So, I’m looking for a 5-7 day, 4-6 night winter hike, probably late December or Early January, some of the southern passages of the AZT look promising. What would the weather / water conditions be like at that time of year? Would it be possible to use shoulder season gear rather than “real” winter gear at that time (i.e. UL tarp & quilt rather than traditional tent & 0dF bag)? Any thoughts you’d like to share?
JamesNotJim
It will depend on how flexible you can be and if you can dodge the coldest and snowiest weather. I did my first AZT hike over the winter solstice last year, from Superior to Sunflower. It went great, in my tarptent and 15F bag. I snuck in between snow storms, so there was plenty of surface water up there in the Supes and Four Peaks.
Garlic
You can read some of my journal www.trailjournals.com/AP09 I think I mention weather conditions. Starting at the border going north was fine. Little bit of icy snow around Miller Peak so you might want some micro spikes or something. I didn’t need an ice axe or snowshoes for that section and I had a tarp tent. My old 15 degree bag was fine to warm at the lower elevations, closer to Miller it was a bit colder but I just put more layers on.
Apple Pie