Summer Hiking

[jj2044]

I have roughly from June 1st until about Aug 4th to hike this summer. my plan is to hike all of Virginia from Damascus to Harpers Ferry..... but the last week I have kind of been wavering on those plans, part of me wants to start at Mt Katahdin and head south...

Just wanted to hear yalls opinions, suggestions & recommendations.

Im just looking for a relaxing summer hiking.



Thanks for your help !!!

[tdoczi]

I have roughly from June 1st until about Aug 4th to hike this summer. my plan is to hike all of Virginia from Damascus to Harpers Ferry..... but the last week I have kind of been wavering on those plans, part of me wants to start at Mt Katahdin and head south...

Just wanted to hear yalls opinions, suggestions & recommendations.

Im just looking for a relaxing summer hiking.



Thanks for your help !!!

every so often you'll read or hear something about how miserable the humidity in VA in the summer is.

being from the NYC area, where hot hazy and humid is how we roll, i always shrugged it off. i figured sure, it gets humid there, but i'm used to humidity. i mean the weather can only get SO humid, right? figured i could take it. no sweat (no pun intended)

so one year the last week in june i planned a wek long trip in VA just south of SNP.

do not do it. it was the most miserable thing ever. i can not explain why the humidity is so bad, but i's disgusting. its the only time ive ever experienced the woods being hotter and more uncomfortable then civilization. coming to a road crossing was heaven, it was actually cooler, by a lot, out in the open. walking back into the forest was like opening the door to a hot over and sticking your face in it.

[Heliotrope]

Starting at Katahdin in early June? The rivers are running high and the black flies descend to eat you alive. Dont do it. Take two months starting August 4th.


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[egilbe]

Starting at Katahdin in early June? The rivers are running high and the black flies descend to eat you alive. Dont do it. Take two months starting August 4th.


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Oh come on. No one believes us when we tell people how bad the black flies are. They need to experience it for themselves. Which reminds me, I need to find my head net.

[peakbagger]

I would suggest a happy medium pick a spot down south and head north to end up in the whites July and August are nice months to be in NH VT and even Mass.

[tdoczi]

Oh come on. No one believes us when we tell people how bad the black flies are. They need to experience it for themselves. Which reminds me, I need to find my head net.

unlike the humidity in VA, i have gone into the heart of the legendary black fly country at the exact "wrong" time and had absolutely no problems. more than once.

[egilbe]

unlike the humidity in VA, i have gone into the heart of the legendary black fly country at the exact "wrong" time and had absolutely no problems. more than once.

Last year was a good year. One day of black flies and then mostly gone for the season. 'Twas bizarre.

[Hikingjim]

The dates you are going are mostly the dates I put away my hiking stick and bring out my paddle instead.
If you can push it back at all, august/september tend to be overall much more enjoyable

With your current schedule, the direction you choose would depend on a couple things. Going south from katahdin for a couple months, you are going through Maine's peak bug season for sure (whether or not it will be a big problem this year on the AT? don't know). It's also a harder place to start by far

If you prefer lots of good switchbacks, and can handle the heat, then you could start south and go north. Then come back and do katahdin south in august/september one year

[evyck da fleet]

I'd probably start at Katahdin and aim for Hanover NH because that may be my favorite part of the trail; not that Virginia is bad.I don't think it would take two months so you could start a few weeks later or look for an ending point further (farther?) south.

Seeing that you are from Texas, I wouldn't worry about the heat and humidity in Virginia. The ridge line is around 4000 ft which means it's usually ten degrees 'cooler' there than the forecast for the nearby towns. Those who complain about it are usually from the northern half of the country.

[Rmcpeak]

If you embrace the heat, VA is fun in the summer. Think of it as a jungle. Hike half naked. You can carry a very light pack because you'll need next to nothing to stay warm. Leave your stove at home too. Swim in every creek. Hike pre-dawn to early afternoon. Rest for a couple of hours. Hike til 10 pm. Stay at a hostel or two.

Lot's of hikers are hiking in Virginia in mid-summer.

I'll be finishing Virginia in mid-june, doing my last section, Buena Vista to Daleville. That will connect Pen-Mar Park to Damascus for me.

[Venchka]

I

Seeing that you are from Texas...

Say what? You're definitely going in the wrong direction. Expand your search radius westward.
Wayne


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[saltysack]

Why not hike out west instead?


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[tdoczi]

Last year was a good year. One day of black flies and then mostly gone for the season. 'Twas bizarre.

i dont doubt they can be as terrible as advertised, i just think they arent as predictable as warned. i think its a common thing to say "you cant hike in june- blackflies" when in truth maybe there are a handful of days and/or a handful of spots that are bad, but you can theoretically hike for a week and never see one, if you are in the right place at the right time.

i routinely went hiking in the whites in early june for a number of consecutive years. only time i encountered a quantity of blackflies was, of all places, the area around the summit of mt adams. i didnt actually summit (in part, i was also behind schedule) because of it but the people who did reported that near the summit was pretty dreadful.

even if i had summited i wouldnt have had to suffer enough of it to make the trip worth canceling.

