I am pondering a thru-hike from May 1-October 10, what do people think about that? I mean, it will be a LOT nicer to start in May and end in October than to start in February or March and end in August. I won’t have to deal with the real cold weather in the south, I would like to have some people’s comments on this so I kind of know what to expect weather-wise. Do people think this is a good idea, why or why not? Thank you so much.
E-Dub
E- dub- that’s absolutely doable. you’ll probably avoid the worst of the cold and the crowds down south that way, and you’ll hit peak foliage in Maine- an amazing experience. whatever anybody here says, a five month hike is totally doable (without rushing). live your dreams!
Remy.
Remy
Sounds great E-Dub! My only suggestion is to not be so specific about your finish date, unless you love to stick to schedules. I have found that when i throw the plans / schedules out the window on my hikes and just let the days unfold without concern for mileage or time, wonderful things begin to happen. Hippies would call this being in the “flow.” Happy Trails!
freebird
hi e-dub! i’d hafta agree with freebird about schedules…on our first thru-hike in '03 we were a little more strict with our schedule than we were this year and a little more “relaxed” is a lot more fun…however we began both our hikes in february at springer and would HIGHLY recommend feb. thru july/aug for several reasons…one, i think i would much prefer tackling the ice and snow in the mountains of the south than ice or snow in the whites or on katahdin (but then, i’m an old “granny”…it may not be a concern for you)…i think those northern mtns are TOUGH enough without any added complications…two, i think statistically you’re more likely to have nice weather for summiting on katahdin in late july/early august than oct…three, by starting in feb., you get a LOT more vistas from the ridges and mountaintops than when the trees are leafed out(no green tunnel!)…you also get to see a whole lot of beautiful wildflowers and spring flowering trees like serviceberry and redbud…but you miss most of the poison ivy!(we had hardly any dealings with poison ivy in '03 and only mildly this year…really not until we reached PA and then only for a short section i think just as we were entering that state)…you get to walk a couple of months before realizing any mosquito problems, too…and we think the mice problems are MUCH less (because, i think, that earlier in the season the mice haven’t learned that hikers mean “food”)…most daytime temps can be quite warm in feb. down south…really altogether better hiking temps…(in '03 it rained alot and we NEVER had really hot weather!)…one possible “negative” for an early hike is that there aren’t just tons of other hikers out there in feb…(if you desire solitude that’s good…if you prefer a party you’re outa luck!)…still we met LOTS of wonderful people (as well as having our times of peace and quiet)…i think i would really enjoy the fall colors of the north, but i think that’s only one plus for a later hike…you get a much "broader"experience, i think, hiking north early…oh…by the way, it took us about 5 1/2 months (paw-ee and i are 63 and 52 respectively)and you can definitely click off a hike in 4 1/2 months, but we think slower is better!..i’d love to do a hike that lasted a year!(but that would require more $$$$$!)…hope this helps…you can check out our journal for more (i’m putting together a comparison of our two hikes)… the main thing is just DO IT!..hiking the AT anytime is worth the time!..it has been one of the greatest blessings of our life!..maw-ee
deb tucker (maw-ee)
absolutely doable. The last big push of people is around the 15th, so you’d only be two weeks behind some big groups of people.
definitely don’t sweat 5 months at all. Heck, skip Trail Days and you’ve made up a week right there. Don’t even worry about being a super athlete before you head out. Being in shape will help, but it will be about limiting your town stays more than anything else. A lot of people who take 6 months to hike end up with 30+ zero days, so don’t sweat 5 months.
0101
Showing up at a shelter in March and April with 30 other hikers is not exactly in the spirit of seeing the wilderness. It does make for meeting nice folks though. In 2004, I started May 1 and never saw those kind of nutty numbers nor did I ever have a shelter to myself. A lot will depend on your mileage abiltiy/desire. A May 1 start with an average of about 15 miles a day will get you to Katahdin in the first week of October. Arriving on the 10th is good too since you definitely want some buffer time – the summit is not always open in October. Surprisingly, I found I was able to do more miles than was first planned…20 mile days happened often just because I got up at sunrise and got going. As a result, my May 1 start had me summit Katahdin on September 17th…and that was with 21 zero days (about one a week witn a mileage average of 19). If you make a meager attempt to exercise before your hike (say three months of leg endurance at a health club), well, even the Approach Trail won’t be a big deal. The rest will come down to your pack weight (mine was 34 pounds in '04)and your foot health, they will dictate much. This year I went again with less pack weight (26 lbs) and trained harder. The result was more joy and outdoor appreciation from the get go. Being curious about what starting with the main pack would be like, this season I started April 7th. What a mad house some of the camping/shelter areas were! Starting May 1 is ideal…if you don’t lollygag too much. Meaning, if it rains you still need to walk. Enjoy - the wilderness of awes awaits.
Postcard
you can always start early in march from front royal and go south then come back and go north with what is left of the march1st pack, which will have thinned out by then.
Bloody Cactus
E-Dub,
In 2005 I did a month-long trek starting mid-May and I had plans of getting to Damascus by mid-June, but stopped in Erwin early as I had a job opportunity open up in New Orleans. Either way, it was enjoyable, plenty of nice people but a good mix of solitude and party, plus the weather was unbeatable, warm at day, cold at night, sexy as hell. And you could do a 5 month hike no problem. Zero days in towns are fun, but too many of them become costly in both time and money. Later,
Snacks
Snack Attack