Hi folks,
First of all, thanks for all the information on this forum! I'm thinking about trying to thru-hike the CT this summer. But, it would be an early-season hike, and I'm trying to figure out if the timing is feasible.
Basically, I could be on the trail from June 5-27. Most of the CT guide information seems to say that the trail opens up "mid to late" June. So, I guess I'm trying to figure out a couple of things:
1. How "hard" is the mid-to-late June boundary? I've been looking at the NRCS snow data from last year, and it seems like most of the locations were snow-free as of June 5th. Is that typical? Based on snow levels now, will this likely be the case again this year?
2. Let's say there's still snowpack in early June - how extensive is it likely to be, and what would it be like to try to hike through it? Would it be 10 hours a day of trudging through snow, just a dusting on the high passes, or something in between? I've got a fair amount of experience with hiking in snow from trips in Europe - if I carry crampons and an ice axe (and, know how to use them), would snowy conditions on the CT present problems?
3. I'm guessing it would make most sense to go Denver -> Durango, so as to give the higher parts of the trail near Durango more time to melt off?
Thanks so much for any thoughts about this! Really hope this works out - if so, can't wait to see some of you out there.