Tara,Hi Francis,
I need to take a walk and I'm looking to get some advice. I want to leave end of September and I don't mind where I go - was thinking The Way since it's the one I'd heard the most about, but reading your comments on it made it loose all appeal. Hate the idea of walking on bitumen with hordes of people as I'm doing this to deal with myself, not talk with others.
I will be walking alone, I'm fit, 28 yrs old, used to be a cross country runner. I'm looking to walk for a least a month - thinking two or more would be better, so looking for trails suitable during October, November, December. I love mountains, but so long as it's not paved roads with people and traffic, I'll take it. I've not hiked or navigated or camped since high school so I realize this is an ambitious undertaking and I will be making lots of mistakes and experiencing much frustration on a steep learning curve etc etc etc
I'm not interested in pushing myself through high pain with super long miles each day, or working through the types of blisters your Estonian friend overcame. I need time to reflect and read and integrate and be somewhat kind to myself. If this seems counter to the idea of taking a long walk, maybe I should re-phrase it as taking a short walk over a long time
If you have any input on suitable trails to pursue, I'd love to purchase a consult with you.
Thank you for your site and videos.
God Bless,
Tara
Here are my top options for you, given your requirements (in no particular order):
- - Southbound hike on the Appalachian Trail starting in Harper's Ferry (roughly the halfway point). The upside is that if you ever feel like hiking the northern half, you'll have completed the AT!
- Traverse the Pyrenees like I did (in Oct). It's snowy up high, but you can avoid lots of snow if you stay on the GR10. We discussed the Pyrenees a bit on the forum.
- The Hayduke Trail and the Arizona Trail. I've never hiked either one, and I don't know if it will be too cold/snowy in winter, but consider it. I suspect they're doable.
- I'm in South Africa as I write this. Oct-Dec is their summer, so you could consider the Rim of Africa trail (2 months). And from there, you can do the Otter Trail (5-7 days) and the Drakensberg Traverse (210 km or 5-15 days).
- My mom is from Chile, and it's also summer there in Oct-Dec. So consider hiking as long as you want on the Andes.
- New Zealand (where Lord of the Rings was filmed) has great trails that are ideal in Oct-Dec.
Let me know what you decide!