Thanks to all who answered my first question. Very helpful. I’m pretty new to this forum and I’m guessing this is one of those over-worked questions, but am wondering what the earliest start dates are going northbound. I’ve seen references to “late February” but, from my scanty knowledge of the area, this seems impossibly early given snow, rain, slush and low temps. Enlightenment, please. This is a great site, by the way.
Trail Bum
Well I know Santa’s Helper headed out very early this yr When I got to Springer in March 1st there were a few out and I know MR.Happy got off because of bad weather and went home for a few until the weather got a lil better.I guess it is in what you can do I suppose.
Tambourine
Every year there are a hearty few who start out in January. See Bono’s journal from a couple of years ago. There was another journalist who hiked with him and also had an excellent journal (the name eludes me now). They described the experience pretty well. Some years the snow is not a big deal but the cold always seems to be a constant in January and February. The worst part IMHO is the very short days. If you like hiking and camping in the cold and have the equipment it would be a very interesting experience.
Big B
I just looked it up and the other hiker I was thinking of was Rocket and the year was 2003. Also the Flying Scotsman was that year and also had a great early start journal.
Big B
I started in late Feb. and though I didn’t keep a online TJ, I used Pickle and Peanut’s 2004 journal to get a feel for what I might experience. Boomerang began in Feb. 2005 and kept a great journal as well. So did Snowdog. I mention these three because they all made it to Maine. If you have specific questions about what Feb. was like feel free to email me. Yes, there was snow at elevations above 2500’, sometimes 12" drifts and the coldest temps. I encountered were 17 degrees. It is definitely doable. I had a zero bag, but no snowshoes or other extra special winter gear really.
Happy Trails.
Early Bird