Originally Posted by mollusk

HTFU and start in Georgia. That first bit is pretty hard.

And you can start next year where you left off this year. People that hike this trail are into that kind of thing.

What boots are you using? A couple of years ago my beloved Norwegian welt boots that I owned since the 1970's finally rotted so badly that they could not be salvaged. I'm too old to get on Limmer's waiting list for a custom built pair. (Limmer boots are to hiking as Richard Sachs or Vanillia is to custom bike frames, BTW.) The hiking boots I now own I would only trust for day hiking or weekend backpacking.