Appalachian Trail

[PhuturePriest]

I mean, we could bring a few more people, but it'd be cool to do it alone.

 

I used to think like that. Then my sister and I got addicted to the show "I Shouldn't Be Alive", and I decided that being macho and going it alone was stupid, and I would get lost. As for maps, it's easy to lose your way, even if you know the area and map well. I would seriously recommend getting someone that has been on the trail many times, because it is such a huge trail.

[Laudate_Dominum]

Some parts are not as remote as others. I was crashed at an official lean-to one time when some funky acid tripping dudes showed up and tried to get freaky with their girlfriends right in the lean-to where I was trying to sleep. Awkward and rude. Maybe creepy and scary if I were female. I don't know how common such things are, but I can recall a couple weird encounters and I was only on the trail for a matter of weeks.

[Laudate_Dominum]

^ And this is why I like stealth camping.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Laudate_Dominum

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

Well this will take more planning and research than we have done in the like 3 hours we've been considering this. I'm sure we'll find the safest way to do it, whether that be just going for a week and doing a portion of it or going with a guide or whatever.

But Dylana, just so you know, I'm not going to Aruba with you. Anywhere else in the world, but not Aruba. We will get kidnapped and brutally murdered if we go to Aruba. It is a fact.

[PhuturePriest]

Some parts are not as remote as others. I was crashed at an official lean-to one time when some funky acid tripping dudes showed up and tried to get freaky with their girlfriends right in the lean-to where I was trying to sleep. Awkward and rude. Maybe creepy and scary if I were female. I don't know how common such things are, but I can recall a couple weird encounters and I was only on the trail for a matter of weeks.

 

I'm a man, and I would be absolutely terrified if that happened to me. But hey, that's just me.

 

Well this will take more planning and research than we have done in the like 3 hours we've been considering this. I'm sure we'll find the safest way to do it, whether that be just going for a week and doing a portion of it or going with a guide or whatever.

But Dylana, just so you know, I'm not going to Aruba with you. Anywhere else in the world, but not Aruba. We will get kidnapped and brutally murdered if we go to Aruba. It is a fact.

 

Stop being a 21st child and listen to your Beach Boys.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFK00hnhAvY

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

Hey, I have a legitimate fear of going to Aruba.

[CatherineM]

I did a hunk 30+ years ago. Took a Grundig 100PE shortwave radio and listened to mass everyday.

[HisChildForever]

I know of a couple who walked the entire thing, start to finish. Not a religious couple, afaik. Apparently there's some areas where people will take you in for the night.

[morostheos]

I hiked the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail by myself for a month a few years ago. When I stopped in towns to resupply food I went to Mass. It wasn't always for Sundays, but it was about once a week. I talked to my priest about it beforehand and he said if you're a 10 hour walk from the nearest Catholic Church on a Sunday you clearly won't make it so just go when you can. 

 

In terms of weirdos you may encounter at the shelters, I carried a tent with me so if I didn't feel comfortable with the other folks there I could pitch a tent instead. I ended up using it only once the whole month, and that was because I wanted to stop between shelters, but the peace of mind knowing I could camp wherever I felt safe was worth it.

[zabbazooey]

Man, this sounds awesome. Too bad I couldn't get enough time off work or school to do it!!

[Winchester]

[Socrates]

My brother hiked the entire AT (Georgia to Maine) shortly after college.  

I don't recall the details, but it doesn't seem like he had any big trouble finding masses.  Being on the east coast, much of the trail is within reasonable distance of towns.  I'd just recommend researching towns and mass times ahead of time on the internet so you can plan accordingly.  If you cannot make it to mass on any given Sunday when on the trail, I'm sure the Lord will understand.

 

It takes more than just several weeks to hike the AT, but closer to six months.  If I recall properly, my brother started in March and ended in August or September.  Unless you're really hardcore, you want to hike south to north and begin in the late winter, so you don't hit the northern part of the trail when it's cold.  Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, has some of the most brutal weather in the country, and was snow covered in July when my brother hit it.

 

Obviously, you want to be in good physical condition to take the hike, and be prepared for long periods of relative isolation and boredom.  My brother met some cool people on the trail, and actually began some enduring friendships. There's a sense of comradeship that develops between through-hikers (those who hike the entire trail through). He didn't meet anyone particularly troublesome or dangerous on the trail, but obviously you want to use common sense and exercise precautions.  Probably you'll run across fewer dangerous people than in the big city, though.

 

I'd say the experience is worth it if you like that kind of thing.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Socrates