The AT Conservancy has pulled down its shuttle list and refers hiker to these sources: Trailwide (Georgia to Maine) WhiteBlaze.net - Large A.T. discussion forum with articles and trailwide shuttle providers listing. TheTrek.co - Extensive community generated content, with blogs, advice, and a listing of shuttles buses, and taxis. Acorn Trail Guides - Resources for day-hikers to thru-hikers, with a Trailwide shuttle listing. Specific locations Georgia A.T. Club - The maintaining club for the A.T. in Georgia, with info on directions, shuttles, and parking and other info about the Georgia A.T. for hikers. Great Smoky Mountains National Park - The park can provide a list of shuttle drivers permitted to operate within the park if you call the Backcountry Office at (865) 436-1231. Be aware that all overnight hikers must have a backcountry permit in the park that must be acquired in advance. Roanoke A.T. Club - A.T. maintaining club that covers more than 100 miles of the A.T. in central Virginia has a shuttle drivers listing.
I don't know when I first heard of the Appalachian Trail, but in October 1971 I decided I had to see it. Having lived mostly in flat and seasonless South Florida most of my years to that point, I wanted to see mountains and fall colors. So, thanks to a school schedule that gave me a four-day weekend, I stuck my thumb out at the Florida Turnpike entrance and headed north from Fort Lauderdale. A straight-through ride got me to Atlanta in a quick 8 hours. A lot of shorter rides and an overnight camping in the bushes got me to the trail near Gatlinburg. I had no information or expectations. I believe I headed north. It was rather dreary, but the fall colors compensated. Sort of like those RUclips videos of folks who are colorblind putting on those special glasses for the first time. I came on a shelter -- didn't know they existed, I was carrying a tent -- and decided to stay the night as it was raining. I recall it having chainlink fencing, being rather crowded, a group singing the Beatles' Obladi Oblada. Next morning, I hiked back out and began thumbing home. Made a stopover to visit my father in Atlanta and then, after a lot of shorter rides, got home in time to not miss any classes. That was my section hike. Met my wife the next weekend. Still have the muddled Instamatic photos of the fall colors.
Man I have never watched an info/educational video on RUclips that is packed from stem to stern with more info nor narrated by a more effective, concise speaker than this guy's videos. He never once skips a beat, stumbles, stutters, says "um, ah, like, or you know". He must be a charter member of toastmasters. Excellent work! Very professional production. There's just no fluff whatsoever.
flatbrokeoutside your welcome and I'm not just a viewer I'm a brand new subscriber. Ha! Have you done a video on the history of the AT? How it came to be, etc? Are the Ozarks near the trail?
Glad to have you as a subscriber! I did a video on the most famous early thru-hikers, Earl Shaffer and Emma Gatewood -- ruclips.net/video/KQHct7Nu9so/видео.html -- This video talks about some of the changes along the AT since the early 1940s and '50s. The Ozark Mountains (so I read) are west of the Mississippi River. The AT is many miles to the east, running from Georgia to Maine.
flatbrokeoutside thanks and I'd like to mention how inspirational you are not only for the hiking but for this channel and your videos. I'm very honored to have such an amazing resource.
FlatBrokeOutside... You are my AT RUclips Hero!!! Your hilarious commentary and experienced accurate insight is so righteous. I model my section hikes and planning according to your recommendations. You've been a REAL help during my recent 2017 AT section meanders... up Katahdin (and down Abol), Springer to NC... and AT sections in all 14 states... Please don't stop this incredible contribution to the Zen of the AT.
It's great to hear you found the videos helpful - and great that you've done so much walking on the AT! Keep up the awesome work and thanks a million for being a great viewer!
You have described the life of the section hiker to a tee! I couldn’t have agreed with everything you said any more- you are spot on! Bravo! Thx for your video- I have always meant to do some of my own section hiker videos, but frankly, you do a much better job than I have. (I’ve started several, but deleted them). I also have hiked the trails NOBO until half my time is up then SOBO back to the car. My other thought is that section hikers aren’t out there often enough to ever get their “trail legs”. 20 mile days can’t be that prevalent, I think.
Great title for this one! Plus, I really enjoy your commentary and info. This one was a little more funny than usual and I laughed several times hearing you describe asking former wives and x girlfriends for rides. LOL. I always get a chuckle out of the photos with your friends eyes blocked out too. But in the end, for some reason this video really makes me want to go out and hike! I loved the SNP and agree its some of the smoothest trail out there. Good views, lots of critters, showers and blackberry milkshakes everyday don't hurt either. Thanks as always for posting your videos.
