[at-l] Thru-hike prep/schools/tents

Wed Oct 28 09:57:37 CDT 2009

While a "school" for Backpacking on the AT may be of limited value in comparison with a /Ruck or a Gathering, it does give direct information from someone who has actually hiked the AT,  I think that one of the early members of ALDHA runs such a school.  A school will also bring together others who are contemplating such an experience and it may be a place to begin lasting friendships among those who are interested in the same area of activity.   I remember attending a Sailing School in NYC and if supplied basic information (knots, wind interpretation, etc.) and introduced me to a group of sailors and people interested in sailing that has resulted in long term friendships.  I would encourage attendance at any school or formal teaching opportunity and then also encourage attendance at more informal events such as a Gathering and/or a series of Rucks.

Jack Skylander

-----Original Message-----
From: Mara Factor <mfactor at gmail.com>
To: WILLIAM D VINCENT <vincentw at bellsouth.net>
Cc: at-l at backcountry.net
Sent: Wed, Oct 28, 2009 10:04 am
Subject: [at-l] Thru-hike prep/schools/tents

Attending someone's workshops or a "school" for thruhiking will give you one person's take on what worked for them when they were hiking the Appalachian Trail.  Whether or not their opinions and suggestions based on the experiences they had will work for you is entirely another matter.

In the meantime, you will have paid them for opinions that you can probably glean from other sources for free.

Since you've already done some hiking and overnights, I recommend you just expand on your experiences.  If you've only been out for one night at a time, try doing some three day trips and maybe a week long trip or two.  It sounds like you've got another whole year to test gear and otherwise prepare.  Joining a local hiking club can make some backpacking trips easier and you'll get to see what works for other hikers, too.

Email lists such as this one, forums such as those on Whiteblaze.net, and groups such as the Yahoo BackpackingLight group are good places to ask questions.  Yeah, you have to wade through all the "noise" but after a while, you get quick on the delete key and learn to only spend time on those topics you're interested in.

If you've been out in a variety of conditions and have been happy with your tarp, you may just want to continue using your tarp.  Reasons why you might want to consider using a tent include bug control, temperature, and campsite conditions.  There are places where you might otherwise need to rig bug netting under your tarp.  Tents can also be warmer.  If you are truly thinking about starting in February, a tent can be 20 degrees warmer than the outside air.  You don't get that benefit from a tarp.  As such, with a tent, you may be able to travel with a lighter and smaller packing sleeping bag than with a tarp.  And while you should pick your campsite with care even if you are using a tent, you may be able to get away with a bit less care in a tent than you might otherwise with a tarp.  Bathtub floors on tents can protect you from unexpected floods, anthills, etc.  The concept of critters crawling into your tarp to sleep with you is mostly more fiction than fact.  Sure, it can happen and has happened, but it is rare.  And besides, that can happen in a tent, too.  A mouse chewed it's way into my friend's tent and in the enclosed environment couldn't get out fast enough when my friend woke up and went after it with his boot.  LOL  Keep in mind, that only happened once, to one hiker, during my entire thruhike.

Mice in shelters, on the other hand, are a completely different story.  Almost everyone who has ever slept in a shelter will have mouse stories to share.  When you let them bother you or not will likely help determine whether or not you choose to sleep in shelters.

By the way, is there a reason why you are thinking about starting as early as February?  A March or April start still gives you plenty of time for a six month thruhike, a long enough period of time not to feel rushed along your hike.  And the later start means a much smaller likelihood of extreme cold and snow when you start.

Mara
Stitches, AT99

Visit my Travels and Trails web site at: http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor

On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 8:32 AM, WILLIAM D VINCENT <vincentw at bellsouth.net> wrote:

This site is great and as a newbie I appreciate all the responses (Winter closer of GSMNP).  So your next challenge>>>>
I have hiked and over nighted extensively in middle Tennessee (snow, 20 degrees and hills not mountains).  I am a competitive long distance runner at 60, recently fininshed 16th in a national championship.  So here is my question:  I plan on retiring in Oct. 10 and want to thru hike the AT beginning Feb or March 2011.  What will I gain by attending one of those "schools" for thru hikers?  Be brutal, nothing but honesty will help.

And... I'm a tarp hiker, what are the virtures of a tent?         

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