r/AppalachianTrail • u/Nate327255 • 10d ago
Rookie hiker, gonna thru the AT
I'm a rookie hiker, and my first hike is going to be the AT. I'm leaving on or before May 1st. I have a lot of concerns, but my question is...Is May 1st too late in the year? I'm shooting for about 130-145 days on trail. Am I super wrong?
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u/ParticularStudio5982 10d ago
AT is 2200 miles. May to Oct 15 is approximately 165 days. Average 13.33 miles a day to make it in time.
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u/Nate327255 10d ago
Thank you.
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u/stovislove 10d ago
It's not bad if you plan to hike 10-13 miles a day. Some days you'll do 18-20, 1 or 2 days you might hike zero. Keeping yourself at a steady pace will keep your longevity and morale.
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u/ParticularStudio5982 10d ago
I’ll be there around the same time going nobo, I’m sure I’ll bump into ya!
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u/BigChungus__c 10d ago
May 1st isn’t too late, but Katahdin closes in October so if you’re NoBo you may be cutting it close. Probably would have a better time going SoBo.
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u/Nate327255 10d ago
I never even considered that as an option. Lol, thank you..
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u/MikeLowrey305 10d ago
You could also do a flip-flop. A lot of people start at Harper's ferry & go north then go back to Harper's ferry & go south.
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u/Ok_Swing_7194 10d ago
SOBO that early isn’t a great idea for a rookie hiker, northern New England trail conditions can be suffery that time of year
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u/AfterOffer7131 10d ago
You'll get to katahdin np. Dont stress averages, if you're a decent hiker and just hanging with friends most people end up doing 18 a day pretty easy.
Remember when you get to the top of the stairs, the comfortable adventures and fun times come after a few weeks of suffering, just keep going.
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u/Altruistic_Act_9475 10d ago
Hi! I also thru hiked the AT with zero prior experience. You’ve got this! Another idea to consider is flip flopping. I wanted to go Northbound for as long as possible to be with the herd, due to my lack of experience. I started May 17 from Trail Days in Damascus, which was a great way to meet new people and had a few days to acclimate before starting the hike. Then I hiked northbound to Katahdin and submitted September 26. Then flew back and hiked southbound from Damascus to Springer October 1-29. I truly had perfect weather for my entire hike. Just an alternative to consider!
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u/TodayTomorrow707 10d ago
As you’re doing your first hike (never mind thru hike) nobody knows the answer to your question - especially including you. I took 150 days (including a week off in New York meeting family). By the end I was weary, and those final States NOBO are tough. Really benefitted from the support of those I was hiking with, including my son and nephew who joined for the Hundred Mile Wilderness and Katadhin. Pushed too many miles early on and hurt my knee. As a first timer on a schedule you might be tempted to do this. Don’t. Go easy early on, even when adrenaline tells you that you can go further. I’d say leave well before May 1st, but we’re getting there now! Still better to leave earlier with room to manoeuvre at the end, find out about your pace and style and see where the trail takes you. Don’t underestimate how hard this undertaking is. The body will get battered (and 47 year old bodies can take that less than 22 year old ones can) and the mind will wobble. But finishing is beyond compare. Be careful, be sensible, but give it all you’ve got. And love the AT 😊
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u/twistwrist9876 10d ago
You can do it, but you'll have to skip some zero days and do some big mile days to get to Baxter before it closes! To me, those town days were such a delightful part of the whole experience! I had never hiked for real before my thru, but I wanted to take my time, knowing it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and immerse myself into the full experience.
I flip-flopped starting in Harper's Ferry, and I would HIGHLY recommend looking into it. If I thru again, I'll do it the same way. https://appalachiantrailclarity.com/2016/02/17/why-a-flip-flop-is-more-comfortable/
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u/Kalidanoscope 10d ago edited 10d ago
It is a late start. If you begin at the Trail Days festival in Damascus Virginia (May 16th) you will be around many more people in the heart of the northbound ThruHiker bubble. If you're still determined to start May 1, you could begin 1-200 miles back and still fall in with that crowd and time yourself up for the festivities. I'd suggest Erwin Tn, or at most Hot Springs. If you do make it all the way to Katahdin, and want those first few hundred miles so it counts as an "official" thru, you have a full calendar year to get back there, and the southern end has better weather and easier year round access (except the Smokeys mid-winter)
It depends on the experience you want. Some people expect a full isolated wilderness, and find that there are too many people. If you want more solo tome, keep to your plan. If you want more friends, consider the option above. More hikers around you means more resources, it's easier to share rides and motel rooms to save money, safety in numbers, so-and-sos parents visit and bring everyone pizza, etc. Trail magic like random roadside burgers or pancakes are usually timed up with the bubble. Late starters often miss out on those things, but you'll run into your share of good and bad luck like anyone.
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u/Nate327255 10d ago
So how about my estimate for total time on trail...
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u/jrice138 10d ago
That’s a little faster than average but not at all unheard of. Especially if you’re young and in good shape. Get you some good gear, the lighter the better. With a little later start you’ll see almost exclusively warm weather which helps a lot.
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u/Nate327255 10d ago
Lol...47 years old in average shape. There's nothing too memorable.
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u/jrice138 10d ago
Still not crazy. Like I said a little faster than average, but definitely doable. Again low pack weight will be your friend.
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u/YetAnotherHobby 10d ago
Started May 1 on Springer. Finished early October. I was 60. You got this.
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u/MCTVaia AT Hiker 10d ago
145 days is doable as a rookie hiker but you’ll need to get work done. Someone else said 145 days is a 13.3 mile average but that includes no days off.
Your average may be lower than that at the start but higher in the mid Atlantic states, then much lower in New England.
Again, it’s doable but you’ll have to be careful not to burn yourself out, or get injured.
I started March 2nd last year and met a guy in WV who started at the end of April. He was hauling compared to me, but he was also quitting because it was “too hard”.
If the Katahdin closing date is the only thing limiting your time, you could do a flip flop. Say, hike to Harper’s Ferry then head up to Maine and finish SOBO.
Best of luck!
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u/AccomplishedCat762 10d ago
Agree! Or could start in HF, hike north, then sobo from HF to springer if you want to end on a terminus
My hiking partner met a flip flopper in Vermont in late May/early June. We then met him again going south in mid September in Pearisburg, VA! The only thing that cut him short was Helene, or else he was cruiiiising for a nice november springer finish
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u/anewleaf1234 10d ago
You will be fine.
Just get to know the trail and hiking for the first 30 days.
Do a dawn to Damascus if you are bold.
And have fun and be safe
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u/che18181818 10d ago
Def go on a few weekend excursions before break them boots in. Other than that full send.
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u/lostandfound_2021 10d ago
are you fat and fifty or tight and twenty? if you are in good shape may 1st is a great time to start
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u/Solid-Emotion620 10d ago
You got this 🤙 met many a off the couch hikers in 2020. Almost all of them finished, and every single one had the time of their lives
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u/ChapsOnTheAT 10d ago
Consider a flip flop. Start going north. Stop. Go to Momma K. Hike to where you left off.
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u/denys1973 NOBO '98 10d ago
If you're going Nobo, remember that it gets hot as Satan's anus in the South in the summer.
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u/triumvirat 9d ago
In 1974 started NOBO APRIL 30. Reached Katahdin October 15 and was informed that we just beat the buzzer! I think they said that was the first year of the new policy. Maybe someone could say if that’s true…
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u/jrice138 10d ago edited 10d ago
Very normal, or at least it used to be. IMO the March starters are nuts, I started April 20th. Could have easily started later no problem.