Northbound december start

imported
#1

anyone have experience with an early year start (December) thru hike northbound on the AT

lostsole

#2

Flying Brian started his trek on Jan 1, and got to Bennington Vermont before giving up due to deep snow. He was also moving very fast.

I’d expect that you need to be prepared for deep snow for most of your trek if you start anytime before early March.

Peaks

#3

We had 4’ of snow in March in the Smokeys. Wish we had snow shoes there. Comer and Jean from last year started January 1st. When we talked to the at TrailDaze this year they said they had some snow but not a lot. I’d have some snow shoes ready at Fontana and a Dam warm bag. Remember that most services will be closed or hard to get to. And go for it.

Bushwhack

#4

I was planning on having the shoes there and my parents are close to roan (Johnson city) there are a few places that I am wondering if its going to be passable with anything over a half a foot especially as your heading up the trail towards mt leconte (forget the bluffs name) the fact that brian made it through makes mee feel more hopeful

lost sole

#5

Oh you can get through if you really try but at a hugh cost of energy. We were making 10 miles in 12 hrs in mostly knee deep stuff. With a pack it was hell but pretty. It would be more fun with shoes and a fair amount safer. The trail was also a little hard to find in heavy snow too.

Bushwhack

#6

The amount of snow varies from year to year. Flying Brian was able to do the Triple Crown in part because of incredible luck with the weather. I’d venture to say that he probably would not have made it had it been a “normal” year.

How much snow are we going to get this winter? Can’t say. But, if I were doing an extended hike, I’d have to be prepared for it. In 2001 when Bushwack thru-hiked, the early hikers who started in February and March had a snow storm a week in the south, and post holed through knee deep snow.

If you parents live near Roan Mountain, then go up there day hiking, and you can acess the winter conditions first hand. Roan Mountain (and nearby Overmountain Shelter) was where I had the coldest night of my trip, and that night was in late May. It was so cold that I could not stuff my tent the next morning due to condensation and frost on it. It was like trying to stuff cardboard. And this was late May, a few days before Memorial Day.

Peaks

#7

Two years ago (when Flying Brian had to temporarily give up the A.T. in Vermont), it was an absolutely brutal winter in the east, especially New England. There was apparently deep snow on the peaks of northern New England well into May and June.

On the contrary, this past winter was the complete opposite. There was very little snow. In fact, the coldest weather probably came later in the Spring (I think there was some snow reported at high elevations in VA as late as mid-May this year) with very little cold and snow during the January and February. Heck, I did some day hikes in PA and NJ this past January in shirt sleeves.

The bottom line is that there is simply no way to tell. You are going to have to assume and be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best. In addition to being prepared, make sure you remember that, if you start in late December, you are going to be starting out when the daylight hours will be the shortest of the year. You will also likely be by yourself out there, and many of the seasonal trail town hostels may not be available either. Plan your mileage and town stops accordingly and keep track of the time each day. When there is only 8 or 10 hours of daylight, the day can slip by surprisingly fast, and there is a pretty good chance that there won’t be any (and definitely not a lot) of other hikers out there to help you out if you miscalculate. You don’t want to be stumbling around in the dark looking for a shelter or a water source in bad or even just cold weather. You also don’t want to stagger into town at dusk and discover that there are no winter lodging alternatives.

Having said all of that, I think a December start of the AT could be an amazing experience, especially if you like solitude and snow (and I, for one, love both). If you decide to do it, good luck, and, if possible, post your journals. They would be educational for others considering such a thing.

Ken G.

#8

At the risk of being slammed by you all…

Check out WF’s Traiplace. Under the Planning a Hike section he has a chart of average snowfall from state to state along the trail. It might be helpful in your planning

On another note. I’m guessing you are experienced in Winter camping, but you will need to watch you calorie intake while doing a Winter thru-hike. In the summer an average thru-hiker burns 6000 calories/day. You can easily double that in the Winter. Plan your food well. I heard of a guy who successfully completed a Winter thru-hike only to become very sick for 3 months following the completion. Turns out his body was eating itself (similar to anorexia) because he did not eat enough during his journey. Just an FYI

Grimace

#9

Just be prepared and go for it. See ya when you get to Damascus.

