At least one thru-hiker started North today.

[moldy]

As a trail journal junkie, I make it a point to follow the trials and tribulations of those anxious hikers who are so eager to get going that they are willing to walk into impossible odds by starting far too early. So far I only see one on TJ with the trail name of "Good Rain" that is starting today. There are bound to be several others who are starting who are not on TJ. Despite all the advice to the contrary about starting early they will try it every year. No matter what we might say here on Whiteblaze about how miserable it will be, a handfull will doggedly try every year. In almost every case it's a highly inexperienced, first timer. In many cases they have obsessed about a thru-hike in TJ for a year or more and have dozens of pre-hike postings. I wonder what it is that makes them tick? There is no rational reason for doing it. They clearly can't be deterred. It's a mystery. Good luck is all I can say, I hope they make it to Neel's Gap at least.

[moytoy]

I would say it's the adventure moldy. But who knows people are motivated by so many different things. Young bucks and does can sometimes get along quite well in the wintertime. What baffles me is a couple of years age a retired couple from Alabama tried an early start two years in a row. The clearly did not have the strength to keep going but they tried anyway. Good Luck to all hikers this year.

[doritotex]

Todays local news in Greeneville, TN.

Winter Storm Watch In Effect For Mountains
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
by Jim Miller

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Rain will change to snow by late Thursday afternoon at higher elevations, with periods of moderate to heavy snow possible from late Thursday through Thursday night. Accumulations of four to six inches are possible with up to eight inches across the highest elevations. There is a chance of a small accumulation of snow from this storm at lower elevations on Thursday night.

In addition to the snow, very cold air and blustery northwest winds are expected Thursday night as temperatures fall into the teens and lower 20s.

Stay tuned to Radio Greeneville stations throughout the day on Thursday for the latest weather updates

[SouthMark]

One started yesterday to beat the crowd.

[Del Q]

SouthMark - that is pretty funny!

[TroutknuT]

One started yesterday to beat the crowd.


Will this disqualify them from "thru hiker" as it will be 2 calendar years. Just one day I know but have to draw a line someplace.

[imscotty]

Will this disqualify them from "thru hiker" as it will be 2 calendar years. Just one day I know but have to draw a line someplace.

TroutknuT,

I realize that there is no authoritative definition of a thru hike, but I think that it is generally accepted that it can occur over a year, not necessarily a calendar year. I believe there are a number of SOBO's who started at Katahdin later in the summer and finished after Jan 1 and I am sure they feel what they accomplished was a thru hike.

[Rain Man]

If I recall correctly, Red Dane started her thru-hike on January 1st, some years ago. Of course, it may help, being from Denmark? :)

Rain:sunMan

.

[TroutknuT]

TroutknuT,

I realize that there is no authoritative definition of a thru hike, but I think that it is generally accepted that it can occur over a year, not necessarily a calendar year. I believe there are a number of SOBO's who started at Katahdin later in the summer and finished after Jan 1 and I am sure they feel what they accomplished was a thru hike.
Just making light of one day. End to end is an accomplishment not to take lightly.

[horicon]

What are the weather conditions in GA. & at least he is not going to deal with the storm in the North East

[Slo-go'en]

I checked the forcast out of curiosity for Dahlonega yesterday and the 5 day outlook didn't seem too bad. Georgia, being at a modest elevation and just far enough south to miss most of the bad stuff seems to be okay. The problem is when you get up into NC/TN the middle of January. Then the S*** hits the fan and gets rough.

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

I was interested to see what sort of weather this individual reported on the afternoon and night of the 2nd. Sad to say it appears an injury occurred the night BEFORE starting off. The TJ is difficult to follow, but reference was made to a 40lb load, cold weather, the need for better conditioning, a visit to the hospital, and trying again in 2015. Sad to read.

[Sapelo]

Met a guy by the trail name of Hawk at the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega on 12-28. He had already hiked south from PA and was planning to leave from Springer on New Year's Day. He does not post on-line. He claimed he has already thru hiked the AT twice. He seemed well equipped for the winter weather and realized he would probably need snowshoes once he hits the Smokies.

[Malto]

I was interested to see what sort of weather this individual reported on the afternoon and night of the 2nd. Sad to say it appears an injury occurred the night BEFORE starting off. The TJ is difficult to follow, but reference was made to a 40lb load, cold weather, the need for better conditioning, a visit to the hospital, and trying again in 2015. Sad to read.

Agree sad and unfortunately way too common.

[nickgann]

Its All so relative. My favorite hiking is winter weather hiking...when I leave on Jan 10 that statement will still be true. I won't be updating a journal online but there will be a documentary released later this year. As far as not making it to Katahdin, it would be great, but I own a business and have to be back mid April for the season, so it likely won't happen. The goal seems to me to get out and enjoy whatever hiking is for the individual...if you don't know about winter hiking though, an early through hike is a hell of a way to start learning.

As CT Fletcher says, "at least I'm doing g something while your bon bon eating ass sits around typing on a computer" - just meant as a light hearted joke.

