdoors guy. Camping, hiking, the works.
One night waking up with a bigass bear 4 inches away from my face made me realize that there is a reason why man progressed from sleeping under the stars to five star hotels.

In all my backpacking trips I never had a problem like that.

 

[iamtrout]

Originally posted by: ThePresence
I will never spend a night outdoors again if I can help it.
I used to be a big outdoors guy. Camping, hiking, the works.
One night waking up with a bigass bear 4 inches away from my face made me realize that there is a reason why man progressed from sleeping under the stars to five star hotels.

You should've ate the bear.

Pvssy.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: Feldenak

Originally posted by: ThePresence
I will never spend a night outdoors again if I can help it.
I used to be a big outdoors guy. Camping, hiking, the works.
One night waking up with a bigass bear 4 inches away from my face made me realize that there is a reason why man progressed from sleeping under the stars to five star hotels.

In all my backpacking trips I never had a problem like that.

Yeah, it's uncommon for them to bother you, especially on the east coast. I've seen bears before when camping, they usually run away at full speed. It wasn't threatening me or anything, just staring and sniffing, but it freaked me out more than enough. This was in the Adirondack mountains.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: Feldenak

Originally posted by: ThePresence
I will never spend a night outdoors again if I can help it.
I used to be a big outdoors guy. Camping, hiking, the works.
One night waking up with a bigass bear 4 inches away from my face made me realize that there is a reason why man progressed from sleeping under the stars to five star hotels.

In all my backpacking trips I never had a problem like that.

Yeah, it's uncommon for them to bother you, especially on the east coast. I've seen bears before when camping, they usually run away at full speed. It wasn't threatening me or anything, just staring and sniffing, but it freaked me out more than enough. This was in the Adirondack mountains.

That would have really freaked me out too. I have seen several bear while backpacking but they didn't bother us (and we went out of our way to avoid bothering them ). I'm sure I've had bear walk through a campsite while I was sleeping but bearbags usually kept them from hanging around.

 

[NuclearNed]

I've dayhiked small bits and pieces of it in TN/NC/VA. A buddy and I are planning to do a 2 or three day hike later this year.

 

[erikistired]

i've done parts of it, but nothing too long. i'd like to hike more of it, maybe when my daughters are older.

i haven't had any bear trouble, but i had "something" walk up to my tent one night. i'm still not sure exactly what it was, but it was big and i was not entirely thrilled about it.