Lone Wolf

#10

Running water is almost impossible to find in the Smokeys in snow. You’ll need to melt snow for water. My wife got sicker than hell when we used iodine then, mice, deer and dog crap all around the springs. We had about two quarts of water a day and needed a ton more, it just took a huge amount of fuel at below freezing and high wind temps to do it. The low water and iodine ratio was pretty bad. Bleach or not treating would/may have been better. She was sick for three weeks. A week of dehydration really messed with the head too.

Bushwhack

#11

almost everything I have heard has convinced me to plan for snowshoes OUCH MORE WEIGHT … as far as the food issue when i section hike I carry all my food so I am hoping that will work out for this … the purification thing is a problem for sure I am allergic to iodine so far I have been one of the really lucky ones No purifification…

lost sole

#12

I think even at that early a start date the only place you’ll have water trouble is up high and only for a week. Just try to keep up with it. A dab of bleach or melt snow will work. Your not that far from town if you need out. Some of the roads like Newfound Gap close in bad weather so be prepared to wait for a ride. Or take a side trail west down to one of the parks. That and you’re really only about a thousand feet up above snow line. It was weird to look down from Rocky Top and see warm 60’s and sun when we had waste deep drifts.

Bushwhack

#13

We had snow on May 21st this year just north of Pearisburg. Everyone had sent all of their winter clothing home long before that. I had a sleeveless t-shirt, a pair of shorts, a pair of nylon jogging pants, a rain jacket, and a 40 degree sleeping bag. It got below freezing for about 3 nights in a row and then snow flurries started on the third morning about 9am and lasted sporadically until about noon. Nobody froze to death. Keep moving or stay out of the wind and get lots of calories.

It was 14 degrees at the top of Springer the day I started (Feb 28 02) and the only addition to the above mentioned clothing was a pair of gloves and a fleece top. I got 3 inches of snow on the bottom half of my sleeping bag at the old Gooch Gap shelter. I remember staying in the hostel at Neels Gap and noticing that when I went to bed my heart involuntarily started beating faster as I laid down to go to bed, even though I was now in a warm environment. The point is that if your body has calories to burn it will adjust to the cold and keep you warm as long as you can get out of the wind and have some basic insulation, such as the 15 dollar 40 degree walmart sleeping bag that I carried. Cover your head if you are going to sleep out in cold weather–a hood, a hat or even a plastic bag will trap in heat(don’t suffocate yourself if you use a plastic bag). It helps if you have some body fat to burn too, but your body will tell you what it needs by the food cravings you have, and you can adjust that when you get to a town–never be afraid to carry too much food weight. You can go to bed soaking wet with sweat and wake up dry the next morning.

I didn’t have lots of snow, never more than just enough to cover the ground, so maybe that would have made a difference, but the temperature range was below 40 for over a month, with several nights in the teens and below, and I don’t ever remember thinking I was going to die. I personally think people make way too much of the cold, and I spent the last 3 years before my hike down in Florida.

Disclaimer–if you do something stupid based upon what I’ve just said, then that’s on you.

2nd Shift

#14

The problem is not the terminus of the AT, but getting several weeks in and hitting the Smokies and Roan which is the highest part of the AT. A lot of the stations reporting snow totals are in the valleys.The Smokies act more like western and northern mountains as they develop an all winter snowpack. Calling the Smokies rangers before going is a good ideal. The way the seasons work is if you left in early December,you get ahead of the snow going north. Unfortunately, it is guarenteed you will get snowed out by a major storm for a week or more. We are talking 1-3 feet of snow constant with lots of post holing. Also the AT is not like western trails. It likes lots of very steep ups and downs which means you may get trapped. Because of the danger involved and near 100% failure rate I strongly reccomend you reconsider. Starting N/B late Nov.,December,Jan. is just not smart for a through hiker. Enjoy Christmas THEN start packing, plus guidebooks, maps, and food, equipment is all lots cheaper around this time. Even starting roughly FEb.1st is dicy. 1999 was my hike.It a dryer year, yet I had 2-3 feet in the Smokies,Got caught up in two blizzards and did not really see spring until reaching Perisburg. Snow was almost a daily occurance for the first two months.I left about the third week off Febuary and nobody successful left more than about a week ahead of me. I saw lots of cold and hyperthermic hikers and the rangers had to pull everyone out for a week because of a blizzard. Hope this helps.

