[0x0539]

Adding to this, if people want a lonely long hiking trail the Continental Divide is a good choice. My longest period without seeing another person at all was 6days, and I know several who have gone went weeks without seeing anyone(apart from hitchhiking into town for more food).

Its also just a really awesome trail (Montana/Wyoming/Colorado/New Mexico) with on a good year maybe 300 hikers starting(far fewer finishing or making significant progress)

Though it does take map and compass navigation as the trail is not complete and even when it is, there often isn't a trail just a line on a map.

[matwood]

That's great! When I lived in CO I hiked some of the same 1-2 day loops over and over across different seasons (some hit the continental divide). Seeing the same trail change depending on time of year was great. My favorite time hiking is in the winter (talk about being completely alone!). The stillness is so quiet, and all you hear is the snow crunching beneath your boots or the actual snow falling.

The AT just seems anti-why I like to hike, and sounds more like a backpacking trip across Europe with your HS senior class.