My Schedule

new_red.gif - 146 Bytes    Update 5/26/00 - test hike went well. Knees held up OK, they are sore but not having the pains they had when I left the trail in April. So my restart date is now June 3rd from Rockfish Gap VA (near Waynesboro VA). From there, I'll head north as far as my knees will allow or I run out of time or trail. This also means I'll have 645.7 miles (from Clingman's Dome to Rockfish Gap) to finish up some other time in the future in order to have hiked the entire trail. I'll do those miles in smaller sections over the next few years.

Update 5/13/00 - Here my latest plan (subject to change based on how well my knee responds). I will do a short test hike starting May 21st. I will hike the section I skipped when I met Linda and Brandon at Rainbow Springs back on April 9th. That is a 40 mile section from Dicks Creek Gap, GA to Winding Stair Gap, NC. There is some pretty steep terrain through that part (Bly Gap and Albert Mountain), so if my knees hold up well there, then I think I'll be ready to start thru-hiking again on June 3rd. In order to make it to Katahdin by the end of August, as well as meet up with friends and family as planned, I will skip from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains up to Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro VA. That schedule looks like this:

Dicks Creek Gap, GASun May 21,2000
Winding Stair Gap, NCFri May 26,2000
****************
Rockfish Gap, VASat Jun 03,2000
Front Royal, VATue Jun 13,2000
Harpers FerryFri Jun 16,2000
PA-MD State LineMon Jun 19,2000
Delaware Wtr Gap, PASun Jul 02,2000
Conn-NY State LineWed Jul 12,2000
Vt-Mass State LineThu Jul 20,2000
Hanover, NHThu Jul 27,2000
Maine-NH State LineMon Aug 07,2000
Katahdin Mtn, MAWed Aug 23,2000

Original schedule

Here's was my original schedule starting out. It was a little aggresive, but I only had 5 months off from work. I have 10 days slack time on the end and I have planned for 12 zero mile days during the hike. I will have to average at least 14.2 miles a day in order to complete the hike in 5 months. If by the time I reach Harpers Ferry I am way too far behind this schedule, I'll probably flip-flop up to Katahdin and head south as far as I can get, leaving some part of the Maryland/New Jersey/New York sections for another time.


Springer MtnSat Apr 01,2000
Fontana Dam, NCFri Apr 14,2000
Damascus, VAThu May 11,2000
New River, VATue May 23,2000
Rockfish Gap, VAMon Jun 05,2000
Front Royal, VATue Jun 13,2000
Harpers FerryFri Jun 16,2000
PA-MD State LineMon Jun 19,2000
Delaware Wtr Gap, PASun Jul 02,2000
Conn-NY State LineWed Jul 12,2000
Vt-Mass State LineThu Jul 20,2000
Hanover, NHThu Jul 27,2000
Maine-NH State LineMon Aug 07,2000
Katahdin Mtn, MAWed Aug 23,2000

I will be starting from USFS 42 (0.9 miles north of Springer), head south to the summit, then turn around and head north for the next 5 months. This way my wife Linda and son Brandon can hike with me to the summit of Springer.

My approach to this hike is to minimize my off-trail time, tenting most of the time. My resupply strategy for the first 500 miles is a combination of meeting my wife at different points along the trail and purchasing along the way. After that, it will be mostly purchasing as I go, with an occasional resupply from family and friends who will meet me in Waynesboro, Big Meadows in SNP, Front Royal, Harpers Ferry, and Hanover NH.

For those interested, send me an email for my current daily schedule. It is an Excel spreadsheet that I make changes to almost daily as I readjust resupply points, review how difficult each section of the trail is, etc., etc.

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last updated 5/26/00 11:54:37 AM