Appalachian Trail, March/April 2012
 

Hi there,

My name is Elena, i'm 21 from Derbyshire, England, currently living in Canada.

My next ambition is to hike the Appalachian trail in the states, 2012 season. I love the outdoors, hiking is my passion and i am excited to take on the challenge that is all over 2,000 miles of the trail.

I feel this is a trip i cannot undertake alone though, for safety reasons etc and so i am looking for people,from whatever walk of life, to join me on this adventure, have fun and revel in the challenge and experience.

Have you ever been inspired to take upon the challenge of the Appalachian Trail or something similar? Are you physically fit and able? Are you available from March/April 2012? Are you eligible for a tourist visa for the USA? Are you prepared to go without home comforts?

I definitely recommend reading 'A Walk In The Woods' By Bill Bryson too, if you are interested.

Feel free to ask any questions, I look forward to your replies!

Hi I would contact Erik or Vesna with A Walk in The Woods in Gatlinburg,TN. They are guilds and may know of other people wanting to do the same thing as you are.I love every thing about the Appalachian's and would love to hike the whole AT one day.If you plan on spending a night or two up at LeConte Lodge I would plan to schedule early as it fills up pretty quick(Link below). I wish you lots of luck.
http://www.awalkinthewoods.com/

http://www.leconte-lodge.com/

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a good place to begin looking for the kind of information you are seeking.

I wish you very well on your grand adventure, though Bill Bryson is perhaps more amusing than useful as a real guide!

We have hiked all of the AT in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and it is splendid.

Doing parts of the trail = very nice.
Doing all of the trail at one time = very hard

Here's a thread you may be interested in reading -

http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...ily-affair.cfm

Follow the link at that thread to the son's blog

You may want to look carefully at the dates. March/April may be on the early side to start the trek, mostly due to very, very wet trails.

Unless you currently have a hiking partner with whom you already have a well established trail relationship, your best bet for finding compatible people to hike with on an Appalachian Trail thruhike is if you go ahead and start the trail alone.

There are so many people starting the trail in the same time frame you are, that you'll soon find your trail family and perhaps a partner, too, once on the trail.

To read more about finding partners for the trail, you can read the rest of my page about finding partners at http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor/partner.html .

I'll repeat the suggestion that you contact the ATC. Ask them to send you the thruhiker packet. It's got a wealth of information for prospective thruhikers.

Also, get online and find forums more specific to the A.T. than travel forums such as fodors. www.backcountry.net has an A.T. specific email list. There are many people there with a lot of information. If you ask a question, you'll get many answers. But since we've known each other a while on that list, there's a lot of off topic chatter. Try whiteblaze.net as well. There's a lot of good information in the forums there but you'll also have to figure out who the posters are to ignore.

Have a great time on the trail,

Mara
Stitches, AT99

http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor/

J62,

For northbound thruhikers starting in Georgia, the traditional starting time for those hikers expecting to take five or six months is March or April. While there's a good chance those who start before April will get a snowstorm, it's warm enough during the day in Georgia on most days that the snow melts quickly and doesn't delay or slow hikers for long.

Southbound thruhikers starting in Maine must wait until June or July.

Whether northbound or southbound, these starting dates generally ensure that thruhikers get to the parts of the trail most affected by wet weather (the Green Mountains in Vermont, for example) after they've had time to dry out.

Mara
Stitches, AT99

http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor/

Wow.You have all given me some great links with such a wealth of information. The more knowledge and advice, the better!
Thanks alot.

Just for interest, here's a blog by a very experienced thruhiker with links to the AT, the Florida Trail and the Pacific Crest trail, among others. I find his writing style very entertaining.

http://www.ryansatotalgoober.com/adventures/

Here's a contest if anyone wants to submit a video on why they love the AT -
“WHY DO YOU LOVE THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL?” VIDEO CONTEST

Harpers Ferry, WV (July 18, 2012) – To commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the completion of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is hosting a video contest to find out what people love most about the A.T. The contest entitled “Why Do You Love the Appalachian Trail?” is currently accepting submissions until September 2, 2012. The grand prized winner will receive several prizes including the opportunity to have their video screened in theaters during the ATC’s membership drive this fall.

With over 2-3 million people hiking the A.T. each year, the ATC is providing the opportunity for the public to share what they enjoy most about the A.T. with the rest of the world.

Videos must be no longer than three minutes and must answer the question, “why do you love the Appalachian Trail?” Each participant can only submit one video and must adhere to the ATC’s Leave No Trace™ principles.

“Everyone has their own reasons for hiking the Appalachian Trail,” said Javier Folgar, Marketing and Communications Manager of the ATC. “This contest provides the opportunity for Appalachian Trail enthusiasts to showcase to the world what the Trail means to them in their lives.”

The ATC’s Facebook fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite videos. The top three videos receiving the largest number of votes will be awarded prizes. The grand prized winner will have their video screened in theaters at this year’s “Discover the Appalachian Trail” fall membership drive.

Videos will be accepted until September 2, 2012. Voting period begins on September 4 and will run until October 5. The top 3 videos will be announced on Monday, October 8.

“Why Do You Love the Appalachian Trail” - Video Contest Summary:

RULES AND REQUIREMENTS
Participants must answer the question, “Why do you love the A.T.?”
Participants can only submit one video.
Any video conflicting with the ATC’s Leave No Trace™ principles will be disqualified.
Inappropriate material is strictly prohibited and will not be displayed for voting, which includes, and is not limited to nudity, profanity, illegal activity, etc.
The video must fall within time length restrictions, minimum of 30 seconds and a maximum of 3 minutes.
Videos must be submitted by using a YouTube or Vimeo URL.

SUBMISSION
Visit ATC’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ATHike) to upload your video. Click on the “Video Contest” tab, click “Enter”, fill out the required information, upload your video and click “Submit”.

TIMELINE
Video Submission Deadline: Sunday, September 2, 2012
Voting Period: Tuesday, September 4, 2012 – Friday, October 5, 2012
Top Three Videos Announced: Monday, October 8, 2012

PRIZES
Prizes will be awarded for the three videos receiving the highest number of votes.

First Place
Custom ATC hammock, courtesy of ENO™
Video screened in front of audiences at this year’s Discover the Appalachian Trail: 2012 fall membership drive
Featured in A.T. Journeys (Official magazine of the A.T.)
Video featured on the ATC’s YouTube Page
One-year membership to the ATC

Second Place
ATC themed tote bag
Glow-in-the-dark water bottle
Featured in A.T. Journeys (Official magazine of the A.T.)
One-year membership to the ATC

Third Place
ATC themed hat
Featured in A.T. Journeys (Official magazine of the A.T.)
One-year membership to the ATC

For more information or to submit a video, visit www.appalachiantrail.org/videocontest.

About the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail – ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come. For more information please visit www.appalachiantrail.org.

Contact: Javier Folgar
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Tel: (304) 535-2200 ext.117
Fax: 304.535.2667
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.appalachiantrail.org

Have you read Wild by Cheryl Strayed? I am in the middle now. She hiked the Pacific Coast Trail alone.

Oops,just noticed this is an old thread...