[pct-l] AT mileage

[ROYROBIN@aol.com (ROYROBIN@aol.com)]

gottawalk@pacbell.net writes:

<< We're considering the AT for 2003.... Does a hiker hike the same daily
mileage on the AT that he or she hiked on the PCT or CDT?  ... I also
understand that the AT has rough tread in places but it seems to me that any
tread at all is easier than the roughness of no tread, not to mention the
time factor in route finding. I know that each trail is different but we
wanted a comparison rule of thumb for figuring daily distance and resupply. >>

I've hiked both the PCT and the AT, and suggest, as a rule of thumb, that a
person who hikes 20 miles per day on the PCT could average about 15 mpd on
the AT.  The AT has a lot of really bad hiking trail by PCT standards.  It
also offers a lot of very pleasant town stops, which can be a distraction.  A
wilderness experience it's not, except in some select sections.

This is not to imply that one trail is "better" than the other.  The PCT is
an easier tread to hike on average, but more challenging for the hiker in
other ways.  What the AT may lack in spectacular scenery it makes up for in
historic sites and the social scene.  And the Whites and Bigelows aren't
shabby!  The AT is the "Grandaddy", probably the most famous long trail in
the world.  -- TrailDad