Dogs need baths don't-ya-know. Just don't do it like Blast did with the cat.

JimmyJohn, a buddy of mine and I tried to hike the AT not too long ago. My trip was cut short after a bear decided to run off with my boots and my knee giving out (going down hill is harder that up!). Anyhow, my advice is echos everyone else. Test your pack.

If I were you, head over with your pack loaded to REI. The folks there see many thru-hikers and they can give you some VERY good advice: from how the pack should fit to whether or not you really need those books you think you will read on the trip. They (in my experience) will bend over backwards to make sure your pack is setup right even if you didn't purchase it there. March is almost here and I bet there will be tons of thru-hikers there. Talk to them some have done it more than once and know a thing or two and aren't typically shy about giving you their 2 cents.

Once you have your stuff the way you think you want it, take your bag loaded and hike for 5-7 miles in terrain similar to what you expect to encounter. Make sure you have the same amount of food and water (heavy) that you expect to carry. I typically aim to have my pack to 25lbs. without food or water. Once grub is added it's about 30-35lbs (1 week's worth).

Oh I almost forgot if you don't feel comfortable taking all your bag fully loaded into REI just take the bag and ask if someone can help you adjust it. They have sand bags that they can put in it to simulate the weight. Oh and have fun! Some of the nicest people I met were in GA. Talk about southern hospitality!

-Humby

33% of body weight is usually the practical limit for most people in moderately good shape if you want them to maintain a decent pace.

People in very good shape and crossing flat and easy ground can go to 50% and still maintain a decent pace for a time. For shorter periods of time a bit more but expect a certain number to come up lame. Particularly if the footing is uneven at those weights the number of turned ankles and blown out knees will multiply. Loaded too heavy for their abilities the amount of time spent on rest breaks, the effort needed to treat and transport injuries, and the slow pace will erase any benefit of the higher loading. Two or three trips with a lighter loads can often move more cargo than taking it all in one go.

Pathfinders and scouts maintain the highest mobility by keeping the weight down to between 5% and 10% of body weight and sleeping cold and limiting food and water. This is also a good estimate for children, and the old.

As an aside, a friend claimed that %25 was about as high as you want to go for a dog. His large, roughly 60 pound mutt, had a pack that ran about 15 pounds with food, water and some doggy gear like booties, bowl and a sleeping pad. The dog seemed to love to backpack and would beg for someone to put his pack on.

A person in good shape can carry roughly 25 - 30% of his or her normal body weight.

A person in great hiking condition can carry roughly 40 - 50 % of his or her normal body weight.

These approximate numbers alone do not factor in mental condition, good/poor/quality/quantity food intake, hydration, clothing, footwear, weather, terrain, distance etc.

To echo what everyone else is saying, try it out on easier hikes and see what works for you. In days gone by (more than I care to think about ... ), I was training for a week long hike in the Grand Canyon. To train, I took my pack and loaded it up with as many Platapus (sp?) water bladders as I could. I then went to a local park with a lot of hills. I spent a lot of time/miles hiking up and down. When you carry bladders like that, if you get tired or something starts to hurt, you can dump water and lighten the pack considerably and get back to your car. FWIW.

LW

LOL! That never get's old!

But seriously, as many have said in this post, you need to be careful about thru-hiking.

If you can afford it, you can do some seriously ultra-light gear. In this case, ounces saved are important.

How much water/food do you plan on carrying? How will you acquire water/food if you aren't carrying a lot of it. What type of gear are you planning on carrying? Are you planning on shipping some equipment ahead as "resupply" points? Those that thru-hike the AT can give great advice on all of this.

Another thread that was discussed here was trekking poles... They may prove useful as well...

Just some thoughts off the top of my head...

Is that a trail or is it wilderness or is it just "country?"

I have this distorted impression that there aren't a lot of really huge National Forests in that part of the country.

Point is that if you are planning this as a wilderness/forest backpacking trip I'd suggest one kind of approach to it. If this is a walk along country roads between town parks or KOA campgrounds then you have another approach. And if you are "walking for <insert your cause here>" with vehicle support then you have yet another situation.

Getting "out there" is great.
Getting out there without working up to it might not go so well.
Even preliminary gear tests won't tell you everything.

Sea Story Mode ON: Prior to taking my first long cross-country motorcycle trip to celebrate leaving the Navy, I set up my camping rig in the backyard in Va. Beach. It was April. Everything worked great. Tent, sleeping bag, pad, stove.
I rode west toward W. Va. That night I slept in the Blue Ridge in a campground. I was cold. I was cold every night I slept outdoors for the next month except for the campground in Death Valley. oops. I rode most of the trip in all of the clothes I had with me. oops. Got snowed on in New Mexico. oops. Had to stand on the bike pegs to see over the snowbanks while riding in the Sierra Nevada. Hmmm.
(Still had a marvelous trip and a once-in-a-lifetime experience)
Sea Story Mode OFF

Did about 100 miles in January with about 55-60 lbs on my back thru rough terrain. Pretty decent weight... I would aim for a nice round 40 lbs... All depends on your sleepign and food arrangments as that means tent/sleeping pad/stove/food weight...

Nicely paced 150 miles is about ten days walk. That should give you an idea how much food to carry or how much money you should bring. But 10 days worth of food is going to be a bulk of yer weight.

Have you considered biking?

hey, where'd he go?