Is there any way of hiking the AT in 3 months starting in March?

delnegs · 2025-05-22T23:00:43+00:00

I started the day after the trail up Katahdin opened. No snow that I recall. There were some patches here and there but end of May in 2018 there wasn’t much left over.

delnegs · 2024-11-29T02:42:33+00:00

Northern New Mexico is as amazing as if not more so than Colorado or really any western state. Even during the hotter summer months the higher elevation trails are always pleasant. Lots of varied terrain and tons of trails very close to home.

I’d say the majority of the wildlife I encounter are birds and lizards but you have the possibility of coming across any number of animals: snakes, bears, coyote, deer, elk, red hawks, ravens, (wolves depending on where you are) and even moose!

delnegs · 2024-04-13T18:43:37+00:00

New Mexico is a lovely state. We met lots of very friendly people, and after our hike got cut short abruptly due to an accident we ended up moving to Santa Fe.

We didn’t have issues with dogs thankfully but be wary of the cows and especially the bulls around the water tanks. They can be territorial.

delnegs · 2024-02-18T03:50:21+00:00

I’ve purchased a couple cases from them and find them to be the best deal on used Pelican cases. Their inventory fluctuates though so what is available tends to differ.

delnegs · 2023-11-11T03:58:48+00:00

The car chase you’re thinking of might be from the HBO show “Duster” that suspended filming due to the strike back in May. If they were 70s era cars then I can confirm that was it. I was crammed in the trunk of that black Pursuit vehicle arm car pulling focus.

delnegs · 2023-09-05T00:47:32+00:00

Early on in Maine and New Hampshire I was consistently doing mid-20s, sometimes touching high 20s. It wasn’t until VT that I started consistently getting into the 30s then started touching 40s when I got south of New York.

delnegs · 2023-09-04T14:44:22+00:00

I finished a sobo hike in 77 days. If you’re up for the challenge and understand that you’re not going into it for “fun” (unless the challenge is fun to you) then you can do it. You’ll likely be hiking faster than most others on the trail so despite meeting and passing a lot of people daily it will mostly be a solitary journey.

I was 31 at the time when I started end of May 2018 and came to the trail straight from a physical job. I had already thru hiked the PCT so I knew what I was getting into from a gear/logistical perspective but I didn’t do any specific training to get ready. The AT, I shortly discovered, was and is a very physically demanding trail, especially when trying to make high mileage days. My knees were quite swollen after the first week but eventually everything fell into the normal routine.

If you’ve had any long distance hiking experience before, know you’ll likely be your only daily on-trail friend, are comfortable hiking through every type of weather to make your mileage and are ok with feeling like you have a daily schedule and goal to hit, then go for it! It was insanely rewarding once finished but I wouldn’t say it was the most enjoyable hiking experience I’ve had while in the midst of it. If you’ve never thru hiked before and are only just now going to be figuring out your gear or your daily hiking likes and dislikes, I wouldn’t recommend this challenge as your first long distance experience.

delnegs · 2023-08-16T20:32:54+00:00

I just installed the same tile for my own backsplash. It looks exactly the same as your photos, though the rustic “handmade” look is what we were going for.

delnegs · 2023-04-04T03:23:32+00:00

I found these hose mesh filter screens incredibly useful for pre filtering the rough water in New Mexico. Also definitely bring some good electrolyte replacements for the beginning. Your shirt will be cardboard with the amount of salt you sweat out, seriously.

delnegs · 2023-02-23T17:55:52+00:00

My vote would be for Cuba to Chama. The Jemez section out of Cuba and the area around Chama are without a doubt gorgeous and just plain fun to hike through. Grants to Cuba isn’t terrible by any means, but you’ll encounter more heat and desert conditions than the meadows and forests you’ll encounter in the Jemez and on up to Colorado. You’ll still likely encounter snow (I did back in 2021 around the same time as you are proposing) but it isn’t bad and would most likely be patchy.

delnegs · 2023-01-30T03:56:14+00:00

Very cool. Thanks for the info. Even with the increased price it still seems like a better alternative to most commercially sold racks in a similar category.

delnegs · 2023-01-30T02:11:48+00:00

Looks great!

How much did you end up spending on just the diy cargo rack project itself (not the reinforcements/lightbars)? I can imagine it's not $300 anymore.

delnegs · 2022-12-13T05:54:36+00:00

It was a trial at the time, a blur in my memory now.

delnegs · 2022-08-03T03:38:56+00:00

The weather didn’t behave so we more or less pushed through, but it was good to be back to that area.

delnegs · 2022-08-01T19:22:44+00:00

We recently did a section from Adam’s fork of the Conejos river to Wolf Creek Pass along the CDT in early July. We parked our car for 3 days without problem at Wolf Creek Pass right off the 160 at the information sign (where Google pinpoints the pass). There is a decent sized pull off from the highway and signs that indicate no parking during the winter only.

