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BMT>AT>Cohos Trail

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    • BMT>AT>Cohos Trail

      Retirement has made me rethink my hiking plans for this year. I was hoping to do the Idaho Centennial Trail this summer, but I started thinking I'm not really in shape to commit to 900 miles of wilderness, so I've come up with an alternate plan. I figured on doing the BMT as a warmup hike, but that wouldn't leave me much time to work out all of the logistics for the ICT with food drops, water carries, etc.
      So instead, after the BMT, I'll hop on the AT and hike north to NY. I'll then head home to spend a week with my daughter and grandkids, then head up to NH, shuttle to the Canadian border and hike the Cohos Trail down to Crawford notch, and continue on the AT south back to NY and home.
      That's the "plan", but we'll see what my body has to say about it as I go north.
      I should be in Damascus in time for Trail Days.
      its all good

    • The plan begins today. Taking Amtrak to Gaineville, Ga, gets in Thursday 7:25 am.
      I had bought a coach seat for $165 (private rooms started at $615, which I wasn't going to spend) A few days ago, I received an upgrade option where you place a bid starting from $160 to $615 to upgrade to a roomette, which has a bed and a private toilet. I put in a bid for the minimum $160, and a few hours later got an email that my bid was accepted. So at least I'll have a bit of privacy and a bed so that I'll be well rested tomorrow. Total cost $325, almost half the regular price.
      Cool Breeze is picking me up in Gainesville and getting me to FS 42 and Springer.
      From there, who knows? I've been known to change my plans more often than some people change their underwear.
      Let the adventure take me where it will!
      its all good

    • You'll enjoy that room.

      I've done it once. Years ago my wife had a conference to attend in DC so we took Amtrak for the experience and got the room. Really nice and you get a much much better sleep than in the seats in coach. But the price -- ouch! You got a steal of a deal at an additional $160.

      Have a great hike.
      2,000 miler

    • max.patch wrote:

      You'll enjoy that room.

      I've done it once. Years ago my wife had a conference to attend in DC so we took Amtrak for the experience and got the room. Really nice and you get a much much better sleep than in the seats in coach. But the price -- ouch! You got a steal of a deal at an additional $160.

      Have a great hike.
      I never expected them to accept the bid, so,yeah, that was a great surprise. Some pre-trail trail magic, I suppose.
      its all good

    • max.patch wrote:

      You'll enjoy that room.

      I've done it once. Years ago my wife had a conference to attend in DC so we took Amtrak for the experience and got the room. Really nice and you get a much much better sleep than in the seats in coach. But the price -- ouch! You got a steal of a deal at an additional $160.

      Have a great hike.
      I would still take an Amtrak seat over one on a bus. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • Astro wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      You'll enjoy that room.

      I've done it once. Years ago my wife had a conference to attend in DC so we took Amtrak for the experience and got the room. Really nice and you get a much much better sleep than in the seats in coach. But the price -- ouch! You got a steal of a deal at an additional $160.

      Have a great hike.
      I would still take an Amtrak seat over one on a bus. :)
      I took the bus to Tucson once becasue they had a sale that made it incredibly cheap. Not only will I never do that again, I wouldn't do it if THEY paid ME. The first 2 seats behind the driver was the "non-smoking" section. You can imagine how much that helped. Dad picked me up and the first words out of his mouth were "you stink".

      The police boarded the bus at the stop in Chattanooga looking for a fugitive. OMO can tell you that Chattanooga is not normally a stop you would expect going from Atlanta to Tucson.

      There was also the threat of a strike at the time. (Which is probably why the fare sale was so cheap.) Luckily that didn't happen so we didn't get stranded somewhere in west Texas.
      2,000 miler

      The post was edited 2 times, last by max.patch ().

    • hikerboy wrote:

      The plan begins today. ....Cool Breeze is picking me up in Gainesville and getting me to FS 42 and Springer. From there, who knows? I've been known to change my plans more often than some people change their underwear. Let the adventure take me where it will!
      Happy trails. I'm not one to change my plans or underwear all that often. Oops, TMI. Check in from time to time with trip reports, if you are able. I'm hoping to do the HMW to BP in early August, so if you turn right instead of left in NH and end up in Monson, try to run into me.

    • hikerboy wrote:

      The plan begins today. Taking Amtrak to Gaineville, Ga, gets in Thursday 7:25 am.
      I had bought a coach seat for $165 (private rooms started at $615, which I wasn't going to spend) A few days ago, I received an upgrade option where you place a bid starting from $160 to $615 to upgrade to a roomette, which has a bed and a private toilet. I put in a bid for the minimum $160, and a few hours later got an email that my bid was accepted. So at least I'll have a bit of privacy and a bed so that I'll be well rested tomorrow. Total cost $325, almost half the regular price.
      Cool Breeze is picking me up in Gainesville and getting me to FS 42 and Springer.
      From there, who knows? I've been known to change my plans more often than some people change their underwear.
      Let the adventure take me where it will!
      HAVE A GREAT TIME and check in when you can.
      Amtrak is a good way to travel as long as you're not on a tight schedule as freight trains get priority over Amtrak .

    • I'm in Reliance TN at Reliance Fly & Tackle, where I've stayed every BMT hike. Great people with tentsites right by a stream. Today was hot, but the stretch from Thunder Rock to Reliance is one of the nicest on the trail, and I enjoyed walking by the stream. I've taken a few blue blazes and skipped some miles, but I really don't care. Just having fun and exploring new territory.
      Images

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      its all good

    • hikerboy wrote:

      If its this hot now, i hope its not significantly hotter tahn. There are some 6 and 8 mile stretches between water sources. Going up and down those hills aren't fun in the heat. But some sections, like today can be rewarding.
      Growing up in South Florida I don't mind the heat so much. But long water carries are never something to look forward to.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • max.patch wrote:

      It's been 85 degrees here for 3 days in a row. I notice it. The dog notices it. The older I get the more the heat bothers me.
      When I was younger, and vacation was always in the summer, it was one thing. But now that I'm older and can pick the seasons I want to hike, the heat just beats me up.I much prefer the shoulder seasons to do my hiking.
      its all good

    • New

      Just to give you an update, retirement has changed my whole way of thinking, and the original plan is out the window. I've skipped roughly 100 miles of the BMT and I'm currently in Bryson City, NC to dry out a bit. Pending the weather forecast, I should be heading up to Smokemont Campground to finish the last leg of the Smokies. I've been blue blazing and yellow blazing, to visit friends and skip a few sections I really didn't want to do for a 4th time. I've taken woods roads where it would meet up with the trail further along, just to see some new territory. After the Smokies I may skip ahead again to Hot Springs or maybe Erwin. My only "goal" right now is to be at Trail Days. After that, I'll decide whether I want to continue north on the AT. Either way, when I get to NY, I'll take a break to spend some time with my daughter and grandkids. Then in August I'll look to do the Cohos Trail.
      So far, my hike has been awesome, visiting with old friends and making some new ones. And instead of embracing the suck, I've done a good job of avoiding it.
      But I also remembered what I've said about hiking in the heat, and realized I've done enough embracing that now I can do my hike my way.
      Pictures to come.
      #avoidthesuck
      its all good

      The post was edited 2 times, last by hikerboy ().