A.T. Curiousity Questions

“for anyone who has done all of it, what would you say is the hardest state? maine? nh? vermont? georgia? none of the above?

also, katahdin stream campground to baxter peak and back. how long on average?"”

“The southwest coast of Isle Royale is pretty rough. Not much altitude gain, but ROCKY and lots of ups and downs on that rock. Tough on the footing and not to mention the knees.”

“although i have never hiked the entire thing i have heard those that have say if you make it out of georgia, virginia is the hardest. 25% of the trail is in virginia and it is like walking in a green tunnel most of the way. plus that is when you start to feel the heat and mugginess.”

“New Hampshire.
The Whites are WAY tougher than Georgia.”

“From most of the trail journals I've read and books, I find the term "Virginia Blues" very popular. As baume said, 25% of the trail is there...so it's like you're walking in VA forever. I remember one journal saying that the trees in VA were the never-ending bars of her prison cell. If you mean hardest terrain I doubt you'll have problems in VA, probably later like in Maine.”

“the hardest are probably the ones done during the hotest days”

“im talking degree of physical difficulty, not counting weather or physical issues”

“Stormbringer, from Katahdin Stream to Baxter Peak and back takes about 7-8 hours with a day pack. I think the book recommends planning on 8-10 in case of weather and other factors.”

“It's prolly personal preference to some degree but a lot of stuff I've read says the section from the GA/NC line to Fontana Dam is some of the most rugged terrain.”

“ive heard that. it could also be due to thats when most thru hikers are starting and therefore not in the best shape, and also less switchbacks”

“Eastern New Hampshire through southern Maine is the hardest area physically with several hand over hand rock climbs, 1500' per mile elevation changes, wet rocks, weather extremes, etc. It doesn't last that long really. Some people have a hard time emotionally with Virginia (try the 1700 mile long stretch of the PCT in California!), others get fed up with the rocks of Pennsylvania/New Jersey. I never got bored by the trail, so the Virginia blues weren't an issue for me. Spring was in full bloom when I hiked there, so I loved the 'green (and pink, white, red, yellow, and blue) tunnel'. The Pennsylvania rocks aren't nearly as hard as forecast (especially compared to some of the other rocky trails in PA) but can seem difficult when you are doing 20+ mile days every day, especially when it's hot. But there are compensations - frequent hostels, few climbs, etc.”

“whats that mile long stretch thats supposed to be the hardest mile? the mahoosuc notch?”

“if i start at springer mid-march, would i be ok to start with my henry shires tarptent? or do i still need a four season at that point?”

“No need for a four season tent in the south poops. It might; and I stress might, snow, but not likely and it won't be much unless it's just a pure freak event. I think the tarptent would be fine as long as you've got a good bag for say 20 degree nights.”

“its the south, but its in the mts. so you get similiar weather to the northern flat states. but yea, by mid-march i think i a 4 season would be too warm”

“"im talking degree of physical difficulty, not counting weather or physical issues"
StormBringer

oops, i mean "not counting weather or MENTAL issue"”

“I hiked the same year Ginny did, and most certainly NH and suthun ME is the hardest, friggin-A I just typed a page that my 1 yr old must not have liked, he erased it for me somehow.

The tarp will be just fine. Yes it can snow, and much at 5-6000' ele, but all your clothes on, into your sleeping bag, and burritoed into your tarp will get you thru about any nasty chilly temps. You'd be amazed at how many ppl start a thru-hike with just a piece of plastic or nothing at all, hoping to just shelter hop.

The Mahoosuc Notch, yes the most difficult 1 mile stretch of the AT, taking about 3 hours. But it's nuttin to fret over, tis a blast. It's nuttin more than a boulder obstacle course. Go thru with a couple of AT buds, and together you'll laugh at how to negotiate it's challenging passage. You'll hand packs over rocks, under rocks, between rocks, and then jump, squeeze, and balance thru the mile, much fun indeed! If you go thru solo, then you'll be dragging, throwing, and shoving/yanking your pack thru. Most deffinitely go thru with some buds, it's a riot. Snow/ice lingers in the deeper recesses all year long (well, in '92 it did).”

“i LOVE sht like that! swift camp creek trail in red river gorge is about as tough as it can get before you start scrambling, and i love that trail”

“If you're gonna start a thru-hike in March I'm gonna hafta be upfront and proclaim my utter hatred for you, nothing personal tho bub! hehehe”

“i leave for georgia in 31 days. leave springer for katahdin 2 days later”

“Scott, you been doing any training for this?
Hope you aren't setting on your butt and playing on the computer all day! ;-)

I've been looking at WhiteBlaze.net a lot lately. The forums have a ton of good AT info!”

“some day i;m going to go, hopefully soon”