Sup /out/
So I've made up my mind I'm leaving my home and I'm going to go out on the Appalachian trail
and I'm going to start heading North. A really good friend of mine is coming with me and he's been planning on doing something like this for a long time. He already has a lot of gear to choose from to take with him and doesn't really have to buy anything else.
As for myself I'm not prepared at all for this I just made this decision and I'm sticking with it. We're not leaving until March so I have about 3 months to get everything ready. We want to try and hike from north east TN up to Maryland or maybe even New York. Time is no issue, if we don't make it there by late fall then were just going to find a local town to help shelter us for the winter.
My main problem is that I'm very overweight. I'm 5"10 and around 275lbs. DON'T TELL ME I CAN'T DO THIS BECAUSE I'M WILL. I'm going to take it really slow and try to aim for around 5 miles a day maybe more maybe less. I don't want to finish the trail and time is no issue, I really don't care how far I get I'm just going to go. What I need to know is what kind of gear should I try to bring with me. I'm really worried about footwear. I've read a lot and most people say to go with trail runners but at my weight do you think I need more ankle support or would just training as much as I can in the next 3 months enough to strengthen my ankles. Will I need a tent or should I just sleep under a tarp? and What kind of clothes should I start buying because I know rain is going to be a big issue. Any advice and tips would be great.
>>645503
>I'm 5"10 and around 275lbs
>Will I need a tent or should I just sleep under a tarp?
Buy a rain coat. By the time you get near the end you'll be able to use it as a tent/ tarp.
Would it be an idea to get some hiking poles? Dunno if they help support your weight and put less strain on your ankles.
Good luck though mate.
I'm not sure what you mean by "find a town to shelter us"....
You can't just show up at a town and say "hey shelter me".
You're going to need money to stay in a hotel, or money to rent a place over winter. You're not going to find free shelter, or even cheap shelter. You're going to need a definite plan for winter.
What exactly are you planning for winter?
>>645503
Honestly, if you're buying gear, you should not cheap out. You're going to have to rely on it. It will not be cheap. Expect to spend several thousand dollars for this excursion. A thru hiker should expect to spend about $1.50 a mile, NOT including gear. A Thru-hike will cost close to $3k sometimes. That's your cost of food, disposable supplies, fees, and other stuff. Remember, not showering kinda sucks, so many hikers take advantage of lodging while hiking at various points.
Food isn't cheap. Most hikers will sent up mail drops at set points. They will mail a weeks worth of food to a town, pick it up, then hike for a week to the next drop. You'll need a pre plan to get this set up.
Shoes? Trail runners are nice. You'll prob wear out a few pairs of shoes on your hike.
For the next 3 months I would run and train. Get your stamina up. You should be running a mile a day at least, with a day rest here and there. You then can start hiking smaller trails with a loaded pack. Your knees will thank you for practicing beforehand, to get them used to the extra shock and stress on them.
Shelters are plentiful on the trail. You'll use them a lot. A tent can even just be a backup option. A tarp is lighter weight but provides less protection at times. A tarp tent is kind of a hybrid between the 2. Light weight and more contained. Look into them. Don't buy a cheap tent. You'll be spending a few hundred at least on one.
Many hikers ditch their heavy and unnecessary gear as they go and mail it back home, replacing it with better lighter gear.
The more you spend, the lighter gear you can get, and the easier hiking will be. You're a big dude, so it's actually an advantage when carrying gear. A 250 lbs guy won't really feel 30 lbs as much as a 150 lbs guy. I'd shoot for a target of losing at least 25 lbs before you start. Won't be hard in 3 months if you're exercising. That way when you have a pack on full of gear, you will hardly notice it.
>>645511
Thank you for the support. I've always been a big guy and I used to be on the weight lifting team in high school so I'm just hoping 3 months will be enough training to build up my ankle strength. I'll be doing a lot of calf lifts squats and probably walking on a stair machine to try and get my legs ready for climbing the mountains. hopefully that will be enough to get my legs in enough shape to at least start the hike. I just don't want to hurt myself and end up having to go back home.
