If you start a thru-hike in May, will you finish in time?

[coffeearmageddon]

I've heard April 15 is the latest you should begin hiking Nobo, but I can't go until the middle of May. I'd really like to hike the whole thing at once but If I start that late will I be able to finish?

[jesse]

May 15 to Oct 15 is 142 days. Can you average 15.3 miles per day. Ray Jardine did it last year in 3.3 months, and he is 60+y/o.

Why does it matter. Get out and hike the time you have. Celebrate the miles you make, don't worry about the ones you don't make.

[fiddlehead]

On my thru in '95, i started NOBO from Springer on May 9th.
I found out it is a great time to start.
I finished that year on Oct 9th but took a week off sometime in July.
Have fun.
Also remember, SOBO is often a better option although you shouldn't really start until late June.

[ARambler]

Yes, every year or two someone pulls off a mid May start. However, they are not really part of the nobo class. They will know all the names from the registers, but when they catch an early April starter after 6 weeks, they will be blowing by at twice the speed. There is also the high temperatures in the south, and hypotheria in the north.

You just have to wait until the end of May or early June, to start with the sobos. If you want to be done by the end of October, you could start at Harpers Ferry or in Damascus at Trail Days.
Rambler

[Spirit Walker]

You have several options:
1. Get in really good shape before you leave so you can do a straightforward high mileage thruhike. Averaging 15 mpd isn't easy, but it is doable.
2. Go southbound in June.
3. Start at Springer and flip to Maine if you don't think you have time to reach Katahdin before it closes in October
4. Start in Virginia or W. Va and hike north to Katahdin with the herd, then return to your starting place and finish southbound.
I'm sure there are other ways of doing it.

[ARambler]

You have several options:
...I'm sure there are other ways of doing it.

Do the Pacific Crest Trail. You will be 2 weeks behind the pack and have a very hot desert, but this year, you may catch Spirit Walker's friends while they wait, or slog through, the snowy Sierras.
Rambler

[Scaper]

I think the last couple weeks in April and first few weeks in May is the best time to start a thru-hike. I have no idea why everyone wants to start in January and Febuary. I started my Hike northbond on May 5th doing 10-15 mile days with no problem. Once you get to about Damascus you will be able to do 20 mile days easily if you want. And yes you will have other thru-hikers with you just not the 20-30 a day who start in late febuary to mid March. I had about 20 zero days and was still able to finish on October 9th and saw the fall colors in Maine but missed all the cold weather in Georgia. Hikers who start in January won't see spring and leaves on the trees until around the end of PA. From about Damascus to Hanover for me it was easy to average over 20 mile a day without rushing. Heck in the Shenandoah National park I would have in 20 miles in by noon hiking at my normal pace. You are much more Likely to see snow in the Smokies in March and April then seeing it in Maine in Sept. and Oct. . You won't have as much time on your hands as the people who start in January but i still feel Early to mid May will leave you enough time to finish.

[double d]

May 15 to Oct 15 is 142 days. Can you average 15.3 miles per day. Ray Jardine did it last year in 3.3 months, and he is 60+y/o.

Why does it matter. Get out and hike the time you have. Celebrate the miles you make, don't worry about the ones you don't make.

Now that is great advice!

[warraghiyagey]

Or try going south. . .

[Tipi Walter]

Why does it matter. Get out and hike the time you have. Celebrate the miles you make, don't worry about the ones you don't make.

Yeah, I agree. In a lifetime of backpacking, what does a couple months short of your goal mean? You either keep going in the winter or you get back on the trail another time. Thruhiking? Section hiking? Two weeks in the Bob Marshall wilderness? A month in Alaska? What does it matter as long as you're out?

[Slo-go'en]

Starting in May, you have the advantage of being able to start out with a much lighter pack and have less bad weather to deal with than an early April start. Therefore, it shouldn't be hard to get into those 15 mile days early on.

I hope to do a SOBO section from Marion VA to New Found gap starting 1st week of May, so might meet you as you go north.

[coffeearmageddon]

Thanks guys, lots of really good replies. I'll have to consider all my options.

[jedwa19]

I'm starting May 16 and hope to be finished by late August, about 95-100 days total. But I do have a good bit of hiking and long distance experience and have been conditioning myself for this for a while now. If you decided to start about the same time let me know and maybe we can meet up. Good luck.

[neo]

I've heard April 15 is the latest you should begin hiking Nobo, but I can't go until the middle of May. I'd really like to hike the whole thing at once but If I start that late will I be able to finish?

yeah dont take zero days and main a 20 mile per day average neo

[Red Hat]

Tooth Fairy spoke to the Nashville area hikers yesterday about her 2006 hike. She started in May and hiked NOBO to Harpers Ferry, then flipped to the 100 mile and hiked north to Katahdin, then back to Monson and hiked south. She said she say the best of the seasons that way.

[buff_jeff]

I did a long section starting at Springer on May 10 and I met plenty of thrus who started around that time, and eventually finished. To me, it's the perfect time to start.

[thestin]

I'd say go ahead and leave in mid May. Don't get crazy and do too many miles too soon.
As others have pointed out, you will be able to do some long days through the mid Atlantic. By the time you get to Harpers Ferry you'll know if you're going to need to flip flop or just go straight through.

I can tell you that you are going to be hiking at a really nice time of year with some really nice weather and nice long days.

[toenail]

I'd say go ahead and leave in mid May. Don't get crazy and do too many miles too soon.
As others have pointed out, you will be able to do some long days through the mid Atlantic. By the time you get to Harpers Ferry you'll know if you're going to need to flip flop or just go straight through.

I can tell you that you are going to be hiking at a really nice time of year with some really nice weather and nice long days.

I agree with Thestin. You still have a lot of options this way.

1. straight forward thru-hike

2. flip-flop

3. hike the southern terminus this year. northern next year with 2011 thru-hikers.

[tuswm]

I live in MD and do alot of hiking in the fall from sept to December. I tend to meet alot of people that are "finishing" their through hike.

A common story I hear in the fall is that people started a threw hike from GA and for what ever reason had to skip a section.
ran out of time and were worried about the summit up north closing before they got there so once they got to harpers ferry they took the trail and skipped a section then came back and hike the un hiked section back to HF to finish up.

got sick and wanted to reunite with trail family then came back to finish missed section.

family problems so they flipped GA>HF + ME>HF

This fall I met a group where one hiker got sick for a month in VA then hiked to HF and skipped a head and met up with his trail family, then the whole trail family was hiking south from where they met up in PA together all the way to HF. I thought it was so cool.

Also I did a section hike going north in SNP the last week of April. I met several HF>GA + ME>HF every day. They said that because of when they had to start for what ever reason this was the "logical choice". Start in the middle where its "flat and easy" while you get in Sharp. Then you go through ME when the weather is still good then you get down low out of major mountains to finish up when the weather starts to get questionable.

Well what ever you decide good luck. Wish I was through hiking this year.

[Don H]

Met several people who skipped PA and came back to do it in October.