I love your videos, I am trying to get out there myself after a lengthy illness. I hope to see you out there one day and if you ever need a lift...I'd be honored to get you where you need to go!
My first time on the AT was in October 1971. I lived in Fort Lauderdale where it's flat and no seasons (other than hurricane season), and I desperately wanted to see mountains and fall colors. So, with no classes on Friday or Monday, I stuck my thumb out at the Florida Turnpike. First ride got me to Atlanta in eight hours -- we flew. Didn't make it to the trail near Gatlinburg until the next morning. It was cold and rainy, but I made some miles and stayed in a shelter for the night. Hiked back out the next morning and began the journey home, with a stopover in Atlanta to visit my father. Another day of thumbing got me back to Fort Lauderdale in time to be in class on Tuesday. That was my section hike. And, totally unrelated, I met my future wife the following Sunday.
Really good video, very thorough and a lot of great info. I spent my birthday at Daleville last year and then two nights later had a beautiful campsite next to Jennings Creek and had a good soak in the water. Great memories. I hear the trail calling! Thanks for posting.
Another great installment in your series. These are good points to think about for other long trails, especially those that don't have the "infrastructure" of the AT. I'm thinking in particular about the North Country and Ice Age trails in my area. No trail angel culture that I know of, for example, and shuttle issues in areas such as Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
I have been watching a lot of your videos and really enjoy them! Learning a lot too! There is no shame in doing section hikes or day hikes! No one knows the obstacles a person may have just to get out of bed and if they are hiking that is AWESOME! No thru hiker should ever look down on a day hiker or section hiker because that is "all" they are doing.
This was a big help! I'm going to start section hiking year. A friend and I wanted to do the entire PA section, but transportation was iffy and would require us to drive 6 hrs round trip to pick up our car at Penn Mar. With the link you provided, we may take Amtrak to Harper's Ferry and save oodles of time driving and worrying about a car. Thanks!
I'm a new hiker, and no one I know seems to have any interest in hiking, so "out and back" and loops are the only real hiking options for me. I like large parks with multiple trails so I can change up my routes but still end up at my car.
Great video! I to generally always Park in one location and do an out-and-back for an overnighter on the AT... The only thing I've seen and it doesn't exist everywhere of course is secondary Trails can sometimes be used to make a loop or a lollipop out of the traIl. But again these are few and far between and require getting on Less maintained secondary trails and off the AT
I'm sure you've thought of this, but to solve the Travel Time Prediction Problem, maybe park your car at your destination and get a shuttle ride back to your start point. If you want to be cautious, don't park as far away from the start. Then if you feel good and still have time, hike past the car and then double back. But at this point, keep doing it as you have been and then you will have hiked the trail both ways.
Great video. I like to do out and backs as well. At least you know how long it's going to take you to get back to your car and you won't over shoot your time and have people worrying about you.
Not strictly the AT, but I would look into hiking in the Great Smokies., esp the trails used by fisherman or the horse trails, since many have modest elevation changes and aren't technical. Some of these trails are really old roads. My favorite walk that could be lengthened to a backpacking trip is one that starts out of Elkmont Campground. Last year one of the horse trails out of Cades Cove which was long, but not hard or exciting, but I love Cades Cove. :) Most of the hikes in these areas can be made as easy or as difficult as one wishes. Many are loops which solves the parking problem. I also think a car parked near the ranger station or in a camping site is as safe as one can find. Only downside is that you will need to registrar and plan your hike. I was at Neel's Gap last Saturday too on a day hike.
no never been there, I live right by Ceaser Creek lake, it has an attached state park with lots of hiking trails. I plan on doing some section hiking on the atc this spring.
