Anyone planning a 2012 thruhike?

[Echraide]

I'm just starting to piece together a 2012 itinerary. Does anyone want to share theirs? I'm looking at a mid April to early May start which I know means black flies and mud. Does anyone know how wet April and May are in Maine and New Brunswick? I'm okay with mud as long as there's a chance of getting out of it now and then. I was on the southern half of the A.T. for the second time in 2008 during tropical storm Fay and had to leave the trail after 3 days of non-stop rain. Is it that kind of wet, or more like intermittent light showers kind of wet?

[Ladytrekker]

Check out this thread it lists the registry for the 2012 season and you can view all the others that are planning. Hope you have a great hike.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?71615-2012-Thru-Hike-Registry&highlight=2012

[Echraide]

Isn't that for the A.T., not the IAT?

[RevLee]

When and where are planning on starting? Baxter State Park isn't open for camping until May 15th. The trails for Katahdin may not open until the end of May, depending upon the weather.

[Echraide]

Yeah, I've thought about that. I don't think I can start a SOBO hike that early, though... the Newfoundland part of the trail would be frozen at that time of the year, wouldn't it? Maybe I'll have to start at the border, go north and then come back and finish the Maine part - kind of a weird flipflop - or something.

[Red Beard]

Awol has a good thru-hike planner. It's from 2010, but still probably pretty good to get you started.

http://www.theatguide.com/2010%20PlanNobo12.htm

[Echraide]

Thanks but I've already thruhiked the A.T. I'm planning a thru on the IAT. http://iat-sia.com/index.php

[Red Beard]

Ahh... the devil is in the details. Sorry 'bout that.

[Slo-go'en]

It depends a lot on the winter we get this year, but on average, April/May is way too early to attempt a hike in that part of the woods. There still could be significant snow and if there are any stream fords, they will be cold, swift and deep. The ideal time to hike the IAT would be late summer into early fall. Personally, I would not attempt it at any other time of year.

[Echraide]

Good point about the streams. I can deal with cold but swift and deep aren't good. I'm trying to balance an early start with a late finish (slow hiker; A.T. took me six months). I don't want to finish too late in the fall. It looks like it starts snowing (flurries) at the north end of the trail around the end of October, based on the weather I've been following for Pistolet Bay Provincial Park, where temps currently range from 40F days to mid-20s nights. Is there anyone here from that part of Canada who could share some more information about the weather there in the fall?

Here are some online resources I've found, for whoever else might find them helpful:

Online companion:
http://www.sia-iat.com/images/Upload/files_2009/companion_en.pdf

IAT thru trail journals:
Plugger John, 2009 - http://www.trailjournals.com/PluggerJohn/
Budder Ball and Zokwakii, 2003 - http://www.trailjournals.com/zokwakiiandbudderball/

Plugger John's itinerary. I appreciate the slow/average/fast hiker time estimates:
http://www.sia-iat.com/images/Upload...s_bilingue.pdf

Some distance tables between accommodations:
http://www.sia-iat.com/images/Upload/files/files_2011/distance_table_for_accommodation_and_warning.pdf

I'm considering some conversational French lessons with a tutor based Plugger John's notes. Sounds like a good excuse to learn French.

[Slo-go'en]

The IAT is only 675 miles long and not nearly as hilly as the AT. It looks like Maine uses a lot of logging road for trail, and that is easy walking. I would think 2 months (60 days) would be more than long enough to do this trail. A late June start gives you pleanty of time to finish. (bring a head net, black flies and sketters will still be brutal)

Learning a little French (but be aware that the "French" spoken in Quebec is a lot different than the French spoken in France) would be helpfull. Most Quebec'ers also speak english, but some don't like to admit it. They are more likely to speak english if you try to speak french.

Reading the companion link you gave above, I was suprised to learn you need to reserve shelter/camping spots through Quebec and pay for them.

[Echraide]

I keep seeing different distances for the IAT online but I think you're right. The SIA-IAT web site says 675 miles (Plugger John's itinerary says 700). I can reasonably plan on doing that in about three months. Now that makes things much easier.