>>645515
well money isn't really an issue for me. I'll have some cash on me but I'll be carrying a card with a couple thousand dollars on it. Plus I'm going to stay in contact as much as I can just case I need someone to wire money to me. We'll probably just end up staying in a hotel or maybe catch a bus down south or something like that. I really just want to leave for about a year then maybe go back home.
>>645517
Money is not really an issue I have a really good job right now and I have a lot of money just saved up (that's why I want to leave I have to time to actually live life or even spend money I'm always working)
Food drops sound like a great idea thank you I'll look into that more.
Light gear is no problem I'm already looking at quality stuff and making a list (it is going to cost a lot)
and I'm starting my training today as soon as I get off work.
>>645518
Be careful about your knees as well as your ankles m8
>>645519
Will your job allow you to take a few months off? Or are you just quitting altogether?
>>645524
yeah I've already talked to them they said I could come back when ever I want. They really like me there.
> wholelottaskin
give us regular updates when you hit the trail
>>645527
lel
>>645503
>DON'T TELL ME I CAN'T DO THIS BECAUSE I'M WILL
i'm jackson, nice to meet you will
Do some foot exercises as your feet will get brutalized.
https://youtu.be/QY5FW9BPbBg
Also get hiking poles. Almost all thru hikers use them. If you don't get them you will fall and they allow you to use upper body strength for ascents and descents.
>>645503
Starting march will likely put you in MD much earlier than you think especially if you start in TN, as they are only about 600-700 miles apart. Consider starting in GA, then you'll more likely to be hitting your stride in the smokies. Wintering in town near the AT might be easier than people think. A hostel might be willing to set up a long work for stay deal with you if they like you. The AT isn't as remote as many think, and is built to facilitate almost exactly what you are doing. Stick to it, the hardest thing about the AT is how easy it is to quit.
>>646045
I'm going to start in TN because that's where I live. It's a 10 min drive from my house to one of the trail heads
>>645600
> I'm 5"10 and around 275lbs
>I'M WILL
Will Keith is doing the AT?
>>646087
It's best a start north and go south.
The white mountains and Northern new england in general get cold fast in the fall and your weak southern constitution probably can't handle it.
>>646087
Right on, you could probably make katahdin if you aee persistent and don't take too many days off. Do you know offhand which trailhead is closest from you? If you were to start around the TN/VA border and average 8miles a day including rest days, (which will probably seem hella slow once you are a couple months in) you would finish at katahdin in the first week of October.
Basically just keep going, don't worry too much about how fast you are going, especially at first. Taking lots of zero days in a row I think would be the biggest obstacle to you going all the way. (then you could go south from where you started and finish the whole trail by the end of the year)
>>645503
5 miles a day is way too low, and pretty much a complete underestimation, even if you are a fatty youll be able to bang out 15 miles a day no problem. You walk at around 3 miles an hour, lets say this goes down to 2 with your weight and everything youll be carrying. 8 hours walking a day and youll hit that, since you wont be doing much else other than walking, 10 miles a day would be a minimum average to plan for imo.
>>645503
Starting slow is good, but even you should be able to do 7-8 miles a day at the start. Do that for a week, then do 10mi/day per week, then bump it to 12-15 for a week. Once you walk every day for a month you'll be in the same shape as everyone else out there and will be able to cruise all day.
That said, long-distance hiking is as much mental as physical, and while your weight isn't an insurmountable obstacle (plenty of fatties on trail; I was 360 lbs when I started backpacking) it will make starting out harder for you than for others. The important thing for success is to stick to it and never quit on a bad day, but in three months you could lose a significant amount of weight by eating right and low-calorie, especially training for the hike. Consider it some pain now that will pay off and make your trip easier later.
Go to a merrell outlet store and get your feet measured for boots. They have a machine that checks your food for proper size/width.
Proper footwear will dramatically improve the high strain you will be putting on your knees/back/ankles.
Wear them a shit load really break em in. Load your full pack weight and go for day hikes. This will be a taste of what your getting into and will help you realize what you can lose out of your pack.