[jdc5294]

Will this disqualify them from "thru hiker" as it will be 2 calendar years. Just one day I know but have to draw a line someplace.

In the end the only person you have to be satisfied with is yourself, doesn't matter if someone else says you didn't technically "thru-hike". I ran into a few people who said if you slack pack at all or didn't carry your pack up Katadhin you didn't thru-hike. &#$@ 'em. I got knocked off the trail for a week and a half with noro, and luckily it was at the point where the trail passes within 90 minutes driving of my house, so I went home for 8 days. Did I still thru hike? I think so. Just my 2 cents.

[hikerboy57]

supposedly dakota joe is starting his hike today or tomorrow.

[max patch]

supposedly dakota joe is starting his hike today or tomorrow.

The weather guessers are saying that Monday in Suches will have a high of 24 and a low of minus 1 -- and with the windchill its gonna feel like a high of 6 and a low of minus 21.

I would hope that DJ and all other hikers make alternative plans.

[4eyedbuzzard]

There are usually a lot of good hiking days to be had before both the old school traditional April 15 start date and now what seems to be the current trend of March starts. I would think that if a hiker is well funded and has ample time/flexible schedule, they could get a lot of miles in by starting early and sit out the bad weather in towns. They would have to pay close attention to weather forecasts at every opportunity, but technology has made that relatively easy to do compared to the past. 5 day weather forecasts are much more "generally accurate" and cell phones have made getting the data and communication pretty easy.

[capehiker]

I was interested to see what sort of weather this individual reported on the afternoon and night of the 2nd. Sad to say it appears an injury occurred the night BEFORE starting off. The TJ is difficult to follow, but reference was made to a 40lb load, cold weather, the need for better conditioning, a visit to the hospital, and trying again in 2015. Sad to read.

I don't think her hike would've lasted 2 weeks based on the gear list and whomever was giving her advice (she kept saying "they told me" in her video). 'Tis better she hurt herself now then 2 weeks in. It's a shame as it appears she has faced a lot of adversity in life and was looking to be "freed" from the bonds of her struggles.

[horicon]

After being plowed out and doing a lotof shovling, I do not see why they wanted to start the AT in thisweather. There was a “major winter storm” that can thru Kinston,NY and the rest on up State NY.

[RED-DOG]

There are usually a lot of good hiking days to be had before both the old school traditional April 15 start date and now what seems to be the current trend of March starts. I would think that if a hiker is well funded and has ample time/flexible schedule, they could get a lot of miles in by starting early and sit out the bad weather in towns. They would have to pay close attention to weather forecasts at every opportunity, but technology has made that relatively easy to do compared to the past. 5 day weather forecasts are much more "generally accurate" and cell phones have made getting the data and communication pretty easy.
I have always started my thru's in February, that way their's less people and less Hassle.

[Praha4]

geez seemed like just yesterday we were watching the 2013 nobo crowd at TJ, now it's already time for the 2014 crowd. Good luck to all of them.

[Blissful]

Planning (gear, resupply, money, physical and mental aspects) and patience (esp in the timing of one's hike vs the weather, etc) can go a long way toward a successful hike.

[illabelle]

Current forecast for Knoxville is 1* on Monday night with wind speeds through the day from 10-20 mph. It will be deadly cold at elevation! I hope we don't have a sad end to somebody's early attempt in the next few days.

[ChinMusic]

It is this type of weather where you gotta be REAL good or be willing to take a couple zeros. I would be holed-up in a motel...........

[Slo-go'en]

The gyrations between hot and cold this winter are going to be maddening. This could be another stormy winter. But then, aren't they all?

[MuddyWaters]

Hell this is balmy weather down south.
Friend of mine in Wisconsin forwarded me his forecast for next few days
includes -37 F temp, -79F windchill.

I dont care where you live, thats freakin cold.

Schools are cancelled in WI and MN, too cold.

[ChinMusic]

The gyrations between hot and cold this winter are going to be maddening. This could be another stormy winter. But then, aren't they all?

This once-in-a-generation cold snap will freeze the Great Lakes potentially leading to a colder winter for the east.


Though this cold spell will last just a few days, it likely will freeze over the Great Lakes and other bodies of water, meaning frigid temperatures probably won't go away for the rest of the winter, Maue said. He also noted that it's relatively uncommon to have such frigid air blanket so much of the U.S., maybe once a decade or every couple of decades.

But so far, this winter is proving to be a cold one.

"Right now for the winter, we will have had two significant shots of major Arctic air and we're only through the first week of January. And we had a pretty cold December," Maue said.

[moytoy]

Ironically the bitter cold hasn't come into Florida yet. I haven't had to use the winter bag yet. This week will be different, I'm taking my 20 degree bag with me this week.

[10-K]

I'm going to hike up Unaka Mt. and see how accurate the temp rating is on my WM 0* bag..

Not sure if I'd start a thru in January - May seems like the best month to me. But if I did, I'd add another $2k to my budget for hotels and town food.

