Newly retired and making plans to hike AT in 5 sections over 2 1/2 years……anyone done something like this and what should be a reasonable way to split it up?

Last week, I took advantage of my proximity to Mount Washington to book a trip for Mrs. Tortoise and I on the Cog Railway. We picked a day with a clear forecast for the morning afternoon and drove the 90 minutes up to the Base Station.

During the ride up, the brakeman in the passenger coach told the story of Sylvester Marsh and how he envisioned building the project to allow common folks to get to the summit. Because the land was on federal property, he had to appear before Congress to request a permit for the build and operation of the rail line. after the permit was approved, one of the skeptical politicians told Marsh "After you get to the summit of Mount Washington, why don't you just continue all the way to the moon!"

On the ride down, the brakeman continued the story as we approached the AT track crossing. He told us that AT hikers honor the Cog Railway's "to the moon!" statement by mooning the train. I had of course heard of the AT hiker tradition, but I didn't realize…