Road to Road AT Section Hiking

In the thirteen (13) years that I section hiked the AT, 66% of my total AT (1477.5 out of 2193.1) miles were either road to road, access trail to road, road to access trail or access trail to road. I've used David Miller's AT Guide since 2013 and I've purchased a new AT Guide every year. The AT Guide also know as AWOL's AT Guide comes in a printed version for either NoBo (Northbound) or SoBo (Southbound) along with a pdf version. https://www.theatguide.com/ The AT Guide shows nearly ever mile, most road crossing and many with GPS coordinates, near-by towns and the services and facilities, Hostels or other forms of lodging,shuttle services along with other information. Over the past thirteen (13) years I've found the vast majority of Thru Hikers and Section Hikers use the AT Guide. Between the AT Guide, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) State terrain maps, FarOut phone app, Google maps, and http://appalachiantrail.rohland.org/ (not secure) I've been able to use these sources to plan my AT Section Hiking. In late July 2010, my first hiking partner, Ron Filbert and I backpacked from Pen Mar (near the PA/MD line) southbound to Harpers Ferry over four (4) days. We were supposde to spend our first night at Devils Racecourse Shelter (torn down and replaced by Raven Rock Shelter in 2010), but we missed the turn-off and instead of having a 4.4 mile first day, we had a 9.5 first day. I don't think GutHook (now FarOut) was available for the AT until 2013. In May 2011, Ron Filbert and I backpacked from Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the AT northbound to Neel Gap over four (4) days. We stayed in shelters for two nights, but choose to tent on the third night because of two hikers who smoked constantly (even while we were trying to eat dinner) and their snoring could wake the dead. Nope I didn't use earplugs at that time. Ron and I also backpacked in July 2011 and we planned to hike again in 2012 but his skin cancer came back later in 2011 and he passed away in 2012. I wanted to continue section hiking with others and I again did another posting for seniors in the ATC Magazine in the fall issue. The result of this posting was that I was introduced to Randy, from Virginia and Lee from Tennessee. They had hiked with each other before and they wanted to hike the seventy-two plus AT miles in New Jersey. Their plan was to hike the New Jersey AT as a series of road to road day hikes. Lee determined that Swartswood State Park and Campground would be an ideal place to tent and spend our nights after each day hike. Lee did most of the planning and this would be my first lesson on how to plan seven consecutive days of day-hiking. The term "slack packing" in my opinion can also mean day-hiking. We averaged about eight-point-five (8.5) miles per day. New Jersey was now the third AT State I had completed. Maryland was my first in 2010 and West Virginia my second also in 2010. I learned several lessons from Lee and Randy (Randy went on to complete his AT Journey several years later). The first lesson for me was to make sure our first day of hiking was shorter than our average day. The second lesson that was reinforced by Fred (he had Thru Hiked the AT when he was in his fifties, then Section Hiked the AT again when he was in his sixties. He Section Hiked with me for several years and completed Georgia through Massachusetts for the third time when he was in his seventies), was to hike the steeper part earlier in the day and have a more gradual descent at the end of the day. This meant some days we'd hike NoBo and other days SoBo. Another lesson which became more important as I aged was the need for "Zero" or "no hike" day. The more difficult the terrain the more need for more frequent Zero Days. There is also a "Nero Day" which is a day when we'd hike only a few miles, maybe two or three. The two car system which I used most of the time was placing a car at our end point either the afternoon before or the morning of our hike. There have been some incidents of vehicle vandelism but this depends on how exposed the parking area is to traffic. I and my hiking partners over the past thirteen years (2009-2021) I Section Hiked never had an incident. Over the years I have preferred to have my Subaru the car placed where we'd end for the day. I've always made sure I had plenty of Gatorade in the covered back. In recent years, I've left an older pair of trail shoes and clean socks to change into once we've finished for the day. Its wonderful to take off my Asolo Boots and Darn Tough socks and change into clean and dry socks and lighter weight trail shoes. I also carry at least three or four old bath towels in case we get caught in the rain and we use to place on to dry us off and put on the car seats. Greg Peters another younger senior would create an Excel Spreadsheet and he actually calculate the times to drive from a Hostel, Motel/Hotel, to our end point where we'd leave my Subaru but also include the time and distance to get to our starting point. I continued to use his system throughout my AT Section Hiking. I began to add terrain information in the Excel Spreadsheets I created so my hiking partners could review my plans and make suggestions. I've forgotten the number of times, I changed