How To Schedule Yourself While Hiking The Appalachian Trail
How do you schedule a 2,193 mile trip with just a backpack full of your belongings and keep yourself motivated? There is an old joke which ask, How do you eat an Elephant? The answer is, “One Bite At A Time.” So, I keep being asked, How will I hike the Appalachian Trail? My answer is one step at a time!
Taking on the Appalachian Trail is the equivalent of eating an elephant. It should be planned but not planned because no amount of planning will work out on the Appalachian Trail as both Mother Nature and your body will reject your planning at the worst possible moment.
How long is the trail?
The first step is how long is the trail. This year the Appalachian Trail is 2,193 miles long plus the 8.8 mile of the approach trail according to The A.T. Guide. But according to Mother Nature, she took down the steps just last week to the Amicalola Falls which I was so looking forward to and dreading going up 400 plus stairs to the top of the Falls.
In addition, for Valentine’s Day she severely damaged multiple transmission towers that cross the trail between mile 641 and mile 656. Hikers are required to go around which sucks because one it crossed between the Virginia and West Virginia state lines and shuttle services are not set up in the area.
To start my schedule, I will be looking at scheduling for 2,178 miles on the trail
How long does it take to complete?
The trail is now only 2,178 miles long. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservatory. The average hiker will start the trail with between 8 and 10 miles per day. By the end of the trail, most hikers will be up to 20 to 25 miles in a day. But the true is that most hikers have to work up to it. Those that believe they can start the trail at 20 miles a day are either in great health and conditioned for the trail or the first ones to leave the trail because they get injured or they run out of time and/or money.
Most hikers can make average about 16 miles per day which makes the trip about 135 days long. So, that is easy but what about days that the weather is so bad or you have to do housekeeper (i.e., shower, buy food, laundry, etc.) or your body just says, NO! You have to add days which increase your time on the trail.
Most people take between 5 and 7 months to complete the trail which is 150 to 210 day (months being 30 days). I am starting in April and plan to finish by October 15th which is the last day that the trail up to Mount Katahdin which is 6.5 months or 198 days! I do have to leave the trail a few times due to family obligations but otherwise, I plan to be on the trail until I complete it. But that make my average daily 11 miles without take out zero days or 77 miles a week.
Family Obligations
As a hiker, it is important to still meet family obligations such as wedding, graduations, and other items that are important. Hiking the trail is important but those special moments with your family can never be gotten back. The trail will still be there. In addition, the trail is more like a long job at summer camp rather then a complete vacation. If you do go home, you can also schedule a doctors or dental appointment just to ensure that you have those completed.
I have a a few family obligations that will take me off the trail for at least three weeks or about 21 days. One thing about going off trail is it takes a few days to get back in the rhythm of the trail. But while home, I think that I will make sure that I do a few light hikes just to keep my body up. But that puts my days down to 177 day which about 12.3 miles a day or about 86 miles per week.
Vacation from the Trail
The trail should be respected but take a vacation from the trail is important. In addition, taking a vacation from the trail makes you love it more! As much as you wanted to do the trail and it is a life goal or bucket list item, after a while the trail can get to you and taking some time off trail is one of the best things you can do.
Zero days are those days that you do zero miles on the trail. Usually, these are days that you are resting up and taking care of housekeeping items. But they are not always taking a vacation from the trail and trail life. This does not mean that you should just keep getting off trail but rather think of it as a weekend away from work, i.e. trail work.
Several places on the trail have great towns that you can visit for a few days to relax and drop the pack. Or the trail also has several places that you can get Amtrak or a family member to take you to Washington DC, New York City, Boston, or other destinations along the East Coast. I personal plan to spend a few days in Harpers Ferry where John Brown lead a raid just before the Civil War. It also has several presidents which visited the area.
It is like having a steak. A steak is great but if you were to have a steak every day, you would get tired of steak. In taking a few days to rest your back, legs, and mind; you will come back to the trail will renewed interest and a body that is thankful.