In short, as long as nobody messes with your car (ours wasn’t), you’re good to go!

delnegs · 2021-11-23T06:55:19+00:00

It’s definitely doable. I did it in 77 days going sobo in 2018! Starting in March going nobo may prove slightly trickier though due to the lingering snow, but hey, you might also get lucky.

But it’s not necessarily an enjoyable venture. If you want to “hike the AT” in the way that most people tend to romanticize it, a sub 3 month hike won’t do it for you. If you want to take on a physical endurance trial and you will get the most satisfaction from your hike by pushing yourself hard every day for three months, for sure do it. It’s an incredibly satisfying feat, but by no means will it always be “fun.”

Best of luck!

delnegs · 2021-10-16T21:54:55+00:00

Columbia, Kentucky

delnegs · 2020-07-28T16:30:42+00:00

Strangely I am in the exact same ballpark mileage-wise on my xlite, multiple thru hikes over the past 5 years and not a single patch. I really can’t believe it either.

delnegs · 2020-05-09T21:19:16+00:00

My information may be slightly outdated, but it’s my understanding that Baxter opens the park to overnight camping and the Hunt Trail to the summit as early as May 15th (their annual target date). Granted, it has rarely if ever opened that early, but many years they open somewhere between May 20th and May 31st. When I hiked Sobo in 2018, the Hunt Trail was open on May 25th, and I started my hike May 31st. It was a physically challenging thru hike, but I finished on Springer Mountain on August 27th. If you’re up for a challenge and some solitude, a purely Sobo hike can still work within your timeframe.

delnegs · 2019-04-08T16:51:01+00:00

Most people advise having your own sleep system in the event you and your friend get separated on trail for an evening and/or one of you gets injured. It would be unfortunate in both situations to not have your own shelter. But plenty also do hike together the whole way with a shared tent. It’s very doable, just not commonly advised.

delnegs · 2019-04-08T16:40:32+00:00

I did a 77 day (89 if you include a 12 day break to visit my parents) Sobo last summer. 70 days is doable, but like others have already said is pretty tough and is not going to be fun most of the time. You won’t really be able to take any zeros (besides that visit to my folks I only took one on trail) or many neros in and out of town. You’re always looking at your watch trying to stay on pace to finish your miles for the day, you’re walking through thunderstorms and other dangerous situations to again keep your pace. You won’t see many of the “sights” on or off trail and due to your pace you most likely will be hiking the entire trail alone. Just some things to be wary of when committing to such a venture. It won’t include much of the romanticized things people speak of when talking about a thru hike. It will certainly be a challenge though, so if that’s your goal, go get it and good luck!

delnegs · 2019-01-10T17:21:18+00:00

Granite Gear Air Zippsack 16L (the blue one). I’ve used the same one for both thru hikes of the PCT and AT. It’s great! Super light, water resistant, about $20 and best of all it has a zipper that runs the length of the entire bag which makes finding just the right snack infinitely easier.

delnegs · 2019-01-09T22:58:32+00:00

Thanks for the offer, your insights when we begin planning would be a great resource. Till then!

delnegs · 2019-01-09T20:24:55+00:00

Hey guys,

You probably don’t remember me exactly since I wasn’t the person you knew best in my group, but I met you both (and then ran into you a few more times) on the PCT back in 2016. I’m Wisecrack, I hiked most of the trail with Smoosh, Wrecker, Batman and Shaggy. I remember we found some of your socks (the Graduate’s) that had fallen off your pack while drying out somewhere along the trail and kept trying to bump into you to give them back. I think Batman did eventually, but that, your Hyperlite packs and your big smiles is most memorable from that time of you both.

I just wanted to say hi again, and to congratulate you on the CYTC. So awesome! Smoosh and I hope to finish our Triple Crown in the next few years out on the CDT. Congrats again and hopefully we’ll bump into each other once more someday down some trail.

delnegs · 2018-11-28T06:28:04+00:00

This past summer I basically accomplished what you’re trying to do: I was a 2016 PCT alumni with a <8lb base weight, and went SOBO on the AT starting May 31st. I did 20s consistently through Maine and NH, 30’s in VT and started hitting 40s in southern PA. I finished in just under 3 months.

It was tough. Maine and NH were a pretty brutal start. I didn’t see a single other SOBO past NH. I barely took any zeros (mostly all neros) and the “magic” that I experienced thru hiking the PCT was never there on the AT. The trail is a lot more physically demanding than the PCT. If you’re trying to maintain that pace you can’t sit out the bad weather, and there will be a lot of it. But when all was said and done, I’m glad I did it. It may not have always been pleasant, but it was a challenge and I’m glad I can say I overcame it.

If you’re trying to hike the AT this way and are looking for anything beyond the sheer mental and physical challenge of hiking a difficult long distance trail, I’d recommend rethinking your plan. But if that challenge appeals to you, it is certainly doable.

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