AT - The Rollercoaster

[Marco]

GF and some friends decided to hike the AT this past monday and started at Ashby Gap. We saw the following sign (not my photo) within 15 minutes of the start of our hike :

http://www.csh.rit.edu/~vance/reed/pages/pics/6_25_99/therolloercoaster.jpg

My first thought was..."how bad can it be". This was our first time truly hiking. On average we had a 25-32 lb bag each person. Our original plan was to go from Ashby Gap to Harpers Ferry (appx 33 miles) over 4 days 3 nights. It's safe to say that we didn't make it. We hiked 12 miles that had multiple 500 foot ascends and descends then stopped off at the Bear's Den Hostel and called it quits. It was extremely hot and humid. To top it off a huge black bear bolted in front of us when we were hiking through a muddy trail. Only had a chance to take two good photos.

1,000 mile marker heading north from Georgia:


Overview from Bear's Den:


I came back home to crispy dry neos and a parched VT. Lost two spikes on a Shutennou and spike on kinboshi may have been stunted. Not too bad for 5 days of neglect.

 

[SlipperFan]

Cool! ....er, hot!

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

I miss days on the trail… I'll be back there sometime. Thru-hiked in '96. That is where I was given the name Botany Boy by three fellow hikers. I recommend the deep south or conversely the high north sections for the best hiking, but not the easiest!

 

[abax]

I've done the whole AT in sections and it's wonderful, but
you need to be in really great shape and prepared for the
constant slog of putting one foot in front of the other for
a very long time. Good rule is southern section in the fall
and the northern section in the summer. The hardest part is
Maine in my opinion and the most lovely is through the Smoky
Mountains. Don't kid yourself; even doing the AT in sections
is very hard and you can run through lots of hiking boots.

Read Bill Bryson's book A WALK IN THE WOODS before
you try it again. It's hilariously funny and very true.