directions because of something Fred or someone else saw or changed the order of what we hiked on what day. I prefer to day hike ten or less miles per day, but there are AT Sections where the roads shown in the AT Guide are twenty or more miles. Here's where FarOut, Rohland and Google maps come in hardy. The 2021 AT Guide, page 1450-1451 - NoBo Mile 1205.8 Game Commission Rd to NoBo Mile 1219.6 Schuylkill trail doesn't show at driveable roads in-between. Rohland showed a possible access trail to the AT called the AT Connector, near NoBo Mile 1213.0. Prior to one of my Section Hiking trips to Pennsylvania with Chris, I used Google maps and found the roads mentioned in Rohland. After one of my day-hiking trips with Chris in early 2021, I drove the location, off Interstate 78 and then using both my FarOut and Garmin inReach determined that I'd be about two miles from the AT. This allowed Chris and I to hike SoBo from this point in May towards Port Clinton and then hike to this same location SoBo with Phil in September from the Game Commission Road. We had two day-hikes versus one nearly nineteen mile backpack with an overnight stay at Eagles Nest Shelter. To put it another way, a twelve-pound day pack for two days versus a nineteen or twenty-pound backpack for two days. Occassionally we'd use an access road to the AT that didn't have parking nearby. In these cases, we'd contact a local shuttle drive and arrange to be met at our end point where I'd leave my Subaru and be driven to our starting point. This meant we'd hike to our car and not to wait for a pickup after a long day of hiking. Having a car at our end point was critical in Virginia and New York and we had heavy rain both times just as we ended our hike. "Always hike to your car" is my Rule 22! We've always paid shuttle drivers in cash and always given them extra! In Virgina, near Pearisbury we used a side trail to access the AT and our driver walked with us after a blown-down tree blocked the road to make sure we were headed in the correct direction. GrandPa Walking, AT 2000 Miler (2009-2021)

AT Section Hiking Training and Preparation

For those of us who chose not to Thru Hike and Section Hike the AT, we had to train each year prior to hiking. For those who live near mountains training is much easier than those of us who live where there is little elevation change. Living in the eastern part of Maryland, the most elevation I can hike is about 300 feet in some of our local State Parks. Prior to Covid-19, I used a local gym that had treadmills that elevated between +30 to -5 degrees along with a Versa Climber (think of a ladder where the steps and hand holds move). These were great for cardio, but the AT footpath is not flat and there is nothing like actual training in the woods. Depending on your age and physical condition, its always best to start out slow and with some weight in a day pack. For me its been 1.5 liters of water in a Platypus along with snacks or a light lunch and of course a rain jacket and toliet paper and aluminum tent stake (for digging a cat hole). I prefer not to train when the temperature is below 50 degrees and never train in the rain. I've got a couple of hiking trails that are also mountain bike trails to hike within 15 minutes of my home and if I want to drive 30 minutes or more, I've got a couple of State Parks to train in. If I want to train in town I'll use a 4 story parking garage and hike that for between 30 to 45 minutes for 3 days then take a day off and repeat. Over a period of weeks, I will add weight to my day pack until I am around 15 to 16 pounds. I will train on both parking garage stairs and local parks and increase my miles up to about 5 to 6 miles per day. I have a watch that monitors my heart rate and I try to keep in under 130 (I was 80 when I completed my last AT miles). Once I'm comfortable with my pace and training, I will switch to my ULA P-2 backpack (now called Catalyst) and load it with 1.5 liters of water in my Platypus, a 12 ounce Gatorade, my Big Agnes down sleeping pad and insulated air core mattress, my SteriPen, rain jacket along with snacks or a light lunch. I always bring my Black Diamond cork snap-lock trekking poles. Once I start training with my backpack, I will start wearing my soft-sided ACE ankle braces (over my Darn Tough hiking socks) and may or maynot wear my lighter Tommy Copper knee braces. I will stay at 6 or 7 miles per day and again, take a break every 4th day. Over time I will increase my miles per day to 9 or 10 miles as I hardly ever hike more than 10 miles on any AT Section Hike. I've done a 16+ mile day twice, once in the Smokies and once in TN. I've done a number of 11 or 12 miles days and maybe a 14 mile day. Since these are the 1% exception, I train for the days I am most likely to hike. This way my body becomes use to doing 10 mile days. When I section hiked in April, normally in Virginia or PA I would start my training in late January. I would try to allow myself two months to get back into shape as once I hit 75, I found I needed more time to get back into shape. For me the most important thing was to listen to my body. Sometimes when I hiked I would develope pain in my feet or ankles. I would shorten my hike and take 4 ipuprofen after I got back to my car. If the pain or discomfort was gone