Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail and NO Plan Survives Contact

DISCLAIMER RIGHT UP FRONT: I have not set one foot on the AT yet. My thru hiking experience is next to nothing. I am not an expert in thru hiking planning, but I do know how to plan for a mission.

NEXT DISCLAIMER: I know there are hikers who are anti-planning and recommend to just show up and hike. If that works for you, that’s awesome. I wish I had your comfortability level because NOT planning for something is my kryptonite.

No Plan Survives Contact

 NOBO or SOBO, Start Date and End Date

1. The first decision I made was to travel NOBO. It’s considered the “purist” way of thru hiking the AT and the most popular. I’m big into nostalgia and for me this made NOBO a no brainer.
2. The next decision was a start date. I chose 16 February for a multitude of reasons. I know Zach and Chauncey (Backpacker Radio Podcast hosts) are probably shaking their heads in non-concurrence. Hear me out though: It’s less crowded, will get me ahead of the bubble for at least a couple weeks, and more bearable temperatures in the upper sections of VA and PA (planning assumption, not a fact). Yes I know it will be cold, wet, snowy, just plain miserable and an asteroid will probably impact the Neely Gap shelter followed by a zombie invasion at Fontana Dam…Ok ok, a little facetious but my point is I thrive when the conditions suck. When I’m cold, wet, tired, and hungry there’s a small mental place I find solitude in and have for years. So unless Neely Gap is destroyed by an asteroid or a zombie invasion, I think I’ll be ok with cold miserable weather. If I’m not, I can always get off trail for a day to recuperate.
3. End date: This one is simple, summit Mt Katahdin on 15 October. If I summit earlier awesome and I can adjust my follow on plans accordingly. This allows me eight months which is on the higher end, but there is room for variables I cannot control (weather, injuries, health issues, etc).

Maps Are Your Friend

I purchased the entire National Geographic map set for the AT (GA to ME) from Amazon (link below) and started planning. This set is user friendly and shows topography which played into how many miles I would guesstimate for each day (see below pics).

I plan on carrying only one map set at a time throughout the trail. I can arrange for the next series to be shipped in a bounce box along the way (tracking some people are totally anti-bounce box-I’m going to try it out to start).

Not only the maps, but I downloaded the Far Out app which aided in stopping points for camping, town information in regards to hostels and general resupply, and water points. It has real time data which I can only envision is gold out on the trail. I also downloaded All Trails and have started to use this app while training as well. I opened a note on my phone, sat down with the maps, highlighter and some wine, and started my journey.

Rookie Planning Mistakes and Thru Hiker Advice

• I made mistakes with my initial planning and I’m sure I probably still have some in my plan now. First I didn’t realize you only have eight days to get through Great Smokey National Park and need a permit. Eff. Revision #1.
• Next I originally bit off more than my body could probably handle. I’ll call this “Hiker Delusion”. After talking with multiple thru hikers who completed the AT and a triple crowner, they all had the same advice: Take it easy the first 30x days. Damnit. Revision #2.
• Now some of my zero days were now lining up with Sundays or holidays based on the above revisions. Not a deal breaker, but some places most probably will be closed on those days (again; planning assumption, not a fact). Eff the third time. Revision #3.
• Lastly I took a look at high mileage days and factored in a lower mileage day the very next day to limit injury or over exertion. During this revision I added in some other goals within the larger goal. One was to hike 26.2mi in one day (basically walking a marathon). I chose a more manageable section in VA for that day. There are a few historical sites I’d like to see as well so factored in some lower mileage on those days to either leave late in the morning or visit once at the stoppage mileage.

• Here is a sample of my first 10 days on the AT:

Example Key___Day: Start point to end point (mileage traveled)

For all the experienced thru hikers out there, a compass check is greatly appreciated! My next post will cover a couple more training hikes I completed over the last week as well as my training outline to get ready for the trail. As always, thanks for following along and see you out on the trail!