It's Almost Time
By MrsJ
@SophiaMorros (5044)
Belews Creek, North Carolina
April 3, 2019 7:30am CST
For the past several months, my oldest son has been planning and strategizing. His goal is to hike the Appalachian Trail over the next three-to-four months. The trail is currently around 2,190 miles from Springer Mountain Georgia to Katahdin Mountain Maine (I have to specify “currently” because the route shifts a little periodically and the mileage isn’t consistent from year-to-year).
Most thru-hikers plan to do the journey in about six months but because of time limitations my son will be striving for a quicker pace since his window of opportunity ends in early August. My husband and I are both excited about his adventure and are planning to carefully track is progress on a map that we have purchased and mounted on a piece of foam-core board for that purpose.
We have some reservations, though. I think he has underestimated the amount of food that he is going to need to keep his body fueled (I suspect he’ll figure that out in the first week or two) and I’m not convinced that he realizes that the portion of the trail in Maine is both more rural, more difficult and less heavily traveled than any other portion of the trail (but it will be a couple of months before he has to deal with those challenges).
He is also the most extroverted of my children, so I wonder how well he’s going to do with only himself for company for long stretches of time.
I’m sure I will be writing about his progress here on myLot over the upcoming months.
Have you ever thru-hiked one of the major trails either on this continent or another?
8 people like this
8 responses
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
3 Apr 19
This is the kind of thing I might have wanted to attempt 50 years ago! However, 2.2 thousand miles is a serious distance and, even though I enjoy my own company, I wouldn't even think of doing it without at least one companion - for pace setting and in case of illness or accident, to begin with. I would also very likely choose to use hostels rather than carry camping equipment and I would have food parcels &c mailed to addresses along the way. Maybe he's doing that.
An average of 20 miles a day is not out of the question - very tough on a mountain trail but quite leisurely on the flat - but it doesn't allow too much time for rest-ups along the way in case of bad weather or injury (of a minor kind such as blisters, twisted ankles &c.).
I wish him luck and I'd say "Aim to do the whole trail but don't kill yourself if you don't make it. The rest of the trail will still be there another year!"
4 people like this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 19
He's aiming for the whole but recognizes that with his time limitations he might have to bail out before the end.
At least for the first 500 or do miles he'll be with other thru hikers. When he gets ahead of the main pack (82 other hikers are register to start the same day he does. Not all hikers register) there will be day hikers in most areas.
It's really only Maine that concerns me. I've been to Maine...he hasn't. 
3 people like this
@marguicha (230350)
• Chile
3 Apr 19
I have only heard about the Appalachian Trail and think it is a mayor feat even to do part of the job. I hope there is enough help there in case of any problem.
2 people like this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 19
He'll be within fairly easy reach for about the first half of the hike and he'll have decent phone service as well. When he hits Maine, though, he'll have no phone service and we'll be more than a day away from being able to bail him out. Of course, by the time he gets that far he'll have gained a LOT of experience.
2 people like this
@marguicha (230350)
• Chile
3 Apr 19
@SophiaMorros I hope that before he gets into the no service part, he decides whether he is in shape to do it.
2 people like this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 19
@marguicha He has about 1500 miles to go before he gets to the no-service-at-all section of the trail. By then he'll either have learned his limitations or have had to quit because of time restraints.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502653)
• Italy
3 Apr 19
@SophiaMorros I also dislike carrying things when I walk.
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@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 19
@LadyDuck I try to carry a bottle of water and snack if I'm going to be out for a while. That's as much load as I'm willing to haul.
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 19
I'm the same. I enjoy walking, I even enjoy hiking. I do NOT enjoy having to carry everything I need on my back while climbing up mountains.
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@simone10 (54180)
• Louisville, Kentucky
4 Apr 19
@SophiaMorros that's good. I would worry about him being alone if there were an accident but then again, I am a worry wart.
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
4 Apr 19
@simone10 I'm worried most about Maine, but that's still a couple of months down the road.
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@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
4 Apr 19
There will be other people on the trail, I imagine he'll connect with others that are attempting to do the trail at a faster than normal pace.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382325)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Apr 19
@SophiaMorros It's a huge distance on foot isn't it? He'll be an inch shorter when he gets home.
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@JudyEv (382325)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Apr 19
@SophiaMorros Can you talk him into consuming a day's 'trail food' while he's at home? Probably not. 
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
4 Apr 19
It's almost mind-boggling. I'm sure it will be a great learning experience for him!
1 person likes this
@Junbals (1421)
• Philippines
5 Apr 19
I participated once in a 100 kilometer thru-hike in Germany. We called it a pilgrimage from Coblenz near the Rhine river to Gymnich, situated closed to awesome city of Cologne. I got bleaches all around my feet. It is one experience I can never forget. Along the way, I knew myself better, won good friends and found God.
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
5 Apr 19
That sounds wonderful! I visited Kôln many years ago.
I'm not sure what you mean by "bleaches" though. Could the word you were looking for possibly be blisters?
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
5 Apr 19
@Junbals blisters are miserable and I suspect that's one problem my son will have to cope with.
One more night in a real bed and then her is on his way.
@Junbals (1421)
• Philippines
5 Apr 19
@SophiaMorros blisters that's the word. Thanks.
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 19
He's not a journaller. I tried to encourage the habit when we travelled while the kids were young. The girls journal, the boys don't.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203396)
• Nashville, Tennessee
4 Apr 19
@SophiaMorros That is what Mom's do.
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@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
4 Apr 19
I'm looking forward to watching his progress...I'll probably also do the Mom thing and worry a bit as well.
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