I'm glad the Appalachian Trail is getting this publicity from this Sanford idiot.

[arcadian]

It's one of this country's greatest national parks. Now I encourage everybody who was intrigued by this story about the AT to go out and volunteer on a trail crew or donate some money to a trail crew to maintain the trail.

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4805859/k.BFA3/Home.htm

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. In 1967,

before it was fashionable, my undergraduate school gave academic credit to a couple of guys who walked the entire Trail.

We all had parents up and down the Trait, so they managed to bunk at their houses every now and then. It was lovely, all around.

And, yeah, Sanford's hiking the Trail by himself. Uh-huh, right, sure, yeah.

And I'm the Queen of France.

Wait.

I am the Queen of France.....................

[Dennis Donovan]

2. Are you sure you're not George Burns' sister?

;)

[arcadian]

3. That's when I would have liked to have thru-hiked the trail.

Now, I hear there are so many people that if you ever wanted some free hiking gear all you have to do is go to the first road crossing going northbound from the starting point Springer Mountain and it's a free for all. People hiking north either realize they over packed or they just drop out entirely and dump all their gear. Brand new gear, backpacking stoves, tents, sleeping bags, etc, just sitting there on the trail.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. Like everything else in America,

it got overused and now, abused. My pals, Dave and Peter, backpacked, slept on the ground (when they weren't sleeping at our various parents' houses), ate GORP they'd made themselves, and wore sneakers or motorcycle boots, depending on the terrain. Fancy hiking boots weren't easy to find back then, and, besides, who could afford them?

They were a lovely couple. Dave was a Vietnam veteran, crewcut, from Maine, said very little, but tough. He had been a Ranger.

Peter was Jewish from NYC, chess player, doper, long hair, slight build, about a foot shorter than Dave, thought the outdoors was what you passed through to get to your cab.

They did it, and were the best of friends for a long time after that................

[tekisui]

5. I thru-hiked, South-bound in 2000.

Best time of my life. I hiked the entire trail in 6 and a half months with the girl who became my wife.

[arcadian]

6. Sweet, southbound is harder from what I understand.

[tekisui]

7. You get the hardest sections on your first month.

By the time the northbounders get to NH/ME they have been well conditioned.
Southbound put us in the south later in the year, too. You have to start later.

It is great, though, only 10% do it South. We had Maine all to ourselves. God, it was a great time. I have never felt so free.