[at-l] Thru-hiking Car Following

[jbullar1 at twcny.rr.com (Jim Bullard)]

Pittsburg is the guy you should ask. He used to run support to thrus with
his van. You might also contact Warren Doyle who has coordinated supported
thru-hikes. I'm sure he could offer advice.

Have you read "The Dream Trail" by Mary Twitty? She started out hiking
sections with her husband who has a wooden leg (something she reminds the
reader of frequently). Early on he broke his leg (the wooden one) and
decided to run support in their Jeep instead of hiking with her. It is not
the best journal out there but it is the one that I've read in which the
circumstances are closest to what you propose. What other ones have you read
where they did that?

Mary Twitty didn't discuss the cost. Would your guy get lost? Maybe in some
places. Having no sense of direction is not a promising start. Even Mr.
Twitty got lost a few times. Buy lots of road maps and send The Boy to map
reading school. Could you communicate by cell phone or walkee-talkee?
Sometimes. In some areas there would be no cell phone service. My cell phone
has no service in my own house and yard and I'm no where near as remote as
Maine. Two-way radios are only effective for a mile or two and then only if
there isn't a mountain between you. As I recall even the Twitty's Jeep
couldn't handle some of the "roads" that went through the 100 mile
wilderness in Maine and that had nothing to do with weather. It was the
normal state of the road. Most of the time the roads weren't that bad.

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: KellyGoVols@aol.com
>
>Here's a question for you folks, and it will just KILL the purists, but,
this question is hypothetical at best.
>
>Say for example when I hike the Appalachian Trail, and I wanted the boy to
follow me along in the car.  What are >the road blocks (pun intended)? This
is something I am SURE he would do, if we could afford it, so I reckon my
>first question is:
>
>1.  How much would we need to save up?  We need to take into consideration
(We, hell, I ain't even talked to him >about it, but I can talk him in to an
ything.) our Mortgage, insurance and taxes on the house $2100 a month.  Keep
>in mind, we could rent it out (maybe). Plus other minimal expenses.  He'd
get about $7500 from dividends from the >restaurant in that six month
period.
>
>2.  How hard is it to navigate such an adventure by car?  Are the roads
treacherous during the colder months?  >Will he be able to stay at hiker
hostels too?
>
>3. He has NO sense of direction, bless his heart, so would he be forever
lost?  Finding himself in Arizona when I'm >in West Virginia?
>
>4.  Could we communicate by (Oh my God, hang on to your hats) by cellphone?
Two way radio?
>
>5.  I've read journals of people who have done this.  Are there any listers
who have, and what's your take on it?
>
>6.  Lastly, if the above is not doable, then where would the boy fly into
and then drive to so he could hike the last >leg, that last day, up to
Katahdin with me?