I am just starting to plan a hiking trip along the Appalachian Trail in a few months and was hoping to get some insights from others who have done it. I will probably only be going for about one month so I am trying to decide where to start and finish. I live in NY but am thinking about catching a train south and then working my way back home. I am comfortable in the woods but have never hiked by myself for a long period of time, so advice and interesting stories would also be welcomed. As more decisions unfold for me I will update here.

Note: I am leaving in a few days for Peru and will be gone most of the month so planning will go slow but I just thought that I would start a thread and see what interesting things began turning up for me to persue.

Thanks.

Hi Galen,

i haven't personally hiked the AT, but i am dreaming about the pacific crest trail. from what i've researched, there are lots of sights for people specifically interested/experienced with AT hiking

these links might help:
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.1423119/k.BEA0/Home.htm
http://www.trailplace.com/
http://www.nps.gov/appa/
http://whiteblaze.net/

there's probably a lot of good info and message boards on some of those sites.

Galen,

I did some hiking on the AT in the summer of 2005 for about 6 weeks. It is Awesome! I started at the southern end at Springer Mountain, Georgia and hiked North to Bland, Virginia. Georgia was rough on me because I was there in May (HOT) and because of the rockiness of it all. North Carolina was decent hiking with some cool shelters and views, Tennessee was fairly easy with more rolling trails (except for the fact that they were not as well kept as the other states), and Virginia was the most beautiful and had the easiest trail. The "wild" ponies and rhododendron in VA were pretty cool too. How long do you have to hike? I would suggest the hike that I did to anyone, especially someone from NY who can do that part, then move north to do more sections and eventually finish the whole trail.

Keppie - Thanks for the links. Good luck with your PCT dream. I hope it comes true soon.

Craig - I don't really have a time restriction as I am in a sort of in between stage in my life right now. It will mostly depend on my financial situation. I am thinking about catching a train somewhere south and then working my way up to NY. When I got to NY I could then decide whether I can/want to continue. As I said in my first post, I can't really make any decisions until April when I get back from Peru, but I just thought I would start getting some ideas from people on here. Thanks for your help.

You might wanto to read Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. The tone of the book is a bit irritating to the point that you're hoping he gets attacked by a bear or something, but it is a good candid description of one guy's personal experience.