gc from Columbia, Mo. on 03/23/2008 08:26 PM
Well, I have hiked the trail from end to end, and I know a few others have, too. The trail is a great place to hike, especially since there are no really steep grades to contend with and the surface is easy on the legs.
I agree with the above statements and will add a couple of thoughts: 1., Start walking NOW before you go out on a long trip on the trail. Try walking for an hour or two on the trail or even around your neighborhood and see how you do. This will help you to get your stamina up. 2., Good shoes and socks are a must, and get backpacks that you can comfortably carry your equipment, food, water, etc. 3., In terms of camping, Klondike Park in St. Charles county near Augusta can't be beat. 4., Keep an eye on temperatures. I have done long walks in September that were beautiful and in July that was awfully hot, but also great.
Beyond that, look on this website for other places to camp or stay over night. The Peers Store will rent you the room above the store at very reasonable rates. Of course, be sure to get checked out by a doctor to make sure you don't have any medical issues. I am sure your doc will love that you want to start walking, but safety first. As I said before there are a few of us who have hiked the whole trail, and we have blogs about our experiences that are linked to this site. They might be of some help to you. (Which reminds me, I never updated the last day's walk from last July... Something for me to do tomorrow on my day off) Ray, do you want to link our blogs to this?
I say go for it and have a great time... Who knows, we might run into each other.