As for vacations, I don’t want to plan these but I am going to taking off at least 2 nights and 1 day at Harpers Ferry. But I will take my vacations with my family obligations.
Weather
Weather is another consideration which effects a hikers schedule. Severe weather can be anything from a snow storm to a thunderstorm to severe cold. Anyone hiking the AT should have their phones setup for severe weather alerts. In addition, I will be checking the weather daily at a website which has daily weather updates for the trail. It will be a reason to stop or get to town for me, i.e. I would rather be in town for a day or two then be out in extremes weather conditions.
The old saying on the trail is “No pain, no rain, no Maine”. Should be taken to heart. Just last week, the weather dropped several inches of rain in a short period of time and hikers had to go through what looked like a river that had flooded the trail. But the storm also had a lot of hikers running for the valleys due to lightening strikes on the ridge lines.
For me, I hate rain. I use to tell my friends in High School that I was grounded so I did not have to go out to avoid leaving the house when a storm was coming. I will have to overcome this. But at the same time, in Hawaii I wanted to go on this 15 mile long hike but it was going to rain. I reviewed the weather app and found that it was only going to be for 15 minutes about half way through the hike. So, I just found a nice sheltered area to be during this time frame.
Also, if I know that a bad storm is coming in, I will be taking a zero day rather then hike in it, if possible, and get housekeeping done in town. If I know that it going to rain until 10 am and then I will hang around camp. I know that I can’t avoid all the rain but heavy rain I will try. Because if you don’t then you also have to take a zero day or half day to dry out your things. Or worst, you can get injured slipping in the mud or wet rock.
Getting off the trail due to lightening is a big one. Lightening killed 20 people in the United States in 2019 but it injuries so many more. Those injuries can be life changing. A hiker on a ridge is one of the Mother Natures favorite targets. It is best to find a place to hide during the temper tantrum. For me, I will make up the time during the week.
Injury Prevention
The quickest way to get off the trail is an injury. Most injuries are accidents but many can be avoided if you take proper precautions. The human body is not really made to hike long distances for over 2,200 miles of trail. I say over because you will also be hiking to towns and to shelters and water along the way.
The first Marathon Runner was a soldier who ran approximately 25 miles from the Battlefield near Marathon, Greece to Athens, Greece. He was announcing a the victory. But what most people do not talk about is he kilted over died moments later. I salute all Marathon Runners but I will never understand them…lol
Foot wear is one of the biggest reason that people get injuries. Along the trail your shoes rub up against your foot which leaves blisters. Blisters make it painful to hike plus if they get infected, hikers might have to get an antibiotic or worst, have to get off trail for a period of time to heel. The trail is not a place to try out new shoes. But you will also go through 4 to 5 pairs before the hike is completed. Your feet are the most important item on the trail, therefore a daily review of them is needed.
Your body, on the other hand, is telling you to stop. It creates pain in order to tell you that are over doing it. On the trail, it is important to listen to it. If you have been sitting behind a desk for years, then want to hike the trail…Listen to your body. You will have to push it a bit but be the turtle not the hare. This trail is a foot race of distance not a sprint.
I have been hiking but only a bit here and there. Usually under 5 miles a day because Olive Oil can only do about 3 miles a day. I end up having to carry her several miles when we do hike longer trails. So, I took the last month off to rest before starting the trail. When I arrive at the trail, I will be looking to do about 8 to 10 miles a day to start out. But I am going to allow my body to slowly get up to a good 15 to 20 miles per day.
According to the Appalachian Trail Conservatory. The average hiker will start the trail with between 8 and 10 miles per day. By the end of the trail, most hikers will be up to 20 to 25 miles in a day. But the true is that most hikers have to work up to it. Those that believe they can start the trail at 20 miles a day are either in great health and conditioned for the trail or the first ones to leave the trail because they get injured or they run out of time and/or money.