Start exercising, any weight you lose now is less you have to carry on the trail.
I'm sure there's loads of other stuff and I'm sure plenty of other anons will chime in.
Glhf
2 things that are worth there wait in gold on the trail.
Ramen noodles
Cigs/Tobacco
Pack very very light ..you dont need much.
must haves:
tent
small cooking pot and pan for water cooking,toiletries,zip lock bags
>>645503
>>>>>>5 miles a day
wew lad. its gonna take you literally 12 months just to get to NJ from TN. but hey, like we say on the trail, Hike your own Hike. you have the perfect mindset for the trail tho m8.
as for your actual point of the thread, definately get ankle support if youre truely as big as you say you are. youre gonna need as much help as possble with all the walking youre gonna do.
and honestly, there are so many shelters on the trail that really id just get a light tarp and sleep in the shelters the whole time. but remember it rains more along that mountain chain than anywhere else on the east coast so you might have some zero days and staying under a tarp the whole time might not be the most conforatable experience.
Clothes wise, NOTHING COTTON. its way to damn humid along that shit and itll never dry. All synthetics is the way i'd go. quick drying, light weight, and helps with the chaifing which im asumming youre gonna get a shitton of. Wool for the colder months. and DEFINATELY the best most lightweight rainjacket you can find. I used a north face rain jacket the whole time i hiked it and worked outgreat for me.
>>645518
>need to buy gear
>need to buy food
>plan on paying for extended stays
You will go through your money long before winter. A "couple" thousand dollars isn't enough to thru-hike unless the only dollar you spend is on food. It takes extreme discipline that you won't understand until you have experienced the hiker hunger.
You could make it from TN to MD and back in before fall easily. The fact that you don't plan on making it that far before winter makes me question your intentions. Just so you know, you can't stay at a shelter for more than one night.
I ran into many people that seem to have the same mindset as you on the trail and none of them made it very far. If your intention isn't to actually hike and experience the trail my advice would be to either choose something else to do with your money or limit yourself to a small section.
It's none of my business how much money you have but if you are planning anything less than $500 /month I think you are making a mistake. When the people you are with are planning on staying in a hotel, going to a bar for drinks or just getting food at a restaurant, you will be stuck on the trail. Ofc, these are luxuries but you will never understand the appeal until you have been sleeping on the ground eating Pasta Sides and Sour Patch Kids for over a month.
lightweight popup tent.
tarp + para chord. - backup in case tent fails.
bivi bag. - backup use under tarp if tent fails.
water filter + purification tablets.
billy can / cooking pan.
collect dryer lint and bag it. take vasaline to coat the dryer lint = better fire starting.
lighters.
dynamo torch.
head lamp.
solar battery charger.- charge batteries for lights (and mp3 player).
optional: mp3 player + usb cable ?
FOOD: home-made jerky = cheaper, long lasting, lightweight. cereal bars. dried oats. dried fruits. - put them all into seperate zip-lock bags. then put them into a daily grab bag.
and a camera !!
>>647318
Why would you need a backup tent when there are shelters, on average, every 7 miles?
Also, who has time, energy or even a desire for a fire when you are hiking all day and most days are +75 degrees?
Start exercising on a daily basis with fast walks everyday (like 5km a day) then turn it into twice a week eunning and twice a week walking. Eat healthy, only natural stuff, not shit that comes baggged or in packs.
Also find a work in order to buy the necessary gear.
>>645509
kek
>>645503
>do you think I need more ankle support or would just training as much as I can in the next 3 months enough to strengthen my ankles.
Three months is decent. Walk everyday until your ankles are sore, allow as many days as necessary to recover, then repeat. Walking before they feel healed again will just be detrimental and slow your progress down. You can do exercise that isn't tough on ankles on recovery days. Remember to rotate your ankle with your hands and do all the stretches. It actually took me more than 3 months to improve my ankles but I was in a worse situation having spent months in bed and having had my muscles waste away. It was somewhat easier to build muscle and cardiac fitness than wait for ankles and other joints to become reconditioned to exercise.