[tdoczi]

I'd probably start at Katahdin and aim for Hanover NH because that may be my favorite part of the trail; not that Virginia is bad.I don't think it would take two months so you could start a few weeks later or look for an ending point further (farther?) south.

Seeing that you are from Texas, I wouldn't worry about the heat and humidity in Virginia. The ridge line is around 4000 ft which means it's usually ten degrees 'cooler' there than the forecast for the nearby towns. Those who complain about it are usually from the northern half of the country.

ive never been to texas, but "they say its a dry heat" dont they? the issue isnt the temperature, its the humidity. even at the top of the ridge i found it unbearable, and i'm from a humid climate (ever been to NYC in july or august?)

[Venchka]

Why not hike out west instead?


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Didn't I say that? I thought I did.
Here's a warm up while you wait for the snow in New Mexico to thaw a little bit.
Caprock Canyons State Park and 65 mile Trailway.
http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/caprock-canyons
Palo Duro Canyon.
http://palodurocanyon.com
The CDT in New Mexico and southern Wyoming will be opening south to north in June.
Wayne


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[saltysack]

Didn't I say that? I thought I did.
Here's a warm up while you wait for the snow in New Mexico to thaw a little bit.
Caprock Canyons State Park and 65 mile Trailway.
http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/caprock-canyons
Palo Duro Canyon.
http://palodurocanyon.com
The CDT in New Mexico and southern Wyoming will be opening south to north in June.
Wayne


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I guess I missed that....


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[Tipi Walter]

I have roughly from June 1st until about Aug 4th to hike this summer. my plan is to hike all of Virginia from Damascus to Harpers Ferry..... but the last week I have kind of been wavering on those plans, part of me wants to start at Mt Katahdin and head south...

Just wanted to hear yalls opinions, suggestions & recommendations.

Im just looking for a relaxing summer hiking.



Thanks for your help !!!

We backpackers try to get out every month of the year---four season hiking---so we accept both the blizzards and subzero temps of January and the pit vipers and furnace of July and August. It's all part of Miss Nature's dance. We take the bad with the good. Check out this link---

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthr...stay-in-the-AC

Here's some Hot Weather Tips---
** Always bring a headnet for bug relief while hiking.
** Carry stick incense, preferably citronella, to burn in your tent vestibule to dispel bugs while in camp.
** Hike from shade patch to shade patch and avoid direct sunlight.
** Always camp by creeks and rivers if possible so you can submerge in camp and let your core temp drop.
** There is shade and then there is deep shade---like next to a creek under a thick rhododendron canopy. These spots are often very cool and comfy.
** Wear ultralight silk baselayers---long sleeve tops and leggings---when laying down to sleep as you won't stick to your sleeping pad so badly. More comfy.
** Keep extra eyeball focus on the trail for rattlesnakes and copperheads.

** When all seems lost bug-wise in camp (mainly due to midges), build a small twig fire to create smudge-smoke to dispels the bugs---and sit next to the thing.
** Try to find a shelter which both can be zipped up totally at night to keep out the noseeums and which can also be opened up fully to become like a tarp for breeze-ventilation.

[evyck da fleet]

ive never been to texas, but "they say its a dry heat" dont they? the issue isnt the temperature, its the humidity. even at the top of the ridge i found it unbearable, and i'm from a humid climate (ever been to NYC in july or august?)

Yep, I was born and lived there and in the burbs for twenty years. I used to go back to New York and Connecticut in July or August once I've had enough of the Atlanta heat and humidity and need to cool down. Of course the fall up there used to be cool now it seems cold. It's all relative.

To the other post, if I had July off, was bound to the US and didn't want to revisit the Whites I'd go out West to a nice cool high mountain. Outside the US, does Peru count as west��?

[tdoczi]

Yep, I was born and lived there and in the burbs for twenty years. I used to go back to New York and Connecticut in July or August once I've had enough of the Atlanta heat and humidity and need to cool down. Of course the fall up there used to be cool now it seems cold. It's all relative.

To the other post, if I had July off, was bound to the US and didn't want to revisit the Whites I'd go out West to a nice cool high mountain. Outside the US, does Peru count as west��?

i still feel theres a good chance someone who is used to an arid climate, no matter the temperature, would find VA in summer not to their liking.

for the record, i hiked MD and southern PA one early june during a heatwave in which the temperate exceeded 100 degrees several times. i had no problem with that. at all.

mid 90s in late june with humidity further south though? no thanks.

[Slo-go'en]

June and July? I'd start at the Delaware Water Gap and head north. When you get to the dog leg on the AT leading to NH, stay on the Long Trail and head for the Canadian boarder instead. The Long Trail is the Readers Digest version of NH and Maine. By starting in NJ, you'll be in shape for Vermont and start out on reasonably easy trail. A frequently heard comment is "I had no idea NJ would be so nice".

New England in general and Maine in particular has gotten a lot of rain this spring. It's suppose to warm up and be drier this coming week, but there is still rain in the forecast. With as wet as it's been, it doesn't take much rain to turn the trail back into a swamp again. There is still snow in the mountains which will also help to keep stream water levels high for a while. I'm afraid Maine isn't going to be much fun this June. Even at the best of times, Maine is a difficult state to hike and will be anything but a relaxing hike.