From Hot Springs, N C to Standing bear farm and back is what I planned but muscle pain ended my big plans after 4 hours! I returned to Canada disappointed ?.Stayed at Laughing Heart Hostel..October 2017 Thanks for your video, Brother
Nice review on Section Hiking. I love Section and day hikers because maybe they might invite us thru hikers to trail magic. 3 questions - do you have your pics yet for the RUclips hikers for 2017 yet? For a joke I should get a nomination for first ever you tube viewing lol. - I heard that there are already 34 you tube hikers for 2018. - Update on numbers yet? You can delete this afterwards. Only 130 days left till my departure date. 🤗🇨🇦
I haven't looked at every single channel yet but I know the hikers in at least eight NB 2017 channels made it up Katahdin. I have seen summit photos on Instagram for two of those who are still catching up on posting youtube vids. I found 133 (yes, one hundred-thirty-three) channels that said they were thru hiking in '17. As I write Nov. 11 Baxter is mostly locked up, the northbound party is over. I probably won't do a big survey till the southbounders are done. As always, thanks for watching!
Greyhound and Amtrak seem to service quite a few places up and down near the AT. Might consider using their services to avoid having to always work your way back to your car. Greyhound might actually be cheaper than filling your gas tank a few times.
Probably it would. But anybody who hopes to do the entire thing would be smarter to use a better approach. Guess I aint that smart. :) And thanks for being a viewer!
Nothing wrong with hiking a trail in both directions. Always a diff feeling to it. Solo logistics limit what you can do. I heard of a hiker with two cars, beat up but reliable, that he used to leap frog driving north and hike back south to a waiting car. He had shuttle guy take car #1 to Springer then he drove car #2 to Helen, Ga and hiked So to Springer, then drove further No of Helen car and hiked back to it. He would make short jumps and long ones and went off trail as needed. He got idea from two hikers who did this with their cars and he decided to do same with his own cars. He keeps nothing of value in them and they are not worth stealing, hopefully. He was home based out of Franklin so trail access is easy.
Open this link -- www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/transportation-options -- scroll down and you'll see the word "vandalism." Click on that and you'll see information for specific locations. While some of the examples are dated, I would take it as a good sign if a specific parking site is not listed. That would suggest nothing happened lately worth mentioning. The AT Conservancy website used to list phone numbers for the officers of trail maintenance clubs. I once read of vandalism at the lot on the northern side of the James River bridge -- I called a guy at the club handling that part of the trail. He said nothing bad had happened there for a long time. The ATC still lists the clubs, maybe they would respond to an email question, I dunno, I haven't tried it. -- www.appalachiantrail.org/home/about-us/regional-partnerships -- And thanks for watching.
If you ever find time to come up to NY, the Adirondacks will solve your out-and-back problem thanks to there being so many intermingled trails and public forests (NB: properly-prepared-for off-trail backcountry hiking and bushwacking is a must for any adventurer and their compass). You might like the ADKs better than the AT, as well, because there are far more remote and less traveled areas than almost anything on the AT. Vermont is nice, too, but even the little Long Trail is often clogged with hikers. Good for them, but I'll stick to my disused Adirondack shelter on my secret pond no one ever visits in the heart of the Adirondacks reading Tales of an Empty Cabin. If you ever plan to come up this way and want to meet up or just need a ride between sections in the NYVT area, send me a message. In your video you say you don't have any friends, but all lonely sojourners share a common thread. The day you first walked alone in the wood and slept under stars, we were life-long friends. Songs for the rocks...
Oh, I've got some friends all right, but they're all in Ohio and always busy. The Adirondacks sound great - I have a friend who has spent time up there and he rates the area very highly! And thanks or watching!
Try this link appalachiantrail.rohland.org it is specifically to guide you to parking areas on the AT, rates their safety, etc. Been available several years. My wife and I have found it reliable. Happy trails
More than a few times I noticed something interesting on the return trip that I somehow overlooked on the walk out. Keep hikin' and thanks for watching!
This summer I plan to head south from Daleville. Know anyplace where I could park my car for a week or two in that town? I was thinking of calling some businesses and offering to pay to let me use their lot. And thanks for watching!
Virtually every thru hiker I ever met was friendly and courteous, but I usually didn't say much except to ask 'how's it going?' Based on what I've heard, a yo-yo is when somebody hikes the whole trail northbound, then turns around and walks it all southbound. And thanks for watching!
The AT Conservancy has pulled down its shuttle list and refers hiker to these sources:
Trailwide (Georgia to Maine)
WhiteBlaze.net - Large A.T. discussion forum with articles and trailwide shuttle providers listing.
TheTrek.co - Extensive community generated content, with blogs, advice, and a listing of shuttles buses, and taxis.
Acorn Trail Guides - Resources for day-hikers to thru-hikers, with a Trailwide shuttle listing.
