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AT or PCT? - 2/22/2009 8:32:22 PM

GravityPro

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I'm planning a long distance (>2000 miles) hike this summer and so far I've found two options that look reasonable: the appalachian trail and the pacific crest trail. Going from south to north I hope to knock it off in four months in ultralight style. I would be very interested in hearing about any experiences/adventures you may have had on either trail to help with my decision. Also, if anyone knows of any other long distance trails I'm open to suggestions.

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/22/2009 8:39:43 PM

rexrgisformidoni

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pacific. just because.

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/22/2009 9:09:24 PM

Emperor1956

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Gravity, have you hiked the Bruce Trail in Central Ontario? Its a bit shorter than your ambitious goal, but it is spectacularly gorgeous, fairly pristine (at least the Northern half is) and it puts you at Tobermory, a very cool little town at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. It has a fair amount of challenging climbing, although I've done sections and I'm no high-end hiker. Also I've taken my Irish Wolfhound and a Newfoundland. I'd really recommend you take a look here.

E.

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/22/2009 9:31:05 PM

ThatDamnedPanda

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I've day-hiked parts of the AT a number of times, and loved it, but god damn - for sheer scenic majesty, it's pretty damned hard to beat California. I'm out here now as a matter of fact, and I've seldom seen such spectacularly beautiful country. They're both beautiful in their own right, but they're very different in their character, and I just happen to prefer the raw, rugged, savage beauty of California's geologically younger and more robust wilderness. That's not say the gentler, solemn majesty of the Appalachians is any less beautiful; it just has a different ambience and evokes a different mood and different spiritual experience than California. I happen to find California much more exhilarating.

But then again, have you ever been to the Appalachians? Given that you already live on the West Coast, you may find the older geology of the eastern United States an invigorating change of pace. One disadvantage to consider is that I think you'll find the AT more crowded than the PCT, but of course, with the economy the way it is this summer, tourist patterns may not be at all typical. Have you read Bill Bryson's "A Walk In The Woods" yet? That may help you make up your mind if you haven't.

Whatever you decide, i envy you. Damn, you're going to have some fun either way!

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/23/2009 5:07:45 AM

corysub

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A WALKING TOUR OF MANHATTAN...JUST A THOUGHT
(Dear Mod...The following is meant to be a little light hearted fun...so please ignore, I'm not trying to hijack a thread)

I'm a city guy who never had to urge to hike through the forest... but if you ever want to hike through NYC the following might hopefully be some help. Arriving at Penn Station, I would start at 34th and 8th,..walk straight up 8th Avenue past all those wonderful adult shops on the left side of the street and maybe do a bit of shopping....cut across going east on 42nd Street and enjoy the revival of those old theatres and maybe have a snack, turn north on Broadway and take in the wonder of Times Square (much more of a fantasy at night), cross over to 7th and head up past the Morgan Stanley building, one of the largest tombstones in the world, cross the street, still heading north past the relatively brand new building of newley bankrupt Lehman Brothers, actually a building sold to Lehman by Morgan, Stanley...

Make a right going east on 52nd Street and do what any good hike would do..stop in at 21 Club for lunch
(you can't open the grill and cook on the streets of New York, unless you come from Bangladesh). While at the 21Club make sure you take the tour of the wine cellar hidden behind a wall that opens...that was used as a speakesy during prohibition times..Really neat and loaded with old bottles of wine that the "rich and famous" would store on the birth of their children to be opened in a toast on their turning 21. Warms your heart thinking about all those fab parties.

After a hearty meal, and now less weighted down with money, you can continue your hike to 5th Avenue and turn right going south...if you are attracted to men, please enjoy the statue of Atlas holding the world..if you are catholic or interested in the architecture stopping in at St. Patricks is a "must see"...Conveniently located is across the street is the home store of "SAKS", a dream come true for shopaholics...Not to shop there, of course but please use the restrooms..they are spotless!
After your rest at SAKS...continue south towards 33rd Street and enjoy the shops along the way...
Turn right at 33rd and, at this point I would suggest picking up a little speed in your walk...It's late now and you really want to get to Penn Station...get on the first train heading for the Garden State of New Jersey...but please do not get off until you get to Princeton..the only safe town for liberals...and maybe have a cappucino with nobel prize winning economist Krugman.

I left out going to Central Park because all it has are a bunch of trees and rocks...a lake...and stuff like that...Most of the four legged predators that used to roam those woods are long gone...but the two legged ones still abound and I hear they eat human flesh...but that's only hearsay.

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/23/2009 4:08:29 PM

came4U

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Algonquin or Gatineau.

but, make your own trail lol.

I wouldn't suggest you go unless you are an expert bushman and could trap if necessary. I prefer that over trails. Trails are soo...urban.

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/23/2009 5:54:51 PM

GravityPro

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Emperor: the Bruce trail looks great, but is a little short for what I had in mind. I've also done a fair amount of hiking/paddling in Ontario and I'm ready for a change of scenery. Were I to go the Ontario route I'd probably want to do an old fur trading route with a canoe. I do prefer the mountains, and I have plenty of experience living and traveling in them.

