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Question about hiking plans

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    • Question about hiking plans

      Hi, I'm Luck a Polish man currently based in London UK.
      For many years now I've dreamt to do the throughike on the AT. Yet, I'm afraid that with my slow pace the whole thing may take me more than 6 months and this is a maximum length of US visa. Hence the question, Does anyone here knows a non American who did the entire AT ? If so, how did they do it ?
      I will be grateful for any answers. Thank you ; ).
    • Dzien dobry, Luk67!

      You don't actually need to be a speed demon to hike the AT in six months, if you don't spend all your time goofing off with the thru-hiker party crowd.

      Six months is roughly 180 days. Assume you take a weekly zero, that's 154 days hiking. Even if you spend a couple of weeks doing 8-10 mile days until you find your trail legs, and slow down through the Whites, that still means needing to average only 15 mpd on the rest of the trail.

      I'm the slowest of slowpokes, and it astonishes me that at the end of a two-week section hike, I'm doing 15's comfortably. (Then again, I always have trouble forecasting my mileage on good trail. My personal style runs to shorter days in more challenging terrain.)
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.