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Pick up point will vary on duration of your trip, daily milage & if you do the approach trail. Some possible points/Hogpen Gap GA348 at trail mile 39, Unicoi Gap GA 75, mile52.9. I reccomend. If you pick up Awol's Guide. It will list all road crossings.

I reccomend picking up either Awol's guidbook or the ALDHA Companion. You should be able to find them in most outdoor stores in GA

Check here for info on sleeping bags & pack. it'a a fairly new section for us & were adding stuff to it.

Before you go out & spend a fortune I'd reccomend checking in outdoor shops to see what they have for rental equipment. I'd also keep an eye on ebay. Lots of people that start a thru-hike decide it's not for them & sell their gear in spring. Another online site is facebook.com/groups/BearfootsHikingGearFleaMarket/.

Equipment needed:
Tent
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping pad

Backpack
Water treatment; Aqua Mira or sawer Mini filter are probably two most popular types right now. Many don't treat. Choice is up to you.
Stove
cook pot & utensils
map & compass
headlamp
Raingear

You can pretty much camp where you want, although most people camp by the shelters since there are near water sources.

Bears have been a problem around Neel's Gap past few years. There is a section where a bear canistor is required if you camp around Blood Mountain. It's short enough that you can hike thru it & not have to carry one.

Mountain-Mike did a good summary.

Basically, you've got your Big Three; Pack, shelter, sleeping gear. These tend to be the most expensive and the most important gear you will carry so you'll want to put some thought into it. Keep in mind, the lighter the equipment, the more expensive it will be.

Also keep in mind that backpacking is addictive and buying heavier and less expensive gear now will mean you'll probably spend more $ later trying to get lighter.

What state do you live in if you don't mind me asking?

Since I happen to have both AWOL's guide and the ATC guide in front of me while I'm trying to look up some section hike information, I want to say that the ATC/ALDHA guide has more relevant info about parking and road crossings, they're both good books, but as a section hiker I find that the ATC/ALDHA guide has more of the sort of info I need in order to plan a section. The AWOL guide is really geared towards people who are thru hiking.

Bears have been a problem around Neel's Gap past few years. There is a section where a bear canistor is required if you camp around Blood Mountain. It's short enough that you can hike thru it & not have to carry one.

As far as bears go, understand that when we say they are a problem, we mean they are a nuisance, not a danger. They often hang around campsites and try to steal food, and they are often successful, however we only have black bears on the east coast and they are generally docile and fearful of humans.

There is a five or so mile stretch where you are required to use a bear canister if you plan to camp overnight, the full regulation can be found at the link below.



fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5351875.pdf

Most of the shelters in Georgia have a "bear cable" food storage device that you can use to store your food at night. If you plan to camp away from shelters you should learn to properly hang food in a bear bag using the PCT method.





[IMG:http://theultimatehang.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Hanging-A-Bear-Bag.png]


(To give you an idea of how low a risk bears really are on the A.T., a lot of us here just keep a clean camp and sleep with our food in our tents, as do a great many experienced outdoorsmen. That said, you should still learn store food properly and by the book as a beginner. (In other words do as I say, not as I do ))

I would park my car at the Byron Reece Trail head at Neels Gap and get a shuttle to AFSP. From there back to Neels Gap is about 40 mile hike. That way your hike will be less stressful as you won't have to meet anyone at a certain time.

Also no need to carry all your food starting out. Neel's Gap is about 30 mile into the trail. Mountain Crossings outfitters is located there. You can send a package there or buy supplies & pick up any gear you need.

Opps, that didn't work as planned.

Howdy and welcome to the forums !

The pack has to fit your gear so lots of variables. A synthetic bag is far bulkier than a down one for example. You should manage with packs around 50 litres give or take.
You let your body dictate how long you hike. Remember a group hikes at the pace of the slowest member. Treat hotspots on feet etc IMMEDIATELY. Don't wait for camp.
You should ease into multi day hiking at the pace your body dictates, not a schedule made on the dining table.

A lot of people recommend you buy your pack last, that way you already have the other stuff that you need to put into it and you know how much space you need.

It also depends on what kind of hiking you think you will do and how much money you want to spend on gear. If you only plan to hike during the warmer months and only for shorter distances and only on the A.T., then you will probably be fine with a smaller pack. If you plan to hike year round, or plan to do longer stretches of hiking, or plan to do other trails than the A.T. which may not have such easy access to resupply and assistance, then a larger pack can be needed.

Budget also plays a big role. If you want to spend $300-$400 on a top of the line sleeping bag, and another $300-$400 on a top of the line ultralight tent, and then spend big money on some other items, then you can easily also buy a small light, top of the line backpack to carry them all in.

