might have time this year for a sobo thru, wondering what time is the tradional start, thinking early sept.
but wondering about fire season. any help would be nice thanks.
tweedle
SOBO Hike start times
system
#1
system
#2
tweedle. Check out SOBO journals from last year. I would think late July or early August would be a better time. You would be finishing in GA in December. Maybe around New Year’s eve. Alot of local hikers around Springer on New Year’s eve.
A couple from New Zealand have a great journal from last year. Weka and Kea, Susan Guscott and David Castle
www.trailjournals.com/WekaKea They started: July 27
Bilko
system
#4
I don’t think you’ll find that there’s a “traditional” start for a southbound thru, since tradition probably implies more precedent than the AZT can currently offer up. As a general rule, you’d want to avoid monsoon season, which rules out starting before ~Labor Day. Since the finish timeframe would largely be open-ended in the mild southern region, you could opt to wait to begin in October when the trail on-whole will be cooler and less prone to afternoon storms. OTOH, a weak monsoon season might suggest an earlier start in order to improve the water prospects before water becomes (even more) scarce.
blisterfree