Specific locations
Georgia A.T. Club - The maintaining club for the A.T. in Georgia, with info on directions, shuttles, and parking and other info about the Georgia A.T. for hikers.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park - The park can provide a list of shuttle drivers permitted to operate within the park if you call the Backcountry Office at (865) 436-1231. Be aware that all overnight hikers must have a backcountry permit in the park that must be acquired in advance.
Roanoke A.T. Club - A.T. maintaining club that covers more than 100 miles of the A.T. in central Virginia has a shuttle drivers listing.
I don't know when I first heard of the Appalachian Trail, but in October 1971 I decided I had to see it. Having lived mostly in flat and seasonless South Florida most of my years to that point, I wanted to see mountains and fall colors. So, thanks to a school schedule that gave me a four-day weekend, I stuck my thumb out at the Florida Turnpike entrance and headed north from Fort Lauderdale. A straight-through ride got me to Atlanta in a quick 8 hours. A lot of shorter rides and an overnight camping in the bushes got me to the trail near Gatlinburg. I had no information or expectations. I believe I headed north. It was rather dreary, but the fall colors compensated. Sort of like those RUclips videos of folks who are colorblind putting on those special glasses for the first time. I came on a shelter -- didn't know they existed, I was carrying a tent -- and decided to stay the night as it was raining. I recall it having chainlink fencing, being rather crowded, a group singing the Beatles' Obladi Oblada. Next morning, I hiked back out and began thumbing home. Made a stopover to visit my father in Atlanta and then, after a lot of shorter rides, got home in time to not miss any classes. That was my section hike.
Met my wife the next weekend. Still have the muddled Instamatic photos of the fall colors.
Great story! Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!!!
Man I have never watched an info/educational video on RUclips that is packed from stem to stern with more info nor narrated by a more effective, concise speaker than this guy's videos. He never once skips a beat, stumbles, stutters, says "um, ah, like, or you know". He must be a charter member of toastmasters. Excellent work! Very professional production. There's just no fluff whatsoever.
Thanks for that endorsement and thanks again for being a viewer!
flatbrokeoutside your welcome and I'm not just a viewer I'm a brand new subscriber. Ha!
Have you done a video on the history of the AT? How it came to be, etc? Are the Ozarks near the trail?
Glad to have you as a subscriber! I did a video on the most famous early thru-hikers, Earl Shaffer and Emma Gatewood -- ruclips.net/video/KQHct7Nu9so/видео.html -- This video talks about some of the changes along the AT since the early 1940s and '50s. The Ozark Mountains (so I read) are west of the Mississippi River. The AT is many miles to the east, running from Georgia to Maine.
flatbrokeoutside thanks and I'd like to mention how inspirational you are not only for the hiking but for this channel and your videos. I'm very honored to have such an amazing resource.
flatbrokeoutside what are trail angels exactly? I mean if you gave me 3 guess I'm sure I'd come close but I'd only b3 speculating.
FlatBrokeOutside... You are my AT RUclips Hero!!! Your hilarious commentary and experienced accurate insight is so righteous. I model my section hikes and planning according to your recommendations. You've been a REAL help during my recent 2017 AT section meanders... up Katahdin (and down Abol), Springer to NC... and AT sections in all 14 states... Please don't stop this incredible contribution to the Zen of the AT.
It's great to hear you found the videos helpful - and great that you've done so much walking on the AT! Keep up the awesome work and thanks a million for being a great viewer!
You have described the life of the section hiker to a tee! I couldn’t have agreed with everything you said any more- you are spot on! Bravo! Thx for your video- I have always meant to do some of my own section hiker videos, but frankly, you do a much better job than I have. (I’ve started several, but deleted them). I also have hiked the trails NOBO until half my time is up then SOBO back to the car. My other thought is that section hikers aren’t out there often enough to ever get their “trail legs”. 20 mile days can’t be that prevalent, I think.
Thanks for sharing your experience! True, most section hikers don't do 20s, but some do. I've only done a handful. And thanks a million for watching!
Great title for this one! Plus, I really enjoy your commentary and info. This one was a little more funny than usual and I laughed several times hearing you describe asking former wives and x girlfriends for rides. LOL. I always get a chuckle out of the photos with your friends eyes blocked out too. But in the end, for some reason this video really makes me want to go out and hike! I loved the SNP and agree its some of the smoothest trail out there. Good views, lots of critters, showers and blackberry milkshakes everyday don't hurt either. Thanks as always for posting your videos.