I've heard Quebec French is different. I like to at least try to make an effort to speak the language when I go places, more often than not it's appreciated, as you noted.

This is a shorter hike than the A.T. but it could be a more expensive one...

[Slo-go'en]

This is a shorter hike than the A.T. but it could be a more expensive one...

Yes, it might be, even excluding traveling expenses. Should be interesting though, have fun! BTW, I read some of Plugger John's journal and it sounds like starting in May really isn't a good idea. You'll have much better weather starting mid to late June, as is recommended.

[AT Lupie]

Hi this is my first time on here. I am planning a thru-hike from Georgia to Maine. I'm so excited!

[Echraide]

You'll have much better weather starting mid to late June, as is recommended.

Yeah, I just revised my start date to mid-July. The black flies should be at a minimum by then if not gone. I need to figure out the costs but I might actually add another hike to it since I'll have more time than I thought.

Lots of times when I read trail journals and itineraries I wish they'd include some idea of the cost. I know that changes with time but it'd be nice to see it just the same.

[Slo-go'en]

Yeah, I just revised my start date to mid-July. The black flies should be at a minimum by then if not gone. I need to figure out the costs but I might actually add another hike to it since I'll have more time than I thought.

Since you'll be in Canada anyway, hop on the trans-Canadian RR to Banff and do some hiking in the rockies.

[StubbleJumper]

Yeah, I just revised my start date to mid-July. The black flies should be at a minimum by then if not gone. I need to figure out the costs but I might actually add another hike to it since I'll have more time than I thought.

Lots of times when I read trail journals and itineraries I wish they'd include some idea of the cost. I know that changes with time but it'd be nice to see it just the same.

July is about the nicest month in Canada, and by August the black flies are long gone and there are almost no mosquitoes left (most years). The bugs might be a bit of an inconvenience for an earlier departure, but the real constraint is that you cannot cross Parc national de la Gaspesie before June 24th. Even after June 24th, some snow is likely to remain on the 4,000 foot peaks (Monts Albert, Jacques Cartier, Logan), but it's manageable.

Certain costs will be higher because you are supposed to have an access card to hike in the Quebec provincial parks and you are supposed to pay for campsites/shelters (but it's so remote that the rules can be difficult to enforce ). Counterbalancing the higher hiking costs is that there are few towns that are worth a zero-day, so that should save a pile of drinking-money. In most towns there will not be a hostel, so you'll probably want to google search some B&Bs (gite du passant) for lower cost accommodations.

And don't fuss about the language. Probably about 30% of people in that neighbourhood will have a functional knowledge of English, and most of the rest will try their very best with their extremely limited fluency. It's really no biggie because in most places there'll be somebody who'll be happy to help you out (just be respectful....and it doesn't hurt to let them know you're from the U.S. and not from Ontario).

[Echraide]

Since you'll be in Canada anyway, hop on the trans-Canadian RR to Banff and do some hiking in the rockies.

There's a thought. Make it a summer of hiking in Canada. What are the good trails in Banff?

[Slo-go'en]

There's a thought. Make it a summer of hiking in Canada. What are the good trails in Banff?

There's a whole bunch of stuff. It's been at least 10 years since I was out there and forget a lot of the details (other then it was truely stuning) so you'll have to do your own research.

[Robishack]

Does anyone know how wet April and May are in Maine and New Brunswick? I'm okay with mud as long as there's a chance of getting out of it now and then. I was on the southern half of the A.T. for the second time in 2008 during tropical storm Fay and had to leave the trail after 3 days of non-stop rain. Is it that kind of wet, or more like intermittent light showers kind of wet?

Usually in NB, April is absolutely miserable on the trails. Muddy like nobody's business due to spring melts + frequent (2-4 days per week) rain. I haven't been on the trails long distance in the spring, but my impression is that it would definitely not be worth it. June you might get luckier, still quite a bit of rain but the sogginess from the snow should have slacked off a bit. IMHO best times to hike in NB are mid-August to Halloween... quite beautiful too with the start of fall colours.

Are you planning to do SOBO or NOBO? I'm considering doing a SOBO starting in late summer, but it's dependant on whether I've got a good job by then.