the next day, I continue my training, but if the pain continued I'd take another day off. On occasion I trip or stumble. It could be from a bit of a root sticking up on the tip of a buried rock. I would just stop and find a place to sit down for 5 or more minutes before continuing on. Sometimes I would just head back to my car. During training you can stop anytime you want and hike back to your car. I've hiked with pain a number of times. On our journey through Mahoosuc Notch, I injured my left Achilles either in the Notch or during the climb up the Arm. The ibuprofen helped that night, but the next day the pain was worse. We bailed and hiked back to Success Pond Road and my Subaru. The next day I went to the ER in Berlin NH and the doctor confirmed my Achilles injury. That ended that Maine hike. Another time backpacking NoBo in the Bigelows (Maine), I stretched my Achilles on day 2 of what was supposed to be a 4 day 3 night backpack. The place we planned to tent had water issues so we hiked on to the next tent site that had better water. I was in pain most of that 2nd day and even the ibuprofen didn't help much. The last day, now day 3 was better as the terrain was a lot less severe and the ibuprofen I took that morning helped. I normally only take my ibuprofen at night and rarely during the day. We took 2 Zero Days then day hiked between East Flagstaff Road and Caratunk Maine for 3 days. Took another Zero and day hiked and backpacked for several more days. The ibuprofen helped with the pain and we completed our planned Maine section and on our way home, we day hiked easy miles in VT. I've said this before, but your body will tell you when to slow down or take a break. Injuries for seniors can have much more of an affect than those who are in the 30's, 40's 50's and 60's! Then tend to bonce-back quicker!

AT Section Hiking - Getting Started

In September 2021 I hiked my last AT miles with another younger senior, Phil Tymon from California. I first met Phil On Wednesday August 24th in the 100 Mile Wilderness just north of Cooper Brook Lean-to (most shelters in Maine are called Lean-to's). He was hobbling north with the aid of a broom as he has slipped and twisted his ankle a few days earlier while getting water. He had arranged with the AT Lodge in Millinocket for a pick up at Jo-Mary Road, about 3.7 miles further north. I told Phil once I got to my Subaru at Jo-Mary Road I'd wait for him and take him to the ER in Millinocket. It turned out he had broken his ankle. We remained Facebook friends ever since that day. He came east to hike my last AT miles in VT and PA as I was completing my 13 year AT journey. I learned a lot in the two year after my failed attempt at climbing Katahdin to Baxter Peak in Baxter State Park, near Millinocket Maine. As I wrote in my book "Maine's Appalachian Trail How Seniors Made Section Hiking Easier" I climbed Katahdin off the couch and didn't have the AT Data Book or AWOL's AT Guide or even a terrain map of the trails in Baxter State Park. For me, footwear is the most important item for anyone who is planning to hike the AT or just hike in general. I started with Merrill trail shoes and they worked initially. Initially I purchased the REI brand of hiking socks and they also worked for me for several years. In 2012, I was introduced to Body Glide, my another younger senior, Randy Ruble and began to use it every day on my feet in the morning and again during breaks, especially if it was a hot day. I've probably avoided blisters because of Body Glide. I can't remember the number of pairs of trail shoes I've purchased over the years, but as I aged, I found I needed more ankle support and I puchased my 1st pair of Asolo Boots in 2015. Around the same time I started to where ACE soft-sided ankle supports and found they worked best on the outside of my hiking socks. Between the boots, ankle supports and Black Diamond snap-lock trekking poles I felt secure. Since footwear is so critical, I've always shopped late in the day after I've been on my foot for most of the day. Initially, I'd use of socks that REI had for try-on's but started to bring my own hiking socks. I'm not sure who told me this or if I got it from an older Yahoo hiking light discussion group, but your feet will swell the more you are on them. Add a day pack of backpack and they could swell even more. I've purchase all my hiking footwear at REI as they have a great refund or exchange policy and I've been an REI member since 2005. Once you've settle on footwear and socks, the next critical item is your backpack. I started out with a Madden Mountaineering backpack in 2003, but at six pounds empty it was just too heavy. At the time, I was following a "backpacking lite" group on Yahoo and looking at backpack suggestions in Backpacker Magazine. REI had lots of choices but they were all in the four to five pound range and I felt being 5'8"and 160 pounds that was too much weight. ULA out of Utah kept coming up as an excellent choice, but no one in the Greater Maryland, DC and northern Virginia carried ULA. In the spring of 2004 I drove from my home in Baltimore County to Damascus Virginia as Mt Rogers Outfitters carried the ULA P2 pack and they had several in stock. It was a 7 hour drive and I spent the night in a motel near Damascus. Around 10am I