My Offer
I invite you to hike a tiny piece of the Appalachian Trail with 4 other people and me. For 10 days we will leave behind civilisation and trudge a small path through the forest of the Appalachian Mountains in New York State. Sweat, bugs, rain or shine. No bed is waiting for you. Sleep on your mattress after having some instant food. Aren’t the beautiful views you get occasionally worth such an effort? It seems to be like that, because most of the hikers return. Like me. Join the group, get blisters on your feet, complain about the weather, long for the next shelter, and enjoy the silence as well as your power…
Our 45 Miles of trail are easily accessible by public transportation on either end. Metro North takes you direct from Grand Central Terminal/Manhattan with connections to all New York City airports and Amtrak Penn Station.
The part of the trail we go is not too difficult but challenging for inexperienced hiker. An almost constantly changing altitude between 100 and 1000 ft has to overcome with a backpack of about 30 – 50 lbs. Near the trail we’ll find some manmade points of interest: A Buddhist monastery, the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center of the Franciscan Friars where we can eat together with the monks and the impressing Bear Mountain Bridge. There we leave the trail and rent a car for the last two days.
Although New York City is worth to visit, there are enough attractions less known in the near surroundings. Already 3500 years B.C. people settled here and there are still some traces to find. The Hudson Valley is rich in younger American history, too, such as battlefields of the Revolutionary War, Kingston as the former capital of New York and the US Military Academy at West Point. However, maybe after being in the woods we decide to stroll through a nice small town, stay on the beach of a lake or cruise on the Hudson River. During the hike we got plenty of time to figure out optional trips. After returning the car you go back to NYC by train along the Hudson. Book a hotel in advance in case you want to explore the city on your own.

The Group
The Appalachian Trail Conference recommends no more than ten people for overnight trips. However, during the summer and at weekends the shelters may fill fast. To guarantee a place to sleep and especially to beware the unique character of the trail, the group is limited to 5. Youths from 16 years may participate with written permission of their parents as well as children from 14 accompanied by parents/parent. Since this tour is offered in my home country Germany too, some language skills in German might be useful.

Service
Pick up at NYC Grand Central Terminal and transfer to the trail
10 days guided tour on the AT, CPR certified
Food supply (I’ll leave the trail)
Baggage storage in my car at the starting point
Free lanced staff in case of emergency
Translation German – English if necessary

Trips to places of interest (in accordance to the group)
Options:
New York City
Cruise on the Hudson River
Excursions to historical buildings (mansions) along the Hudson and prehistorically places of the native people

Cost
Cost for 10 days accompanied trekking is € 500 or $ 600. 5% of your fee will be donated to the Appalachian Trail Conference, a non profit organization providing trail maintenance by volunteers only.

Equipment
Less is more! 50 lbs. – no more you should carry. Tent, mattress, sleeping bag, stove, bottles for at least about a half gallon water, some plastic boxes for food, towel, clothing with only a small amount of cotton, a swimming suit, rain clothing and of course good hiking boots. Lotion to protect from too much sun, bugs and tics is strongly recommended.

Visa
EU citizens need an at least 6 months valid passport, readable by machines.

Getting there
The New York City metropolitan area has 3 airports: John F. Kennedy International (JFK), Newark International (EWR) and La Guardia (LGA). All airports are connected by public transportation with Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

John F. Kennedy Airport:
www.panynj.gov/aviation/jfkframe.HTM
Newark International:
www.panynj.gov/aviation/ewrframe.HTM
LaGuardia:
www.panynj.gov/aviation/lgaframe.HTM