Latest AT sobo start date?

imported
#1

i was just wondering…any folks out there who’ve done a winter southbound hike on the AT? (i know in '03, paw and i met 2 guys in north carolina who had left katahdin in august)…anyone ever launched out, say, in october?..how feasible is a sobo hike starting that time of year? (we like winter hiking down south and have hiked in plenty of wintery conditions, but i have a feeling that up north, winter hiking could be much more ACUTELY ‘technical’, and i’m not sure we’re ready for that!)…we’d appreciate any advice or comments (especially from hikers who’ve completed a wintertime thruhike)…thanks

maw-ee

#2

Hey Maw-ee,

After my 2008 Thru-Hike, I knew that I’d like to hike the trail again… someday. If and when that days comes… it will definitely be Southbound, and definitely be in the fall and Winter.

That being said - you really have to be careful when you choose your starting date. If you start too late - you could very easily run into problems with intense snow and cold in the higher elevation areas of the Northeast (Parts of Maine, The Whites, etc).

My suuggestion would be to leave sometime in VERY early September. This is do-able. Leaving in October, in my opinion - is not, that is unless you are hiking SUPER FAST and can make it through these areas quickly.

Check out this website: http://atwishhikers.com/journal.htm

These guys started the 4th of September and made it all the way through. They’ve got great journals, photos, and there is even a podcast available to DL about their journey.

Awesome resource.

Hope this helps.

-low-

Low

#3

Up here in NH you would want to be through the WHites before the end of November. I was up there yesterday and the summits have a nice coat of snow on them and it is pretty cold. My main worries would be the river and stream crossings in Maine where you have to wade and the steep rocky slopes in NH and Maine which tend to get covered in ice making them hazardous to hike on. Remember that the huts in the Whites are for the most part closed at this time of year so you may have to be tenting near or above tree line.

Big B

#4

If you are serious about a late starting SOBO, consider a 3 or 4 day section hike this winter. There are a whole different set of skills required for winter hiking/camping. A section hike will help you develop those skills and also tell you how much you will enjoy that kind of experience.

Jeff

#5

Alone in the Maine woods, fording ice water. Icy rock scrambles, up and worse, down. Alone in the woods in the Whites. 100 mph winds. Are you ready to accept that you will be putting possible rescuers at risk? I think that, unless you are an experienced winter mountaineer (more than two weeks of being out in the ice, snow, rock and minus twenty F), you shouldn’t put others at risk rescuing you, or looking for you. Read about the two ice climbers who got caught on Mt. Washington and how their rescuer died. Talk to the Mountain Rescue Teams and State outdoor folks. Ask them what’s required. Some things are best put aside until the appropriate time.

What Color Are The Blazes

#6

A hiker named “The Dude” did it In 05. I’m pretty sure he started on sept 11th and finished april 22. He wasn’t anything close to be a Mountaineer. .
I say, go for it! Good luck.

Bubble Boy

#7

If you head south from Katahdin later that August, you may end up having to wait at times for “weather windows” - particularly in the Whites. There have been many weeks this Fall in the Whites where the hiking above tree-line was almost impossible - hurricane force winds, sub-zero wind chill and almost zero visibility. Of course, there have been a few weeks of ideal conditions as well.

My two cents of advice would be to make sure that you wait out bad weather in town and not get caught in brutal above-treeline situations. Timing is everything. Carrying a weather radio may be a very good idea as well - you would have a better idea of when to bomb off the trail.

Rime ice can be a big factor on all the exposed granite - I can’t imagine trying to get down Mahusooc Arm, or any other cliff like section of trail on rime. Snow deep enough (say half a foot) to bury the trail makes for interesting navigation issues, particularly since the blazes are white! (Yesterday I XC skied a section of the A.T. in Pomfret VT - the snow was about 8" deep)

Every year is different - check out “Squeaky’s” '05 triple crown hike on TJ’s. He started SOBO from Katahdin on October 15th and got buried by 4 feet of snow in the Mahoosuc’s… He figured that the PCT & CDT would be the hardest part of his journey, but the SOBO leg on the A.T. through the Fall into Winter turned out to be the hardest part of his long hike by far.

All things considered, if I were planning a Fall/Winter SOBO hike, I would want to get as far as Glencliff, NH by late October - on an ‘average’ year. After Moosilauke, its mostly a ‘walk in the woods’… ‘:)’

Happy Trails,
freebird

freebird

#8

Actually, if we’re talking about the same Dude, he started somewhere around August 21. (2004) Though he wasn’t a mountaineering expert, he was experienced in snow travel, including a trip on Rainier and a lot of winter hiking in the Smokies. I think that’s what it boils down to. The experience to hike in winter conditions and the respect that comes with it. Some good points have been made on “windows of opportunity,” and any winter hike should be approached with a willingness to remain flexible and understanding that the weather will dictate when or how you should proceed. Respect the mountains for both their beauty and potential fury, and always have a Plan B, a knowledge of alternate trails to lead you to safety should things take a turn for the worse. This should help to minimize the need for a “rescue” scenario, something we never wish to find ourselves or put others in.

I did a southbound section in '04, Monson-Duncannon, beginning in late August. This was when I met and fell in with the infamous Dude, along with a handful of others, mostly flip-floppers, who were on the trail at that time as well. Dude and I both moved fairly slow in the beginning, but didn’t run into snow or anything resembling winter weather until central Vermont in mid-October.

Late August is an excellent time to begin a southbound hike, but now with a few more trail miles under my belt I would feel comfortable starting in mid-September. If you start in October, things might be a little touch and go until you get through the Whites and winter will almost certainly be upon you before leaving New England. Like they say, though, it all depends on the year. Best of luck. It will make for an amazing adventure!

Gesh

#9

www.mountainrescue.org talk to them

What Color Are The Blazes