Son Just Finished Appalachian Trail

[xd40c]

OK...silly question.....How did he get home??

 

[mcbruzdzinski]

Congratulations! I did my trek many years ago going downhill (i.e. from Mt Katahdin, ME to Springer, GA).

I had hoped to do it again but never made it back to do the entire trail...maybe when I retire!

 

[Tactics]

This just has awesome all over it. Congrats!

 

[ToBeFree]

Good Job to your son

Got to do that crap while you are young or time slips away and responsibilities get in your way!

Check out The Way. It's a Michael Douglas movie about the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in the Pyrenees. Pretty good stuff and on my list of things that I would love to do but will never get a chance.

Another good one to watch is The Art of Travel

 

[Half-cocked]

That is no small accomplishment... I have only day-hiked little bits of the trail, in SNP... and those wore me out!

 

[Streetgang]

OK...silly question.....How did he get home??

He's taking the train from Portland ME

 

[cacowan]

Awesome! Congrats to him! Definitely on my bucket list.

 

[kafratta]

That has been a life goal ever since I did the MD section with the scouts, if I have a year off from postbac-pre med school and med school I am hoping to do it with my 2 bestfriends and fellow Eagle Scouts! This thread has pumped me up so much I can't go to sleep!

 

[corelokt]

Congratulations! I did my trek many years ago going downhill (i.e. from Mt Katahdin, ME to Springer, GA).

I had hoped to do it again but never made it back to do the entire trail...maybe when I retire!

SOBO

 

[corelokt]

Wow, thats great. Its something I've had an interest in for some time. Sounds crazy but if I ever hit it rich or could get the time off, this is something I MIGHT try. Its gotta be tough and takes alot of planning. Most all the thru hikers arrange for someone to make mail drops (food) to Post offices and hostels in towns along the trail. Imagine going for a walk.... across 14 states with everthing you need on your back. Wearing out 5 pair of hiking shoes. Dealing with the weather,mud, bugs and bears. Trying to average 15 miles a day and wondering when you can fill up your water bottle again. Its got its rewards but they don't come easy. Some thru hikers say when they are done and get home its feels odd sleeping in a house, in a bed and not getting up in the morning and walking.
Tell your son I said congrats on the thru hike.

 

[h2u]

Awesome accomplishment!!! Congrats to your son!
Several of us in my scout troop did this in sections over five consecutive summers-about a month at time. I was out of scouts by the last year, but several of us came back to finish the journey.

I totally concur with the statements above on being best to do it early (before adult life commitments take over) and that you'll remember it for the rest of your life. The nine of us still keep track of each other (easier now with Facebook) and every year end up referring back to all of the great times and stories of trail magic

Just talking about it has rekindled the spirit and hopefully this old body will have enough gumption to try this in sections with my son when he is old enough.

 

[trap]

Title says it all. He started on March 19 and finished yesterday Sept 18. Exactly six months and 2184 miles of hiking from Springer Mt Georgia to Mt. Katahdin Maine.
Here's a shot of him at the NH-ME border in serious need of a shave and a haircut:

congratulations. that is really impressive.

 

[Maverick0313]

Incredible! Any problems along the way? Would be neat to have a conversation with him; what an amazing achievement.

 

[Streetgang]

Wow, thats great. Its something I've had an interest in for some time. Sounds crazy but if I ever hit it rich or could get the time off, this is something I MIGHT try. Its gotta be tough and takes alot of planning. Most all the thru hikers arrange for someone to make mail drops (food) to Post offices and hostels in towns along the trail. Imagine going for a walk.... across 14 states with everthing you need on your back. Wearing out 5 pair of hiking shoes. Dealing with the weather,mud, bugs and bears. Trying to average 15 miles a day and wondering when you can fill up your water bottle again. Its got its rewards but they don't come easy. Some thru hikers say when they are done and get home its feels odd sleeping in a house, in a bed and not getting up in the morning and walking.
Tell your son I said congrats on the thru hike.

You would be surprised how little planning it took. He had a few mail drops (advice: avoid Post Offices) but bought most of his food supplies at grocery stores and dollar stores. His buddy who went with him had never hiked before and decided to go two days before we left for the trail. After some scrambling around, we had him good to go and he made the trip without any trouble. Their packs loaded with food and no water weighed in at 24lbs, give or take. With 2 quarts of water they were up to about 28-30 lbs depending on food load. I did the first week with them and it was a blast. The weather was pretty decent for them with only one snowstorm in the beginning in NC. Plenty of rain but it's only water. He went through 3 pairs of shoes, two tents(first one didn't work out too well) two sleeping bags, two sets of hiking poles, and by the time he was done his pack was broken beyond repair. Fortunately, it broke in the last 100 miles.
He's definitely having to readjust to sleeping on a real bed and being in a house but he's doing fine.

Incredible! Any problems along the way? Would be neat to have a conversation with him; what an amazing achievement.

He really didn't have any problems to speak of. His trail name was Ragweed but for a while they called him George of the Jungle because he slammed into a tree on a rope swing over a river in Virginia. That incident almost put him off the trail but after a day of rest he was able to walk again on his split big toe. He also had to see a Doc in Massachussetts when he developed an infection from an ingrown hair inside his thigh.
Their animal encounters were mostly benign seeing Lots of snakes, a porcupine, fox, deer, moose to name a few.
I'll try to post a few pics this weekend if I can find the time.

 

[kmartin370]

That's awesome! Would have loved to take the time for a journey like that!

 

[corelokt]

Wheres them pic's? If you post them leave out the location and see if we can them.