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The Appalachian Trail

  
 
Jub
09:02 / 30.08.06
Yesterday, bored at work, I stumbled on a story via metafilter re the Appalachian Trail – admittedly about the weird freaks that go on it. I found other websites such as this, this, and this which further intrigued me. I’d never heard of it before but the AT is a 2200 mile route on the Eastern side of the US – to put it in perspective, that’s one footpath twice as long as the length of Britain. (Land’s Eng to JOG is roughly 1100 miles depending on the route). I kept reading and became more and more intrigued, some people do legs of it at a time, some people attempt in one go, a lot of people try, very few finish.

I’m no great sports fan, but do enjoy hiking and cycling and being outdoors. I was considering cycling LE to JOG in 3 weeks next summer but the more I read about the AT, the more alluring it is, and the more I want to go. When I got home last night my SO gave me a new book to read, Bill Bryson’s “A walk in the Woods” which is about the AT! An omen if ever there was one.

I’m really tempted to set out next Spring but there are a number of obstacles in my way:
1) Visa – a non-immigrant work permit for the US is for 3 months, the AT would take from 4-6 months, so I’d have to prove I wanted to do it and had gainful employment to go back to.
2) Work – if I left my job for that amount of time, I wouldn’t have gainful employment to go back to!
3) SO – long time to be away from my love, and it’s not really her bag.
4) Money – could save enough for this to work, but tickets gear and spending money always seems to be more than your think it will be, and I’d hate to have to come home early for this reason.
5) Fitness – okay I could get fitter in 8 months, but they reckon only 10% of people that set out to finish, make it to the end point. Gulp.
6) Being scared of gun-toting hill billies.

The plan is, and it’s very tentative at this point, to sort out the above and fly over in 8 months to do 4 months on the AT and then come back to Blighty. Anyone ever done this, or know of anyone doing it? Ever done a long hike? Got any advice for someone contemplating a long trip?
 
 
Mirror
16:38 / 30.08.06
As far as fitness goes, it's said by a lot of AT hikers that your fitness at the start of the trail is more or less irrelevant to whether or not you stand a chance of succeeding. Given my long-distance hiking experience (longest was a ~700 mile wander around Britain) I can tell you that irrespective of your prior training, it takes two to three weeks of hiking for your body to really adapt to the rigor. It takes that much time for your feet to toughen up, for your gait to stabilize, and to get used to the loads, and nothing short of hiking all day every day has the required effect. The trail will get you into the proper shape; don't worry about preparation and just start slowly. Every time I've done long-distance hikes, I've started out doing ~10 miles a day and worked up to 30+.

Far more important to success is dedication to the task, and being able to enjoy it even when you're slogging through ankle-deep mud in the rain (happens a lot on the AT.) If you're not having fun, you won't finish. Given the situation you describe, it sounds like separation from your SO is probably the hardest part to get around. Obtaining the visa may involve jumping through some hoops, but shouldn't pose too much of a problem.
 
 
Mirror
16:43 / 30.08.06
Oh, and the gun-toting hillbillies will probably be the best part of the trail. People along the trail are used to lots of hikers passing through, and unless you do something to annoy them, these guys are usually not only friendly but a lot of fun to hang out with if you get a chance.
 
 
grant
01:47 / 31.08.06
Yeah. I'm not anything like the hiker Mirror is, but I've done brief overnights at either end of the trail (well, Amicalola Falls/Len Foote Inn isn't technically the trailhead, but a lot of people start there because the food's good -- it's five miles south of the southern terminus), and the people you meet are either in the business of feeding/supplying hikers or (AND/or) hikers themselves.

It's a gorgeous thing, the kind of country you're in on the trail. If you have major reservations, then why not bring along your SO and check out either the aforementioned Hike Inn or do some stuff around Franconia Notch (not too far from the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory!) or elsewhere along the trail? A three-day venture? A week? Get a feel for a bit of the countryside, get the lay of the land and all that....

The one thing that I think would get to me about walking the whole trail, besides the fact that I'm kind of lazy, is the change of seasons. I'm not really used to it, and I'm not sure how I'd pack for it.
 
 
Alex's Grandma
02:56 / 31.08.06
Nothing much to offer in the way of advice otherwise, but in terms of finances, why not spend the next eight or so months trying to make friends with a sleb (or their agent, realistically,) who'd be prepared to do the walk with you? If you could do the trail with, say, Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers in tow (all right, there'd be a certain amount of covering up involved, he'd be coptered in, and out, shouting a bit,) and took some photos, kept a journal and so on, there'd be a magazine deal in there somewhere, I'm sure.

More seriously, why not send in your tour as a proposed photo essay to a UK Lads mag - they've financed far less depressing stuff, including Clarkson.
 
 
moonweaver
04:15 / 31.08.06
*apologies for thread rot*
But another way for a cheaper trail is to do the Santiago de Compestela/Chemin de St.Jacque through Europe. Once you get a pilgrims passport, most monasteries/hermitages are open to you for gratis/small fee...i think you can get one in Canturbury.
Must work now but will start a new thread if people want information on it.
 
 
enrieb
20:15 / 31.08.06
That sounds like a great life changing experience, I would love to do something like that I was thinking climbing Mt Kilimanjaro or seeing the mountains of Tibet, but I am a long way off from being that organized at this moment.

Alex’s suggestion for a celeb or a journal to a magazine set me off thinking. You could help solve a number of your obstacles by making this a sponsored event, raising awareness and cash for a charity.

1) Visa - Doing this for charity could make getting a Visa a bit simpler (although I confess I have no experience of getting a Visa for the US) If you were doing this for a large well known charity then they may be able to help you with any Visa problems.

