Will i freeze if i start now

imported
#1

I’m thinking of getting started right now. Need to kind of get out of here. Will i freeze to death?

bigfoot

#2

You will freeze even in April! If you have the right gear and the right frame of mind and some survival training (mostly need to know when to get off the trail before it is too late) you will be OK.

papa john

#3

freezing is of course subjective; until u become solid and die…

if you are generally a person who is chilly in a 60 degree house; you may want to wait for a bit. not saying your wimpy; but chances are its not going to be 60 when your waking up or sitting around cooking dinner or getting ready for bed. Winter did technically just start.

March isnt too bad. I wasn’t that cold unless it rained all day until i had a chance to change into dry clothes. Survival training is of course most beneficial. its almost always warmer in the valleys; but it depends on wind and wind direction; humididty;; etc. The right gear combats that. SO does the right food and energy mix.

If you really want to start now; then go for it. its your hike; hike it. Just be prepared; and know its gonna be chilly. take it slow; maybe dont hike on the cold rainy hard blowing days. bring a book. i dont know. but if u can enjoy it; go for it.

I’ll cya in march.

Big Boy

#4

Check out the '03 journals of Rocket, Bono and the Flying Scotsman. They started early last year, and you can get an idea of what to expect by reading them.

Ardsgaine

#5

You can get hypothermia and die on the AT in July and August.

Do some cold weather section hiking for a few days. It will help prepare you, get you in shape, etc. etc.

I wouldn’t hit the trail just yet. You could, but I do as recommended above and wait till March or so. Get in super good shape now, and if you start March, then you should be able to stay ahead of the crowds somewhat.

See you out there…:cheers

Maintain

#6

cold weather can be quite easy to overcome on the AT.

about heat first. you must be ready to hike all day. Not fast mind you, just keep a steady pace and never stop too long, until your ready to put down for the day. your body will produce enough heat, even at a slow pace, to make you sweat in freezing weather. It takes some time, but after some paitence you will learn how to hike at a threshold that keeps you warm, without sweating. remember this is what your goal is; heat without excessive sweat.

second is gear. gear is so well crafted today that a soloist can take on almost any challenge without the need of extensive support. that being said, 99 percent of the gear sold, is sold to someone without the slightist idea of the potential of that gear. i will not dive deep into the subject of gear, but i will leave you with a thought. you will need only a fraction of all that winter clothing, but have an nice dry sleeping bag and dry sleeping clothes to hunker down in. you will always be able to get up and go after a good nights sleep even on an empty stomach.

there is much more to be said about winter hikes, in fact i believe their are a greater number of perks to winter season hiking,these are just two ideas to keep in mind. don’t let the season stop you, just mind the weather forcast and aim for those streches of good weather.

magic

P.s. ga>me 2/16/03 -> 7/3/03. we never saw summer, always tetter-tottering on the edge of winter and spring, but believe me, none of us ever regretted it.

magic

#7

You can be looking at entended night time temps of minus 10 to minus 20 below on the AT in the Winter in the South (Virginia, etc). The tops of those mountains get cold. So just be prepared for temperatures at least that low and you should be okay.

We had a spell of weather last winter where the daytime highs did not get above 30 degrees for several weeks and night time lows were minus 10 or below(all temps in Fahrenheit). So be prepared for some cold temps. Also crampons for Winter hiking sort of a must. North facing slopes hold on to the snow and ice for a long time, so crampons are needed.

Best to hike with a partner in Winter if possible (share body heat at night/share a tent, etc). There is something to be said about the expressions “two dog night” and “three dog night”, etc.

See you out there. :cheers

Maintain

#8

The only advise I can shed on the topic is to prepare your lungs for the cold air. This means spending significant time outside being active (running,walking, skiing, etc). The reason being that your lungs need time to adapt to the cold temps. A real life example. Contrary to popular belief, many police officers are in good shape. Most of them spend significant time on a treadmill. Therein lies the problem. When they get into a foot pursuit in the dead of winter, even those officers that run regularly indoors, have a diffcult time catching wind. The solution is to spend at least a few miles running outdoors, if not all your time. There was an journal article i read about this, the research was done at university somewhere with cross country runners in the winter. Lemme know if anyone wants it, i’ll do my best to find it. Stay cool
Benjamin NOBO Feb 1st.

