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Re: How long...
Sandy -
I don't have all the numbers handy at the moment, but I started on March 16,
ended on Sept 23 - including 30 non-hiking days. Those 30 days included 9 days
off because my first partner got sick, 8 days (mostly unplanned) with family,
1 day (unplanned) to replace boots and 3 days (unplanned) because of bad knees
and a broken wrist. My overall average mileage (not including days off) was
13 miles per day. You can do it.
I spent a year planning my schedule, mail drops, etc. For the first
hundred+ miles
on the Trail I worried about keeping to the 'schedule' - after Hot
Springs, I decided
I'd get there when I got there and I canned the whole schedule thing.
That's when I
started to really enjoy the hike. The only purpose to the schedule after
that was
for mail drops.
So, would I do it the same way again? Yeah, for a couple reasons. First,
the planning
is part of the fun of the trip for me. Second, it gives me a baseline for
planning mail
drops. And third, it gives me a greater familiarity with the names and
places I'll
encounter on the Trail. I'm planning our next long trail the same way -
even though
I know the "schedule" won't last through the first week - or was that the
first day?
Anyway, enjoy your planning.
Walk softly,
Jim Owen
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