Glad to hear somebody catches my lame humor :) -- It's always an honor to have you as a viewer!
I love your videos, I am trying to get out there myself after a lengthy illness. I hope to see you out there one day and if you ever need a lift...I'd be honored to get you where you need to go!
I wish you well on your recovery and hope you can get back out there. Thanks for the ride offer and thanks for watching!
My first time on the AT was in October 1971. I lived in Fort Lauderdale where it's flat and no seasons (other than hurricane season), and I desperately wanted to see mountains and fall colors. So, with no classes on Friday or Monday, I stuck my thumb out at the Florida Turnpike. First ride got me to Atlanta in eight hours -- we flew. Didn't make it to the trail near Gatlinburg until the next morning. It was cold and rainy, but I made some miles and stayed in a shelter for the night. Hiked back out the next morning and began the journey home, with a stopover in Atlanta to visit my father. Another day of thumbing got me back to Fort Lauderdale in time to be in class on Tuesday. That was my section hike. And, totally unrelated, I met my future wife the following Sunday.
Sounds like a great trip to remember! Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!
Really good video, very thorough and a lot of great info. I spent my birthday at Daleville last year and then two nights later had a beautiful campsite next to Jennings Creek and had a good soak in the water. Great memories. I hear the trail calling! Thanks for posting.
Thanks a million for watching!
Agreed on the ex's comment! I really enjoy your videos and appreciate all the information you have in them. Thanks!
You're welcome and thanks a million for being a viewer!
flatbrokeoutside: Maybe you wouldn't be able to get an Ex to retrieve you from a trip, but maybe one would be anxious to take you away to one LOL
oldredcoonhound - Oh, I'm easier to get rid of than that. :)
Many thanks. I'm passing the information on down the trail to others coming up the trail. Make it a great day.
Thanks for watching!
Another great installment in your series. These are good points to think about for other long trails, especially those that don't have the "infrastructure" of the AT. I'm thinking in particular about the North Country and Ice Age trails in my area. No trail angel culture that I know of, for example, and shuttle issues in areas such as Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
You make good points, as always. Thanks again for watching!
I have been watching a lot of your videos and really enjoy them! Learning a lot too! There is no shame in doing section hikes or day hikes! No one knows the obstacles a person may have just to get out of bed and if they are hiking that is AWESOME! No thru hiker should ever look down on a day hiker or section hiker because that is "all" they are doing.
Agreed! Keep making those videos and thanks again for watching!
This was a big help! I'm going to start section hiking year. A friend and I wanted to do the entire PA section, but transportation was iffy and would require us to drive 6 hrs round trip to pick up our car at Penn Mar. With the link you provided, we may take Amtrak to Harper's Ferry and save oodles of time driving and worrying about a car. Thanks!
Glad you found the video helpful! Have a great hike and thanks for watching!
I'm out there all year round .. great video man I love every season out there
Excellent vid. Good info for the "other 1000's" of us hikers.
Glad you liked it and thanks for watching!
I enjoyed you video. It brought back good memories when when I saw the trail on 220 in Dalesville.
Glad you liked it and thanks for watching!
I'm a new hiker, and no one I know seems to have any interest in hiking, so "out and back" and loops are the only real hiking options for me. I like large parks with multiple trails so I can change up my routes but still end up at my car.
Multiple trails are great -- Thanks a million for watching!
I love love this video and voice over. I am going on my first AT in Oct. Just for 2 nights 😛
Hope it's a great trip and thanks for watching!
Thanks again for all the great info.. I to will have to hike one way to the middle of the hike and then back to the car here in MI.
Glad you liked the video and thanks for watching!
Great video! I to generally always Park in one location and do an out-and-back for an overnighter on the AT... The only thing I've seen and it doesn't exist everywhere of course is secondary Trails can sometimes be used to make a loop or a lollipop out of the traIl. But again these are few and far between and require getting on Less maintained secondary trails and off the AT
My experience matches yours -- in most areas walking back to the car on a side trail is not an option. Keep hikin' and thanks for watching!
I've done the approach to Neel gap and Fontana dam to newfound gap all in the last 60 days. I'm hooked. Planning my next trip for 3 weeks from now.
That's spirit we like around here! Keep hikin' and thanks for watching!
