Ask crash about hiking the Appalachian Trail

[Costanza]

As a member of the wife+kids club around here, I'm seconding the recommendation to the younger unattached guys here to do something like this, whether it's hiking the AT or some other extended trip.

My sister and her husband have a cabin in the Smokies and we've gone up there with them several times. We usually drive up to Clingman's Dome which is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains. The trail goes through the park there, and if we're there at the right time of the year we usually run into some hikers. When we do, the evening's conversation usually turns to the backpacking trip I took through Europe the summer after I graduated from college. Of the 4 of us I'm the only one who did something like this and the others wish they had.

So, make some memories while you can.


For the questions:

Did you start with a group or go by yourself? If with a group, did everyone finish?
Did you run into many people who started in Maine or do most people start in Georgia?
Do you still keep in touch with anyone you met along the way?

[crash]

[ QUOTE ]
As a member of the wife+kids club around here, I'm seconding the recommendation to the younger unattached guys here to do something like this, whether it's hiking the AT or some other extended trip.

My sister and her husband have a cabin in the Smokies and we've gone up there with them several times. We usually drive up to Clingman's Dome which is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains. The trail goes through the park there, and if we're there at the right time of the year we usually run into some hikers. When we do, the evening's conversation usually turns to the backpacking trip I took through Europe the summer after I graduated from college. Of the 4 of us I'm the only one who did something like this and the others wish they had.

So, make some memories while you can.


For the questions:

Did you start with a group or go by yourself? If with a group, did everyone finish?
Did you run into many people who started in Maine or do most people start in Georgia?
Do you still keep in touch with anyone you met along the way?

[/ QUOTE ]

I started by myself. If you go south to north, and start around March or April, there will be a lot of people around (at least until people start to drop out). I started alone, and since I'm kind of an [censored], I didn't make good friends until a month or so into it. Then I found some other [censored] and everything was cool. For the second half of the hike, I hiked with three other guys (although sometimes I would take off by myself for a few days).

Out of my early group of 10 friends, three finished. You hear completion rates of 10-20%, I think it depends on the weather.

Most people--I would guess 80% (?) start in Georgia. When I got to the new England states, I met a lot of people whio had started in Maine. It may be my fault--I readily admit I can be a prick--but the southbounders seemed to have attitude.

I still keep in touch with the three guys I finished with, it's like going to boot camp with someone.

[mattw]

how tall are you and what was your weight? can you estimate the weight of your pack? how much weight did you lose? would you consider doing it again, possible north to south? would you consider the rocky mt or pacific coast trails? do you still hike? did you have trouble getting acclimated back into society? did you want to?

edit: what was you mode of transportion to GA and from ME? i would be concered about arriving without my stuff. now what?

edit #2: do you list this on your resume?

[crash]

[ QUOTE ]
how tall are you and what was your weight? can you estimate the weight of your pack? how much weigh did you lose? would you consider doing it again, possible north to south? would you consider the rocky mt or pacific coast trails? do you still hike? did you have trouble getting acclimated back into society? did you want to?

[/ QUOTE ]



5 feet 11 inches. Didn't weigh myself pre-post, but pre was probably 170 lbs and post was probably 150 lbs.

Pack weight started at 35 (with no food or water), by the end it was probably 25 (no food or water). If I did it again I would probably try to get it down below 20 lbs. (no food or water).

I probably would not do the AT again. I would do the PCT (Pacific crest trail) again but probably won't (too many commitments now). PCT looks awesome though. Ditto CDT (continental divide trail) although the CDT sounds like a real bitch.

I haven't gone on an overnight hike since. Now when someone asks me if I'ver ever been hiking, I say "Yeah, once"

It was very tough going back to the "real" world. Everything looked ugly and overwhelming whn I went back home, like Vegas. I was terrified to drive for a while b/c the cars were so fast. The strange feelings gradually go away.

[crash]

[ QUOTE ]
how tall are you and what was your weight? can you estimate the weight of your pack? how much weight did you lose? would you consider doing it again, possible north to south? would you consider the rocky mt or pacific coast trails? do you still hike? did you have trouble getting acclimated back into society? did you want to?

edit: what was you mode of transportion to GA and from ME? i would be concered about arriving without my stuff. now what?

edit #2: do you list this on your resume?

[/ QUOTE ]

I had relatives in Atlanta. From there my mom drove me. For the way back I got a ride to NYC then rented a car to DC.

Hell yeah I put it on my resume. Every single interviewer asked about it.

[crash]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
how tall are you and what was your weight? can you estimate the weight of your pack? how much weight did you lose? would you consider doing it again, possible north to south? would you consider the rocky mt or pacific coast trails? do you still hike? did you have trouble getting acclimated back into society? did you want to?

edit: what was you mode of transportion to GA and from ME? i would be concered about arriving without my stuff. now what?

edit #2: do you list this on your resume?

[/ QUOTE ]

I had relatives in Atlanta. From there my mom drove me. For the way back I got a ride to NYC then rented a car to DC.

Hell yeah I put it on my resume. Every single interviewer asked about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think to interviewers it shows you finish what you start, that you've got gumption, moxie, that you're tough as nails, that you're a closer.

[LondonBroil]

Did you ever run into any problems with bees? I really hate bees and I would probably end up walking over a huge hornets nest in the middle of the forest.

[mjkidd]

What does it take to hike the Appalachian Trail? It takes brass balls to hike the Appalachian Trail.

[crash]

[ QUOTE ]
Did you ever run into any problems with bees? I really hate bees and I would probably end up walking over a huge hornets nest in the middle of the forest.

[/ QUOTE ]

I only got stung once. I heard some bad stories of people really getting stung multiple times, they must have hit a nest or something. Wasn't a big problem for most people though. Mosquitos were a different story.

[jstnrgrs]

Are there campsites along the way? Do you just walk until you are tired and then pitch your tent? Do you need to have some kind of camp site permit or can you just pitch your tent wherever you want?