Appalachian Trail trip planned for March 17-23..1st time, I need help!
Im doing the section in North Carolina from "Max Patch" to "Hot Springs". Ive never backpacked before. Ive done PLENTY of Day Hiking and car camping. My concern is food and water. Will I have to carry the 4 days worth of water with me or will there be spots to collect and purify water? And some menu/food suggestions would be great.
We've had plenty of rain lately, there should be a lot of water along the way. Plan on carrying about a liter.
For menu stuff, think about what you like and shoot for lightweight, easily stored. You can find a fair amount of inexpensive, easy to make, tasty stuff at the grocery store.
Az
Make sure you understand the maps.
Had a couple of friends that read it wrong and had to set up camp in the middle of the trail. They said it was not fun doing stuff in the dark.
ZombieMike,
I have a hundred questions for you, but I will try to limit it to a few.
What are you doing for a shuttle? Where is your car going to be? At the beginning or the end?
Is your gear up the possible temperatures at elevation in March? Do you have a proven sleeping bag? Will your sleeping pad work for this trip?
Do you have a bail out plan?
The difference between the best trip of your life and a miserable time is preparation.
I'm coming in last minute on this trip and I'm not the organizer. The leader informed that we are parking the car at the end and shuttling down to the beginning.
I do have a good sleeping pad but my bag is a Florida bag(45 degrees). What kind of tematures & conditions can I expect? Depending on the weather I'll either borrow a different bag from a friend who has a warmer bag or bring a fleece secondary bag for more insulation.
I don't think they have a bailout plan set but I'm trying to get more details still.
Originally Posted By AzB:
We've had plenty of rain lately, there should be a lot of water along the way. Plan on carrying about a liter.
For menu stuff, think about what you like and shoot for lightweight, easily stored. You can find a fair amount of inexpensive, easy to make, tasty stuff at the grocery store.
Az
I usually carry two 1-liter bottles. I hate stopping to filtering water a bunch of times, so when i take out my filter i want to fill up a couple of bottles. It also sucks when its night time and you are cooking and you only have one bottle of water. I usually go through that with cooking, cleaning , and drinking .
Just my preference, but everybody is different.
I'd start with a gallon of water. If it turns out there is plenty of water along the trail you can cut back, but I would start looking for more once my supply got below 2 quarts. Carry a lightweight water filter like a Katadyn Hiker with purification tables for back up, and make sure you're not the only one who has a way to purify water. Freeze dried food, gaterade powder, and power bars for calories.
Originally Posted By ZombieMike:
I'm coming in last minute on this trip and I'm not the organizer. The leader informed that we are parking the car at the end and shuttling down to the beginning.
I do have a good sleeping pad but my bag is a Florida bag(45 degrees). What kind of tematures & conditions can I expect? Depending on the weather I'll either borrow a different bag from a friend who has a warmer bag or bring a fleece secondary bag for more insulation.
I don't think they have a bailout plan set but I'm trying to get more details still.
You could easily expect below freezing temps for sure overnight. Borrow the friend's bag, double bagging weighs more and is a bigger pain in the ass. Take good rain gear. Weather can turn in a matter of minutes, particularly this time of year with storm fronts moving through.
Originally Posted By ZombieMike:
I'm coming in last minute on this trip and I'm not the organizer. The leader informed that we are parking the car at the end and shuttling down to the beginning.
I do have a good sleeping pad but my bag is a Florida bag(45 degrees). What kind of tematures & conditions can I expect? Depending on the weather I'll either borrow a different bag from a friend who has a warmer bag or bring a fleece secondary bag for more insulation.
I don't think they have a bailout plan set but I'm trying to get more details still.
I would take a better bag. We have had a really warm winter, but you will freeze at night with a bag like that. (A quick look at the weather so that low temps "should" be around 40, but things can change really fast in these old mountains.
I have been on parts of that trail, and you will really enjoy it. Be sure to post some pics.
I just did an over nighter here in VA. Got 4 inches of snow and got down to the low 20's up in the mountains where we were.
Definitely get a warmer bag.