Listening to your body is the best way to combat leaving the trail early. If you need extra sleep, then sleep in. If you need a day to rest your muscles, then take a day. If you need a mental health day, then get a room and veg out. It is better then having to leave the trail and go home.
Resting is also important because the more tried that you are, the more you make mistakes. For example, I heard about one person that was so tried that he forgot his water filter system at a stream. He had to hike back 3 miles to get it. I personally was to tired to hike last summer but I went any way because I wanted to get out. I ended up tripping on the trail about a mile in and had to wait a week to heal up before I could head out again.
I did all but 27 miles of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Trail which is 150 miles long and runs between Cumberland, Maryland and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I would drive myself to the trailhead and hike but I had to go back to my van so I did about 246 miles last summer between work and life. But I did not get to finish it because I was to tired to be hiking and I feel down 13 steps. It took months for my ankle to get better. I was not listening to my body and it cost me completing the GAP trail last year.
Where are you sleeping tonight?
Schedule on the amount of miles that you do in a day include where do you plan to sleep. On the trail, their are shelters, hostels, and camp sites. But off the trail, you have hostels, hotel, motel, and some times Trail Angels house or backyards.
Where you sleep have a great deal to do with how far you go each day. Most of the shelters are on the trail or just off of them. But some camping areas are a bit off the trail. For example, the Whitley Gap Shelter is 1.2 miles off the main trail. Personal, I don’t want to walk another 2.4 miles. So, I will try to skip this one. But depending on weather, I might not have a choose but to use one that is over a mile off the trail.
My Schedule
My schedule is going to be very slow like a turtle but I am going to be wise like an owl about it. I will be looking at milestones instead with a date that I should get to them. Because the pressure to get the trail complete should be second to enjoying your hike. I know so many people that are so busy getting to the end of the trail that they forget to enjoy the trail. That means stopping and looking around. Take a moment to see all the beauty around you and some of the great towns along the way.
The beginning of the trail for me is actually the hardest part to schedule. I don’t know how many miles that I can do in a day and I don’t want to push it. But between 24.5 miles and 34.4 miles, you have to have a hard shell bear resistant canister. I don’t have one and I don’t want to have to carry one. I was really looking forward to staying at Blood Mountain Shelter but it is in this area. It means that I have stopping to camp at mile 24 Lance Creek and making it to mile 35.5 which is 11 miles or staying at Neel Gap hostel which is at mile 31.3 mark which is 7.3 miles.
Neel Gap is were over 20 percent of people quit the trail. It is about three to four days into the trail. Day 3 is also when all your muscles give out because they are learning their new lifestyle and crying, “NO”. Any blisters on your feet threaten to turn you back to your home. Your family calls and tell you they can’t wait for you to be home. Your also going through caffeine withdrawal. This is a point that most people give up.
But for anyone that wants to do this trail, remember, it takes three weeks to form a habit. Push through the trail for at least three weeks before leaving. Learning to be cold, wet, unclean, and uncomfortable, takes time. Not having caffeine (the biggest drug in the world!) at a moments notice! But take at least three weeks before you give up on your dream. I know this is my main goal to start.
The milestones that I will be looking at are every 100 miles because I will be eating the elephant one step at a time. 22 servings to be exact. I have about 177 days or 12.3 miles in a day to complete which at first will be more like 5 to 8 miles a day. As my body gets use to the pack and hiking daily, I will increase the miles to about 15 to 18 daily. I also plan to do a Zero day or Nero day (a day that you do a half day hike and either spend the other half in town or at camp) at least once a week which makes a hiking day more like 14 miles per day.
I will be posting a milestone schedule next. I will have at least 50 milestones. My greatest fear in hiking the Appalachian Trail is snakes but the second is failing because I am pushing myself to hard and/or allowing myself to hike someone else hike. The most important thing is to ensure that you hike your own hike. This means that you have to hike at your pace not your tramily (people that meet on the trail and become a family unit on the trail.) or to get it finished quickly to get home because someone is pushing you to finish.
I look forward to you all following my journey on the AT!!!!!