Is October 5 too late to start a 40 day trek of the CT?
Stephen
October is too late to start the CT. In part, this is because the trail is not marked for snow conditions, and it is nearly impossible to follow if the tread is invisible under snow. I think Oct 5 would be considered late to even be finishing a thru.
On Track
That would put you on the CT until Nov 15 which is WAY too late. I have hiked portions of the CT in the San Juan Mtns in mid to late Oct and that is about as late as you can realistically hike the trail. Route finding becomes very difficult, the days are very short, and, most importantly, temps will be in the teens (or lower!) and heavy snowstorms are not uncommon. SJ Ron
San Juan Ron