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Hiking Ignorance is Not Bliss
Getting soaked in Maryland
Ever since I decided to embark on this adventure, I’ve been plagued with second thoughts. Am I insane? Why on earth do I think I can do this? Have I finally killed too many brain cells with those nightly glasses of wine? I don’t know, but yesterday I learned one thing: if I want to have any hope of surviving this hike I need to start gaining some knowledge FAST. I was out on an AT day hike and got caught in a torrential downpour that soaked through my pack and clothes. Fortunately, I had a hot shower waiting when I got home, but I won’t have that luxury when I’m doing this for real. It’s time to knuckle down and get serious about buying gear!
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Comments 4
hey I am doing a thru hike in 2017. I am 67 years old and am looking forward to the hike. since we are both seniors lets stay in touch and maybe we will meet on the AT
That would be great, Phil! I’ve dragged my husband into this, too, and he’ll be 64. Are you doing a northbound hike? We decided to flip flop to avoid the bubble. It would be great to meet up with other seniors:)
Gail
I’m starting as a section hiker in September by hiking West Virginia and Maryland. I’ll be 62 in October. A section hike is the only way I’ll get this done since my daughter is going to Radiology school and I have to get the kiddies off to school every morning. I average eight miles a day now but the AT is a different world compared to my daily hikes. Good luck and safe travels!
I agree, Bob. My husband and I have started doing day hikes on the AT here in Maryland every weekend, and it’s much harder than any other hiking we’ve done. We try to do 10-15 miles at a time and are getting stronger, but I fear we’ll be back to square one when we start using packs. At our age, we are keeping our expectations low. Better to do fewer miles and stay healthy if we can! Good luck with your hike. Have you done any other sections of the AT? I’d love to hear what you think of this section!