Awol
02-21-2009, 07:43 AM
I've updated two of the hike plans, available from the column to the left under the title "Hike Plans with Resupply Info".
These thru-hike plans average 15 or 18 mi/day, but don't be intimidated. The plans ramp up with mostly shorter days in the early going. They do not include zero days; if you were to add in 10 zero days to the 15-mile plan, it would be a 158 hike averaging 13.5 mi. I'll soon add another shorter plan.
The plan is based primarily on shelter locations because they are common milestones; a tent/hammock plan could me made with minor modification. If you want to make your own spreadsheet based on this, you should email me and get the excel file, rather than doing a cut/paste from the website. The cut/paste won't get any of the formulas or formatting. Add a column with DATE, starting with your start date; that will help illustrate how your timeframe fits.
I'd advise against following this or any plan too precisely. The ability to adapt is one of the most important traits you need to finish a thru-hike. The plan gives you a baseline by which to keep tabs on your timeline and familiarizes you with the options.
The most unique part of this plan is that it includes elevation gain and loss for each day on the trail. This is intended to give some notion of trail difficulty, but trail challenges are not so easily quantifiable. The calculation of elevation gain/loss is not an exact science, but I believe that these numbers are more accurate than what was computed when the plans were posted last year.
See more notes at the bottom of the plan.
These thru-hike plans average 15 or 18 mi/day, but don't be intimidated. The plans ramp up with mostly shorter days in the early going. They do not include zero days; if you were to add in 10 zero days to the 15-mile plan, it would be a 158 hike averaging 13.5 mi. I'll soon add another shorter plan.
The plan is based primarily on shelter locations because they are common milestones; a tent/hammock plan could me made with minor modification. If you want to make your own spreadsheet based on this, you should email me and get the excel file, rather than doing a cut/paste from the website. The cut/paste won't get any of the formulas or formatting. Add a column with DATE, starting with your start date; that will help illustrate how your timeframe fits.
I'd advise against following this or any plan too precisely. The ability to adapt is one of the most important traits you need to finish a thru-hike. The plan gives you a baseline by which to keep tabs on your timeline and familiarizes you with the options.
The most unique part of this plan is that it includes elevation gain and loss for each day on the trail. This is intended to give some notion of trail difficulty, but trail challenges are not so easily quantifiable. The calculation of elevation gain/loss is not an exact science, but I believe that these numbers are more accurate than what was computed when the plans were posted last year.
See more notes at the bottom of the plan.