Another great insightful video... Thanks
Glad you liked it and thanks again for watching!
Another well assembled and informative video!
Glad you liked it and thanks for being a viewer!
I started section hiking this year. I made it to Fontana Dam from Springer Mountain. Hope in 2018 I’ll make it in Virginia.
That's the spirit we like around here! Good hiking and thanks a million for watching!
I'm sure you've thought of this, but to solve the Travel Time Prediction Problem, maybe park your car at your destination and get a shuttle ride back to your start point. If you want to be cautious, don't park as far away from the start. Then if you feel good and still have time, hike past the car and then double back.
But at this point, keep doing it as you have been and then you will have hiked the trail both ways.
Your suggestion is a good idea! And thanks for watching!
Great video. I like to do out and backs as well. At least you know how long it's going to take you to get back to your car and you won't over shoot your time and have people worrying about you.
True enough! And thanks for watching!
As a section hiker I thank you.
You're welcome, and thanks for watching!
Not strictly the AT, but I would look into hiking in the Great Smokies., esp the trails used by fisherman or the horse trails, since many have modest elevation changes and aren't technical. Some of these trails are really old roads. My favorite walk that could be lengthened to a backpacking trip is one that starts out of Elkmont Campground. Last year one of the horse trails out of Cades Cove which was long, but not hard or exciting, but I love Cades Cove. :)
Most of the hikes in these areas can be made as easy or as difficult as one wishes. Many are loops which solves the parking problem. I also think a car parked near the ranger station or in a camping site is as safe as one can find. Only downside is that you will need to registrar and plan your hike.
I was at Neel's Gap last Saturday too on a day hike.
Good tip, and thanks again for watching!
You mentioned you live close to Columbus OH, I live south of there in Waynesville. Would be really cool to run into you sometime on the trail.
For real. I occasionally backpack at Zaleski, not far from Nelsonville. Ever been there? And thanks for being a viewer!
no never been there, I live right by Ceaser Creek lake, it has an attached state park with lots of hiking trails. I plan on doing some section hiking on the atc this spring.
From Hot Springs, N C to Standing bear farm and back is what I planned but muscle pain ended my big plans after 4 hours!
I returned to Canada disappointed ?.Stayed at Laughing Heart Hostel..October 2017
Thanks for your video, Brother
Sorry to hear the hike was cut short! Hope it goes better next time and thanks for watching!
Canada got lots of Hiking trails to train on, before the big AT...hope you try again. cheers
Thanks !! Think this is my only way I be able to do the AT ! Was thinking drive to a park near a bus line ?
It can be done - it's a question of how many miles will it take? Check out that ATC pdf in the description. And thanks for watching!
Nice review on Section Hiking. I love Section and day hikers because maybe they might invite us thru hikers to trail magic.
3 questions
- do you have your pics yet for the RUclips hikers for 2017 yet? For a joke I should get a nomination for first ever you tube viewing lol.
- I heard that there are already 34 you tube hikers for 2018.
- Update on numbers yet?
You can delete this afterwards. Only 130 days left till my departure date. 🤗🇨🇦
I haven't looked at every single channel yet but I know the hikers in at least eight NB 2017 channels made it up Katahdin. I have seen summit photos on Instagram for two of those who are still catching up on posting youtube vids. I found 133 (yes, one hundred-thirty-three) channels that said they were thru hiking in '17. As I write Nov. 11 Baxter is mostly locked up, the northbound party is over. I probably won't do a big survey till the southbounders are done. As always, thanks for watching!
Hi great channel ☺ Keep it up!
Glad you like the channel and thanks for being a viewer!
Greyhound and Amtrak seem to service quite a few places up and down near the AT. Might consider using their services to avoid having to always work your way back to your car. Greyhound might actually be cheaper than filling your gas tank a few times.
Good points, and thanks for watching!
So if you walk out and then back for all the sectionals.....does that count in completing the AT twice? Haha! Love your video's!
Probably it would. But anybody who hopes to do the entire thing would be smarter to use a better approach. Guess I aint that smart. :) And thanks for being a viewer!
Great video.
Glad you liked it and thanks again for watching!