[Hill Ape]

monday and tues nights are going to be brutal cold, i hope anyone on trail gets word of the forecast and comes off trail

[dmax]

If you have the gear, why come off the trail?

[Slo-go'en]

Ironically the bitter cold hasn't come into Florida yet.

I don't know about that - my 90 year old mother was complaining it was 45 the other day near Tampa. That's not much colder then my bedroom most nights this time of year :)

[max patch]

Wind chill tomorrow night on Blood Mountain predicted to be minus 35 degrees. Springer Mountain a relatively balmy minus 31 degrees.

[4eyedbuzzard]

If you have the gear, why come off the trail?Understood, but realistically a lot of AT thru-hikers, even early winter starters, just aren't always carrying gear for conditions quite that cold. Overnight forecast on Monday for Gatlinburg, TN are for -1°F, 17 mph winds, at 1290' ASL. That will likely mean actual temps in the -10 to -20° range at higher elevations with wind chills in the -30 to -40°F range. That gets into that 10 minute exposed skin frostbite situation. Not saying people can't stay out there in it, especially with proper experience and gear, but it raises the risk level big time if something goes wrong like a fall and injury especially if hiking alone. Add that not everybody out there is a Tipi Walter protege. The good news is that it warms up a little on Tues and more so later in the week. The bad is that it's going to turn to freezing rain on Thurs. For the marginally/borderline prepared, taking a zero somewhere warm on Monday wouldn't be the worst decision ever made.

[Dahoyt]

Dakota Joe does not stand a chance. I mean, he wears jeans, and uses an Ozark Trail tent, just for starters...

[hikerboy57]

4 out of 5 people that start dont stand a chance.so he should quit before he starts?

[Spogatz]

As of last weekend one of the guys at Mountains Crossing said that 6 people had started on 1/1. One went to the hospital from the Springer parking lot, 5 made it to Mountain Crossings and only one continued up the trail.

[Slo-go'en]

As of last weekend one of the guys at Mountains Crossing said that 6 people had started on 1/1. One went to the hospital from the Springer parking lot, 5 made it to Mountain Crossings and only one continued up the trail.

Did the other 5 go home?

[tawa]

Anyone know who is still on the trail?

[takethisbread]

if anyone is still out there from the 1/1 starters , they must be miserable. -35 windchills on the reg isn't thruhiking weather.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

[Slo-go'en]

These weekly wild storms across the Appalachians from Georgia to Maine must be fun too. Wonder how many blow downs the wind in NC produced today?

[Siarl]

I've been following the weather out of Grayson County, Va, since that's where I'm from and it's not too far from the trail, as well as Dahlonega. It seems the weather should be clear with lows in the low thirties and upper twenties at night with it warming up in the 40s and 50s during the day. I'm also following it to gauge what I will be looking at in 2015. I wish everyone well on the trail.

[Jack Tarlin]

I'm afraid that most of the early January starters have either quit or took some serious time off before starting up again. As of today, only two Northbounders have stopped off at Kincora, and they both arrived this week. If there's anyone still out there that started before 15 January, their numbers are very few. Bob said it's been the coldest winter in 20 years, and I can't imagine it was much better south of here either. The attrition rate for early starters this year was very high, but the folks that postponed their start dates will all be heading out soon. I predict 1 March is going to be pretty insane at Springer, but we'll know more in a week.

[Slo-go'en]

The attrition rate for early starters this year was very high, but the folks that postponed their start dates will all be heading out soon. I predict 1 March is going to be pretty insane at Springer, but we'll know more in a week.

And if they have any sense, they'll postpone for another week or two or three. The attrition rate for March will likely be pretty high too.

[4eyedbuzzard]

And if they have any sense, they'll postpone for another week or two or three. The attrition rate for March will likely be pretty high too.Yeah, the attrition rate is high enough though regardless of start date. Throw in some serious winter storms week after week and it will be more than most bargained for.

[Malto]

I will be on the AT in GSMNP. Will be interesting to see if there are any thru hikers coming through.

[CyborgAT]

I'm in Hiawassee right now and there's a pretty good sized bubble here. We should be in the Smokies in about 10 or so days. We have been lucky so far with the weather. Shorts and a t-shirt has been the norm. I'm expecting to get hit with a snow storm any day now haha. I'm loving the weather but I won't be mad when it gets cold again. Started 2/15 so going in, I was expecting cold and still am. I'm loving the trail either way.

[Cookerhiker]

Did a day hike between Newfound Gap and Icewater Springs yesterday. Met the following thruhikers:

Brian and Sarah (no trail names yet). They claimed that after spending the night (last night, the 11th) in Tri-corner Knob, they'd reach Hot Springs in 2 days. Not sure I believe that.

Hot Spot - finishing up his thru from last year. He only needs to hike to Hampton, after which he's heading for the PCT

Milkbeer (or was it Beermilk?)

2 guys were just pulling into Newfound Gap just as I was about to leave. Never got their names. I offered a ride to Gatlinburg but they didn't need it.