Wyoming

#15

But it was cool, eh WSB?! We liked the early start, Feb 18, but could have used better bags. Froze out bleeps off. But after moving in the morning, getting warmed up, the snow and ice formations were killer. Both of use being Yanks we’re well familiar with cold and its problems. So why did we have crap bags? Because we had them and they were light. Just border line warm. have new fluffy down 0* ones now.

Bushwhack

#16

i’m thinking i’ll probalby go to pennsylvania in january and pick up the trail where i left off this summer- just south of port clinton. from there i’ll continue my northward journey.

i like the cold and am not really afraid one way or the other. so, there.

aren’t winter adventures so much fun?

grizzly adam

#17

Wyoming raises a good point about the Smokies and the Roan Highlands. With peaks in the 5000 to 6000+ foot range and a geographic location that allows for competing weather systems from the Plains of Canada, the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico to converge, dangerous weather is a distinct possibility… in fact, it is more of a probability. It is not uncommon for snowfalls in the multi-foot depth range to occur here, along with below zero temperatures and hurricane force winds. Of course, it is just as possible to find beautiful spring-like weather, and, not unheard of to get both within a day or two of each other. That still doesn’t make the trip impossible or even overly difficult, but it will require lots of preparation and flexibility (and substantially more and heavier gear than a summer hike… sorry). As long as you are outfitted and supplied so as to be able to hole up and stay warm in a shelter for a few days if the worst should happen, or wait out the worst weather for a few days in a valley, and, as long as somebody “back home” is regularly updated about your itinerary, I still think a trip like this would be an awesome experience.

Also, while many people (myself included) consider it bad form to carry electronic devices on the trail, I think a radio, especially a weather radio, might be very good idea for a trip like this so you can keep tabs on the weather, and maybe even a cell phone (for extreme emergencies only) would be a good idea. Just remember that, if you do bring items like these, use proper trail ettiquette. More specifically, do NOT use them when others are around without expressed permission.

Ken G.

#18

FYI, your winter, northbound hike out of Port Clinton sounds great, but don’t forget, if you plan on continuing into New England, that weather conditions from the Berkshires of Mass right up through to Katahdin are very different than in the Mid-Atlantic. In all liklihood (last winter was a very rare exception), the temperatures will get cold in New England by early December and not get much above freezing for any length of time until well into Spring. This not only means that deep snowpacks build up quickly and remain until April or later, but there will be consistently frigid temperatures and wind-chills that are periodically beyond comprehension.

By the way, if you don’t mind the rocks, the area from Port Clinton, PA north into New Jersey is surprisingly interesting. You will enjoy it… moreso in the winter when you can avoid the huge crowds of day hikers.

Ken G.

#19

To tell the truth,I would hike in PA AT in January or NY,NJ long before I would consider the Smokies. Actually I have backpacked in Southeast PA on a number of occaisons. Believe or not,this part of the AT gets less snow than the southern AT. Not to say I have not gotten snowed out before. I had one 16"er that forced me to detour to Manheim and then home. Of course,this was back in 1980,when my equipment was far less rugged. I could have continued on,but it was not ‘fun’ anymore.A good winter setup would make all the difference. I traveled with 0* bag and was halfway comfortable on most nights. A set of inline ice grippers also made life a lot more comfortable and safer. I enjoyed traveling during winter. It sure was quieter. Though not deserted. Lots of hunter folk and brave weekenders broke up the desolation. I saw very few people working south from CN,NY,NJ,PA,MD through Oct.,Nov. and Dec.A good cold front with overcast skies pretty guarenteed me four days of meeting absolutely nobody hiking. The Downside is winter storms can be dangerous. I got caught up in an ice storm go over the ‘Lockings’ and got severe hypothermia. Took eight hours to regain normal body temp. Hiking with a partner is good sense in wintertime because there is less of a safety net especially if one is a novice. bad planning or poor decisionmaking could easily lead to death and injury. I am unfortunately a member of the backcountry $100,000 hospital bill club,so I should know[different trip,different region). So play it safe, but there is lot of fun times out there to had if one knows what one is doing.

Wyoming

#20

I’ve read where several hikers had water problems (running out of fuel to boil) during periods of heavy snow. Years ago on a trip to Australia I found out that it was a real big hazzle to carry my gas campstove. I ordered the Sierra Zip woodburning stove to try. I have now retired my gas & alcohol stoves. This stove is wonderful. I even take hot showers on the trail now. No more fuel rationing,no trips to find fuel.

Ridge