With that in mind the PCT seems to be winning out so far. Thank you to thatdamnedpanda for your insight into all this. If you feel like coming along for a segment or two, please feel free to let me know. The good news is that my rent for 4 months actually comes out to more than the trip costs, so the biggest loss will come from not working (well, can't really call that a loss.) I still have lots of planning to do, so tips/stories/gear suggestions are still welcome. Thank you everybody for your suggestions.

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/23/2009 6:45:11 PM

slaveboyforyou

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The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. You said you wanted the mountains, and that would seem to fit the bill.

In my own neck of the woods, I love the Ouachita National Recreational Trail. It's 223 miles total through the middle of the Ouachita Mountains. It's gorgeous, but shorter than you're looking for.

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/23/2009 7:24:01 PM

Vendaval

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Hello Gravity Pro and welcome to the Forums. The Sierra Club organizes backpack trips, hikes and travel adventures all over the U.S., Canada and abroad. You do not mention if you prefer to travel alone or with a group? It is a great way to meet new friends and share adventures.

http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/23/2009 7:39:46 PM

SilverWulf

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My personal choice would be the PCT, I think the scenery is better. I've hiked sections of both, maybe 100 miles total on each one.

Might I suggest travelling from North to South. By the time you reach the last few hundred miles of your adventure fall will be setting in and the temperatures at altitude up North will be getting cold, go the opposite direction and you have a better chance of avoiding snow and single digit temperatures.

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/23/2009 8:47:05 PM

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I like the south-north route for a few reasons. First, starting in the north would delay my departure while waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to thaw. Second, my itinerary would put me near manning park at the middle of September at the latest. Third, airfare is slightly cheaper this way.

I don't mind a little early snow, dealing with it usually just involves a thermal blanket and a good pair of gaiters. The sierra club has some interesting trips. I would prefer to do the bulk of this as a solo effort, but I would appreciate some company for parts of it. Is anybody else going for a walk this summer?

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/23/2009 10:30:36 PM

rexrgisformidoni

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quote:

ORIGINAL: slaveboyforyou

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. You said you wanted the mountains, and that would seem to fit the bill.

In my own neck of the woods, I love the Ouachita National Recreational Trail. It's 223 miles total through the middle of the Ouachita Mountains. It's gorgeous, but shorter than you're looking for.

DOH! totally forgot about the CDNT! The mountains are brutal, but it is amazingly vast country and sometimes no people for dozens of miles in any direction. Can really be alone out there. *Misses Idaho alot*

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when all you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like nails

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Genghis Khan

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/23/2009 10:45:45 PM

ThatDamnedPanda

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quote:

ORIGINAL: rexrgisformidoni

quote:

ORIGINAL: slaveboyforyou

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. You said you wanted the mountains, and that would seem to fit the bill.

In my own neck of the woods, I love the Ouachita National Recreational Trail. It's 223 miles total through the middle of the Ouachita Mountains. It's gorgeous, but shorter than you're looking for.

DOH! totally forgot about the CDNT! The mountains are brutal, but it is amazingly vast country and sometimes no people for dozens of miles in any direction. Can really be alone out there. *Misses Idaho alot*

Yeah.... I never hiked the CDNT, but I did used to live in Northwestern Montana (Whitefish), and did a lot of hiking in that area. Mostly in the Bob. I remember backpacking trips on the North Fork of the Flathead where I wouldn't see another human being for a week or two at a time. Every now and then I'd stumble across a fire camp, and party with the fire crew for a day or two. Man, those dudes could drink. I really miss those summers.

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RE: AT or PCT? - 2/24/2009 11:27:49 AM

GravityPro

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quote:

ORIGINAL: came4U

Algonquin or Gatineau.

but, make your own trail lol.

I wouldn't suggest you go unless you are an expert bushman and could trap if necessary. I prefer that over trails. Trails are soo...urban.

Lovely areas, both of them, I've been down rivers in each area (I have a taste for whitewater.) As fun as it sounds, though, my main objective on this trip is distance, which means going light and fast. Trapping takes time and I don't want to be weighed down by a heavy gun or the permits that come with it. They aren't that hard to obtain in Canada, but it's just not worth the hassle for me just yet (though I am looking into a backcountry carry license.) Food will probably consist of dehydrated meals packed before the trip and mailed to resupply stations, plus whatever fresh food I can find on the way. However, I may include some basic fishing tackle now, just to mix things up a little bit and/or keep myself occupied when the weather socks in.

As far as making my own trail goes, it'll have to be a metaphorical one for this trip. I'm hiking way too far to get off trail very much. Having said that, I am pretty good at stealth camping. If you cook/eat/clean up your meals a few miles before you stop for the night, the impact and risk are reduced considerably. I don't think I'll spend much time at campsites if I can help it, the duff in the woods is softer anyway.

Every time I plan a trip I like to have some sort of unifying theme. This is usually dictated mostly by the terrain and on some trips is only noticable by some specialized equipment. For this trip I am using the work/travels of Ray Jardine (father of the Friend spring loaded camming device) as inspiration. You can find some of his stuff here, or at your local library.

The Continental Divide trail looks interesting, it's definitely worth a closer look. Firefighters, park rangers, and ski patrollers all know how to get it down the hatch. I almost took a guiding job in Montana, once, working for a corporate teambuilding program. Had to turn it down because it was owned by Phillip-Morris (tobacco company), and they've got enough team players as it is.

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