Nothing wrong with hiking a trail in both directions. Always a diff feeling to it. Solo logistics limit what you can do. I heard of a hiker with two cars, beat up but reliable, that he used to leap frog driving north and hike back south to a waiting car. He had shuttle guy take car #1 to Springer then he drove car #2 to Helen, Ga and hiked So to Springer, then drove further No of Helen car and hiked back to it. He would make short jumps and long ones and went off trail as needed. He got idea from two hikers who did this with their cars and he decided to do same with his own cars. He keeps nothing of value in them and they are not worth stealing, hopefully. He was home based out of Franklin so trail access is easy.
That's a pretty good idea, using two cars. Thanks for sharing that and thanks again for being a viewer!
Any info on vandalism or theft of cars left at the parking lots?
Open this link -- www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/transportation-options -- scroll down and you'll see the word "vandalism." Click on that and you'll see information for specific locations. While some of the examples are dated, I would take it as a good sign if a specific parking site is not listed. That would suggest nothing happened lately worth mentioning. The AT Conservancy website used to list phone numbers for the officers of trail maintenance clubs. I once read of vandalism at the lot on the northern side of the James River bridge -- I called a guy at the club handling that part of the trail. He said nothing bad had happened there for a long time. The ATC still lists the clubs, maybe they would respond to an email question, I dunno, I haven't tried it. -- www.appalachiantrail.org/home/about-us/regional-partnerships -- And thanks for watching.
If you ever find time to come up to NY, the Adirondacks will solve your out-and-back problem thanks to there being so many intermingled trails and public forests (NB: properly-prepared-for off-trail backcountry hiking and bushwacking is a must for any adventurer and their compass). You might like the ADKs better than the AT, as well, because there are far more remote and less traveled areas than almost anything on the AT. Vermont is nice, too, but even the little Long Trail is often clogged with hikers. Good for them, but I'll stick to my disused Adirondack shelter on my secret pond no one ever visits in the heart of the Adirondacks reading Tales of an Empty Cabin.
If you ever plan to come up this way and want to meet up or just need a ride between sections in the NYVT area, send me a message. In your video you say you don't have any friends, but all lonely sojourners share a common thread. The day you first walked alone in the wood and slept under stars, we were life-long friends. Songs for the rocks...
Oh, I've got some friends all right, but they're all in Ohio and always busy. The Adirondacks sound great - I have a friend who has spent time up there and he rates the area very highly! And thanks or watching!
headed to SNP on friday...im addicted to sections
That's the spirit we like around here! Keep hikin' and thanks for watching!
Try this link
appalachiantrail.rohland.org
it is specifically to guide you to parking areas on the AT, rates their safety, etc. Been available several years. My wife and I have found it reliable.
Happy trails
That is an awesome link! Thanks a million for sharing and thanks for watching!
Another 'out and back hiker', good to know I'm not alone in my covering each section nobo & sobo.
More than a few times I noticed something interesting on the return trip that I somehow overlooked on the walk out. Keep hikin' and thanks for watching!
Have you noticed that the return trip along the same trail is shorter than the first pass? Always seems that way to me, anyway.
Me, too.
I also section hike a lot in Rocksylvania (P),,,,I am like you all around...
That's the spirit we like around here! :) Thanks again for being a viewer!
Dude I camp at Jennings creek every year. Next time you are around let me know.
This summer I plan to head south from Daleville. Know anyplace where I could park my car for a week or two in that town? I was thinking of calling some businesses and offering to pay to let me use their lot. And thanks for watching!
flatbrokeoutside there is a park and ride by I81
Excellent! Thanks!
Thumb up, jim
Thanks again for watching!
Do Thru hikers , look down at Section hikers ?
What is a YoYo hiker ?
2:44 First 20 miles in 3 days....that is more my style of hiking..LOL
Virtually every thru hiker I ever met was friendly and courteous, but I usually didn't say much except to ask 'how's it going?' Based on what I've heard, a yo-yo is when somebody hikes the whole trail northbound, then turns around and walks it all southbound. And thanks for watching!
FBO, if you want help with a shuttle on the Georgia section of the AT, let me know. It will be my way of paying you back for all the videos.
Thanks! I plan to keep working my way south. I have quite a ways to go before I hit Georgia. And thanks for being a great viewer!
(and I grew up in Marion, so howdy)
Hey man just hitch hike it's free. Keep your trecking poles out and extended and your pack visible.
You make a good point -- and thanks for watching!
My travel solution is a cheap car with a tow bar. Park one at each end of my section.
Good idea! And thanks for watching!
Marc Maron?
No. He is rich. I aint. And thanks for watching!