2) Work – It would be harder for them to sack you for taking time out to do something of this scale for charity, and if they did, you could use the publicity to promote your charity and get your event into your local paper (this would also put pressure on your employer to take you back) This should help you to keep your job which helps to show you have gainful employment to go back to! As mentioned in point 1)

You could also stress to your employer how doing this event is an important thing for you and that by achieving this goal it will give you a new set of skills and strength of will that would be of great benefit to your current employers, and if your current employers cannot see this potential then your future employers will and doing this for charity would look great on your CV.

3)SO - Doing this for a good cause may be easier for you SO to bear and have pride in your task, it also helps to give this event a greater purpose, hopefully preventing people from asking “why are you doing it”.

4) Money – Although a charity would probably not help towards the financial costs of doing this, association with a well known charity will help raise your profile. This would help you to gain sponsorship in the form of equipment or even a flight at a discounted price in return for some advertising.

5)Fitness – I would advise you to start with something small and easily achievable leading onto several progressively more challenging hikes, this would not be a setback but a valuable foundation strengthening your knowledge, fitness and will power.

Doing several smaller events would also allow you the chance to steadily build towards gaining endorsement by a respected charity and also to find a network of sponsors to help you with equipment and costs. Having completed several successful smaller hikes would also give you more credibility to potential sponsors. Plus the like-minded people that you would meet on these events could help motivate you further towards the AT.



I found a few links that may help you get more ideas;

bbc.co.uk How do I fundraise?

UK Fundraising Forum

Information about how to organize events and fundraise for charity, I can’t remember where I read it but It said somewhere that having business cards can be very helpful in gaining sponsorship, for creating a good impression and passing on your contact details, people and companies are much more likely to keep them rather than a hastily scribbled down phone number on a scrap of paper.

Grove House online fundraising page

Having a good website detailing your events will also help raise the profile and attract sponsorship. (Remembering to get one setup before you print out business cards)


Polar Race Expedition Sponsors

This site shows how they have advertised and credited their sponsors on their website.

Marie Curie Cancer Care Overseas Challenges.

This could be a good way to get into these sorts of events, you could gain experience from raising cash for Marie Curie Cancer before setting up your own event. I looked into the Kilimanjaro Trek a few years ago; if I remember correctly I had to pay about £800 in order to cover the costs for the whole thing before I would be able to raise any cash for charity.

Great to see that you are attempting something so ambitious, hopefully one day I will get myself into a position to be able to do something like that. Even if you do weigh all things up and decide that the Appalachian Trail is not for you, at least your working towards doing things that most people can only dream about.
 
 
Olulabelle
21:01 / 31.08.06
Enrieb that's a great post full of really interesting ideas.

Jub, I think this would be an incredible journey, both physically and mentally and you should really do it. As Enreib has pointed out doing it for charity would rock - I'll sponsor you.

Regarding your SO, ze could visit you at some point during your trip which would bring the time apart down and which would make an interesting holiday for hir.
 
 
pointless & uncalled for
09:34 / 04.09.06
Fitness. The fitness that you need to undertake something like this is far more psychological than physical. Certainly you will need to be able to operate at a certain level. (From personal experience, I would suggest about a week of the routine that you expect to follow.) The remaining physical requirements are pretty much derived from the expedition itself.

As for the psychology, it's about dealing with the reality that diverts from the perception. Look at the journals of those that have succeeded in completing the AT and consider the hardships that they have endured. Examine how they have overcome them and how you would plan to overcome them yourself.
Furthermore, look closely at those that have failed. It's harsh to brand them in this fashion but you can learn from being critical of their actions. Why did they fail? What should they have done?, What were the early indicators that they should be doing something different? When the time comes, will you be able to accept the need to something that falls short of a short-term goal without it affecting your self-esteem.

I would also strongly reccomend a partner for the trip. Solo expeditions can be remarkably taxing in ways you may not have expected.
 
 
Saint Keggers
16:15 / 05.09.06
Wait a few years and do the Trans-Canada trail. 11208.36 miles upon completion.
 
 
Mirror
21:17 / 05.09.06

I was thinking climbing Mt Kilimanjaro or seeing the mountains of Tibet, but I am a long way off from being that organized at this moment.


Minor plug for a friend of mine:

If you're thinking of climbing Kili, I can recommend a good guide. My wife and I climbed the mountain with him in 2001 (trip report) when he was an assistant guide, but he's since struck out on his own. He's just an exceptionally nice and competent guy, and his prices are extremely competitive because he's independent.
 
 
Tsuga
11:39 / 12.10.06
I live about five miles from a section of the AT. I've personally only hiked about fifty or so miles of it, but I've been on all kinds of hikes, on- and off-trail, in the vicinity of it. I know quite a few people who've through-hiked it, they all said it was a great experience. Probably other than a few spots where it drops down around some urban areas, I imagine the whole thing would pretty much rock. As you probably found out, there is a cottage industry infrastructure built around the trail to support through-hikers, and a social structure of the hikers helping each other out. Of course, you'll have to get your trail name, seems like the style is the dorkier the better. If you ever try to do it, though, let me know, I could probably hook you up with a few people to contact for the beta on doing the whole thing, and I'd be happy to give you a place to get a shower and a hot meal when you're in the vicinity.
(It's too bad there is no forum associated with outdoors, the natural world, whatever. All you urban pukes should at least want to talk about it. I use "pukes" as an endearment, of course.)
 
 
pointless & uncalled for
11:50 / 12.10.06
Good point, perhaps we should expand the mandate of the G&G forum.
 
 
grant
14:43 / 12.10.06
X-BOX 360: Appalachian Trail! (Hiking boot interface sold separately.)
 
  
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