Ben Reuschel

#9

investigate what a vapor barrier is. It sounds weird, but saves heat. And those little silver emergency heat bags work in a pinch. Almost zero heat loss and very few oz added for safety.

burn

#10

I froze on the Florida Trail (http://www.florida-trail.org) a few weeks ago and wished I had a vapor barrier liner for my sleeping bag. I’m going to buy that one that Wanderlust gear http://www.wanderlustgear.com/otherproducts.htm sells when I order my 2-4-2 tent this year.

My 40 degree bag just didn’t cut it with the freaky 25 degree temperatures we had that night in the Ocala National Forest. Not fun. It’s ok in mid to low 30’s but 25 pushed the confort level a bit much.

HotFoot

#11

Fuman and I are doing a thru-hike right now (MEGA SOBO). Fuman started at Katadin on Sept. 16 and I met up with him at Franconia Notch (Whites) on Nov. 1.

Here’s the deal. It gets cold as sh!t and you definitly need a sleeping bag that is rated below freezing. Sleep with your boots and water or they’ll freeze solid. Bring plenty of fuel (NO ALCOHOL STOVES). You’ll want to make hot water bottles for your sleeping bag. Crampons a must, snowshoes are a maybe. We have them, but only used them a few days in MA when that big storm came through. We’re in Duncannon, PA hanging out at Frog’s and TrailAngel’s house and staying at the Doyle. We may need the shoes for southern VA.

Word of advice I would think twice about starting the hike by yourself. We see maybe 1 day hiker a week and maybe two hunters, and that’s it . There’s a lot of ice out there on the trail. If you get hurt, you’re f’d. At least bring a cell (we have one). Other than that it’s something that few ever dream of doing, let alone attempt. If you don’t mind the idea of dying alone, you should do it.

“Hard core. F’ing hard core” - Animal Mother (Full Metal Jacket)

Bedpan & Fuman MEGA SOBO !!!

Fuman & Bedpan

#12

Its been a fairly mild winter so fair,but if you go to Ga. now, you will freeze your ass off!!! But what do I know. Have a great trip.

Virginian

#13

Thanks for the info.

bigfoot

#14

bigfoot,

DO NOT attempt a winter backpacking trip on the AT in January and February (and sometimes March) unless you are really and truly prepared for an almost artic experience at the drop of a hat. I grew up there, and yes the winters are mild compared to the northern states, down in the valleys…but up in the high country, above 3 or 4 thousand feet, it gets really cold, and the snow gets deep, and the wind never stops. especially in the smokies and up near roan mtn. tn/nc. it will be 45 and brisk down around 2000 ft, but go up to the top of the mtns, and it will be 15 or so at midday, and big windchill. my mom lives near the unicoi gap in southwestern nc, at about 200 ft elevation, down in a cove, and she’s been having 5 and 10 below morning temps allready since end of november. and two foot snows are not unheard of in feb and march in the area, especially from the smokies up to virginia. in 1993, we had 30 inches in march, and dozens of people were stranded in the smokies on sections hikes. I’m not saying don’t go or trying to scare you out of it, just don’t take it lightly at all. the weather here in winter goes from one exgtreme to the other. The saying here is that if yo don’t like the weather, just stick around for about 15 minutes. In 1985, in boone, nc at appalachian state , the weekend AFTER spring break, it was 27 below zero, two feet of snow and a wind chill of 100 below. The next week we were laying out suntanning on the Blue ridge parkway, with snowpiles just to the side of us!

Big Dee

#15

Fuman & Bedpan left Duncannon on Tuesday morning. My prayers are with them. The temp here has already dropped 30 degrees. I was very surprized when Greg(Peace Frog) said there were two SOBO’s in town! They invited me to breakfast at Jodie’s but I didn’t wake! So Frog went for them and they hung out here enjoying TV while I prepared a lunch of Soup and main course of Shrimp Scampi and sides. Those of you who know me, know how much I enjoyed that. We talked to them about why this time of year and they are enthusiastic and prepared. They told me that the main pain in the ass is that when they start they have layers. Then as they walk they have to stop and take some layers off. But they have to do it quickly because if not the body temp drops and then they have lost the body heat. It has been mild so far weather wise…I am concerned about them as they venture on. But, I gathered that they are determined, prepared and young. As soon as they stop for the night they told me they put layers on QUICKLY or they get cold. They eat in their sleeping bags! They have had no time because of that to read any registers on their way. But we had many hikers that we have all met in common from NOBO at the near end when they were getting started SOBO! They plan on coming to Trail Days 2004. Hope to see them there. They may have some good info from their experience for may interested hikers. Those of you that are south of me…keep an eye out for them!

Mary Parry