If you're not looking to spend top dollar, you can easily get a good two person eureka tent (with metal poles) that weights 4-5lbs for about $120 on sale. You can get a good quality synthetic sleeping bag for even cheaper if you look for a good sale. Both of these items will last you for years. - This is the way I got outfitted when I first got back into backpacking and I found that a 65 liter pack was just about perfect for this.

This is just my opinion, other people on the site might have different advice and hopefully they'll post their thoughts as well.

There are a lot of variables to hiking speed, distance, and time.

Knowing my capabilities and the difficulty of the trail gives me a rough idea how long I will hike each day. Then I change my plan throughout the day as needed.

If I'm getting to camp too early, I might continue hiking and camp somewhere else or I might dawdle and take extra long breaks.

Also, don't underestimate the mountains in Georgia. They can be relentless. Being new to backpacking I will assume your packs will be a little on the heavy side. I have no idea of your ages or physical conditioning but I do know that a lot of people are surprised at how steep some of the mountains are. Some others don't have much problem with them. With that being said I'd plan on no more than 10 miles per day to start. No sense in wearing yourselves out and turning your trip into a death march.

Assuming you are starting at AFSP and ending at Neels Gap here is a fairly easy itenerary.

Day 1- meet your shuttle at Neels Gap and have them drive you to AFSP. Start the Approach Trail at the Visitors Center. Because you'll be getting a late start Id spend the first night at Black Gap Shelter. 7.3 miles
Day 2- hike to Hawk Mountain Shelter. 9.1 miles
Day 3- hike to Gooch Gap Shelter 8.5 miles
Day 4- hike to Woods Hole Shelter 10.5 miles
Day 5- hike to Neels Gap 4.1 miles by ending with a easy day leaves you with some energy to begin your drive home.

trebor and i probably have the most georgia experience of the group; and i think you will find that our suggestions are going to be similar.

one minor error above; woods hole shelter is in the no overnight camping zone thru 6/1 unless you have a bear canister (which you almost certainly won't have). you would want to spend the nite at lance creek (no shelter) which is 1-2 miles S of woods hole.

i won't mention that the gooch gap shelter was removed 15 years ago and was replaced by the gooch mountain shelter because that would just be nitpicking. i agree that you would probably want to spend the nite at gooch.

Thanks for catching my errors regarding the newer names. Old habits are hard to break...

here's my initial thoughts.

as new hikers you do not yet know how far you want to hike in a day. neither do we. with that in mind, a good starting estimate would be 8-10 miles per day; i would suggest you leave your car at the byron reece parking area which is just S of neels gap.

do the shuttle on day 1; you want to hike towards your car. if you get there a day late or a day early no big deal.

you mentioned you wanted to start at the beginning. that could be interpretated as starting at springer (there is a parking lot 1 mile N) or at amicalola falls state park which is 8 miles S of springer on a blue blaze trail. either is fine, and since amicalola falls state park is one extra days hike you can decide any time.

except for the 5 mile stretch from lance creek to neels gap you can camp anywhere in georgia. not restrictions or permits needed. many people stay in the shelters or camp nearby. you can almost always count on a water source at a shelter.

assuming you start at springer (and if you choose amicalola falls just add 1 day):

day 1 - from parking lot hike S 1 mile to springer. turn around, repeating what you just hiked and continue on to hawk mountain shelter.
day 2 - hawk mountain shelter to gooch mountain shelter.
day 3 - gooch mountain shelter to lance creek.
day 4 - lance creek to neels gap.

day 4 you have options. you should arrive at neels gap just after lunch time. they have a hostel which you can spend the nite at, or just buy a shower. there are also cabins nearby if you prefer a more private and comfortable experience. the outfitter at neels gap, mountain crossings, is famous for inspecting thru hikers packs and reducing their weight. you could have them take a look at what you have; it's free and no purchase is required.

or don't spend the nite at neels. continue N. you can check into getting another shuttle and hike S back to your car. or hike a day, camp, and turn around and hike back. nothing wrong with out and backs. i do it all the time.

i'm not going to attempt to give you a gear list. there are entire books written about that. if you are near an rei they generally offer a free backpacking clinic in the spring.

bears -- if you are lucky you'll see one.

as your questions become more specific we can be more helpful.

lol, i also initially typed gooch gap in my reply above but i caught it before i posted.

just saw where you specifically asked about unicoi gap.

that is a realistic goal, especially if you start from springer mountain.

check out atweather.org when you get closer for a shelter to shelter weather report.

also trailquest.net for historical data