Trip budget: The minimum estimate for the cost while you’re on the trail is one dollar per mile. Make contingency plans ahead of time and assess conditions throughout the trip.Ī.T. Check the ATC trail conditions and closures page before you go and when you have online access. Your plan is an initial projection: Hiking thousands of miles through wilderness over many months is an unpredictable endeavor. The hiking gods-conjuring blizzards, blisters and other tests of your resolve-will also have a say. Timing considerations: Elite athletes have done the full trail in as little as 54 days, but the average is about 6 months (preceded by about 8 to 12 months of preparation).ĭifferences in daily mileage and the length of layover days add up, ultimately determining whether you finish in 5 or 7 months. (It requires a commute plan to connect sections and, unless you jump sections multiple times, it means forgoing the Mount Katahdin climax.) This approach lets you enjoy a throng-free and snow-free start. Black flies and swollen creeks greet you at the start, while snow in the southern Appalachians often awaits you at the end.Īnother strategy involves starting in the middle and doing the trail in sections, but not continuously in one direction. The north-to-south route kicks off with a grueling ascent of Mount Katahdin, where the trail can be closed by snow until late June. Avoiding the snowy north in early spring is one reason, but culminating the journey atop Mount Katahdin in Maine’s Baxter State Park is also a big motivator. Route planning : The vast majority of thru hikers travel south to north,starting at Georgia’s Springer Mountain, leaving between late February and mid April. Weather: Conditions for thru hikers vary from the possibility of snow flurries in spring and fall to the sweltering heat of summer. Terrain ranges from forest paths to precipitous scrambles. wends its way through stark wilderness and crosses more than 500 public roads. Many factors will influence your gear planning and preparation, including the time of year you start your trip, direction you travel and length of time it takes for you to finish the trail.
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