arrived at Mt Rogers Outfitter and asked to be fitted for a ULA P2 backpack. The young man who took care of me, spent a lot of time measuring to make sure I had the right size and he loaded the pack with a number of 5 pound sandbags so I could feel what it would be like to carry 20 pounds. One of the great thing about the ULA P2 was the hip belts came in different sizes and I ended up ordering a small from ULA in Utah as the medium hip belt was just too large. My ULA P2 is 4900 cubic inches and weighs 47 ounces. I used it in July 2021 on a 3 day, 1 shelter night and 1 Hut night backpack on my last AT section in the White Mountains of NH. I've thought that maybe REI should have sleeping bags, pads, tents, cooking gear available to use to load up a pack during the sales process as this would be a much better way to judge how a backpack fits with "actual" gear versus 5 pound beanbags. OK, you've got your hiking footwear, your backpack, now its time to consider your sleep system. I've always used a sleeping bag and a 2.5 or 3 inch insulated air core pad. If I was in my 60's and starting my AT section hiking adventure, I'd consider a hammock. Back in 2009 when I started, I recall hammock systems were very heavy and a 2+ pound tent was a much better option. After trying several other sleeping bags over a couple of years, I choose the Big Agnes Zirkel 20 degree down bag weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces. I also choose the Big Agnes 2.5 inch insulated air core that fits into the sleeve in my Big Agnes down bag. In 2014 my valve on my Big Agnes insultated air core failed during my last night at Fahnstock State Park in New York and Big Agnes replaced my air core at no cost. I am a restless sleeper, but with the air core in the sleeve of my Big Agnes down bag I never end up on bare ground or the hard work floor of a shelter. As I mentioned above, I would have considered a hammock system, but back in early 2000's I choose to tent. I started out with Eureka 2-person tent at 4 pounds but switched the following year to a Henry Shire Tarptent at 2 pounds, 2 ounces. Since 66% of my AT miles were road to road using the 2-car system, and I and the other seniors I hiked with preferred shelters or Lean-to's, my Tarptent didn't get much use. In 2019, I bought my friend Fred's 1 pound tent. It uses a trekkin pole for support, but it reduced my backpack weight by another pound. It's small and just enough room to sleep and my backpack stays outside Now, we have the Big 4, footwear, backpack, sleep system, and shelter. This means my base weight without clothing, medical, cook system, food and water comes in at between 8-pounds, 8-ounces or 7-pounds, 6-ounces. Now that we have the basics and I will discuss the others in another Blog, let's discuss testing out your gear. I choose to do an in and out hike to Devil's Race Course Shelter (this was torn down and replaced by Raven Rock Shelter in 2010) on Friday August 15th 2003 and hike back to my car on Saturday August 16th. This would be my first AT hike and my first overnight in a tent in decades. It would be a good test of my gear. I had purchased an AT terrain map for this section and I had my older compass. I parked my car just outside Pen Mar Park in a large parking area and under some very old trees. I used the park's bathroom before heading south. The path was flat and groomed. Somehow I missed the double blaze on a tree indicating the AT went off to my left and I ended up near someone's home. What I should have done, but didn't was to backtrack until I found the AT. Instead I took off my pack, laid out the terrain map and compass and made a determination that I could "buchwack" to the AT by following a bearing my my compass to a stream that the AT crossed. This worked as Maryland here is pretty flat and I intersected the AT and continued south. If I had had more knowledge I would have never done this and this was the last time I ever did this. There was some elevation change and since this was the first time I carried a full pack I had to make sure I was learning a bit forward when I hiked. I caught myself a few times and almost fell backwards once or twice. Between Pen Mar Park and High Rock the elevation increased about 350 feet over 2.8 miles. Except for some rock type steps I hardly noticed the climb. I did a pack off break at High Rock, took a photo or two and ate some snacks and drank some water. By the time I got to the turn off to Devil's Race Course Shelter I was tired and didn't feel I wanted to hike down the side trail to the shelter. I took off my pack and began to set up my Eureka tent. Somehow I had forgotten to put the poles for the Eureka tent in my backpack. I did bring some light line and between my trekking poles and the trees near-by I got my tent to be partially open. I can't remember if I was in a designated tent spot either, probably not. Again this is something I would remember not to do again. I boiled water and poured it into one of those freeze dried trail meals. It was ok, but it had way too much sodium for my taste, but I ate it anyway. I slept badly as I could hear dogs barking much of the night and the sound of cars. On Saturday August 16th I packed up and hiked back to my car. I had hiked nine-point-four-miles (9.4) and learned several lessons.