Most of the information in this book relates to the Georgia to Maine hiker and there is no question that hikers going all the way need all the advance information they can get. But perhaps 98% of all Trail hiking is done by those who are to be on the Trail for a single day (day hiking) or on short backpacking trips of two days to two weeks. There seems to be a feeling in some circles that the person who hikes the entire Trail in one year is just a cut above the person who is tied to a job and must squeeze together shorter hikes to complete the entire Trail. I personally feel that it requires more perseverance, and much more money, to do it over a period of years.
Which method results in the greater satisfaction is debatable. Thru-hikers have the thrill of walking through all or parts of three seasons— spring, summer, and autumn. They become lean and hard from the day-after-day hiking up and down and along mountains. They learn to sustain themselves and to come up smiling through fair and foul weather. They become attuned to the mountains and to the hiking routine, and develop a rhythm the short-distance hiker seldom experiences. And yet, except for the Trail itself, thru-hikers learn precious little about the country through which they pass and the people who inhabit that country. They leave the Trail only to replenish their food supply and to pick up and dispatch mail.
Instead of having one, long, five-month experience in a single year, the short distance hiker has many, many experiences over a period of many years. The planning, the picture-taking, the reminiscing, even the automobile trips themselves, becomes a separate excursion to be enjoyed in full measure before getting ready for the next trip. One family in Ohio completed the Trail over a period of years, driving some 90,000 miles in the process. What a series of rich experiences for reminiscing at family get-togethers!
Two hiking friends, Gus Crews and Norm Greist are among the 2,000-Milers who accomplished the task over a period of years. Gus hiked his last mile in 1972 at the age of 70, and Norm in 1975 at the age of 65. How long did it take them? For Gus it was a 15-year experience, and for Norm a mere 45! Each of these men developed a much better knowledge of the Trail than I, because they did so much more planning for each trip, and because they began and terminated short hikes from so many more approach points than I did. And in doing so, they became acquainted with the small towns and villages along the Trail and with the local people.
Those using the short hike approach will make much more use of road maps, Forest Service maps, and Park Service maps than the thru-hiker. The maps in the guidebooks generally show only the Trail and perhaps two or three miles to either side (adequate for the hiker on the Trail, but not much help to the hiker trying to reach an approach point via an automobile). If you are a small group and can get all your members and their gear into one car, then by all means use one car. You may think that having more than one vehicle would give you greater mobility. It doesn't. It restricts your mobility because you have additional vehicles that must be moved from place to place. I've been involved in hikes that involve much car shuttling, and I find it extremely frustrating. You begin to wonder if the purpose of the trip was to enjoy the mountains and to hike or to shuttle cars for long distances over poor roads each morning and afternoon.
If you have one car and you wish to day hike for several days, it can be done by spotting part of the group each morning at one point on the Trail and the remainder at another point. The two groups hike in opposite directions and exchange the car keys at the meeting point for the midday lunch. If you have one car and you wish to backpack rather than day hike, it is best to drive to the point where you will complete your hike and arrange for a local person to drive your group to the starting point of the hike and then to drive the car back to his or her home. In that way, you are always hiking toward your car, and regardless of what time you finish the hike, the car is there waiting for you, having been in a protected place during the course of your hike. It is becoming increasingly risky to leave a vehicle unattended for several days or a week alongside a public road while hiking the Trail.
Where are you going?
What do you want to do?
