Feb. Weather for the !st 100 miles in 2015

[hikehunter]

With the early blast of super cold, and the heavy winter mix early in 2014....What may be expected this Feb. for the first 100 miles.

Interested parties want to pick the brains and "bum knees" that know the weather in the first 100 mile area of the trail starting at Springer Mt.

[takethisbread]

Expect anything. Feb can see snow and cold Temps but can see some nice days. Georgia can see highs in the 20's and highs in the 50's. The one constant I would expect is freezing nights and bitter mornings. Nights stay cold all the way through April and into may a good bit. You could get significant snow in February, especially in the GSMNP . And snow can happen all the way into mid to late April , and I have heard of May storms. The weather on the trail was best in May, and June .

[Lone Wolf]

With the early blast of super cold, and the heavy winter mix early in 2014....What may be expected this Feb. for the first 100 miles.


expect to spend more time and money in motels/hostels than those that start in april

[The Cleaner]

Starting in Feb. and getting caught in winter weather has forced many to end their journey before really getting started.....

[Slo-go'en]

Hard telling, not knowing, but expect the worse.

I wouldn't worry too much about the first 100 miles. It seems Georgia isn't too bad in Feb. It's far enough south and low enough in elevation to moderate the storms.

But watch out when you get into the higher elevations in N.C. That's when the real fun starts. Late winter storms can really pound the mountains of NC during March. Warm, moist air from the south rides up along the east side of the mountains, cold air dives down from the midwest and the two clash along the ridge line, making for some very unsettled weather.

[Jeff]

Agree with Slo-go'en....North Carolina can be tough in February.

Hudson was a February starter last year and he once said that decision made for a very uncomfortable hike early on. Here is his Trailjournal written by his wife Lu: http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=442508

[FatMan]

February is no different than Dec and Jan. It is winter and you need to be prepared for it. I just checked back the past three years with our Grassy Gap AT (http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=34.665%2C-84.032&sp=KGASUCHE4) weather station and see extreme lows in the single digits and extreme highs in the 70s. February is not traditionally a wet month with usually only about 3-4 inches of precip. However in 2013 we had 9.5 inches of precip. Expect some of that to be snow but usually not more than 5 inches per storm. Enjoy your hike and I hope the weather works out for you.

[steve0423]

I was a Feb 17th starter in 2013. It was pretty much what other folks have already said. I saw snow at least once a week through the first week of April. Everything from a dusting to a few feet. Had to wait out a storm at Fontana Lodge and still had nearly two feet in parts of GSMNP. Saw 5-6ft drifts on parts of Roan Mt. on easter sunday. Temps ranged wildly; few days in the 50s, but a couple single digit nights. I think the lowest was 7deg with a -14 wind chill. It can certainly make things harder. But like most folks who start that early, I had my reasons and would do it again if faced with the same circumstances.

[Dogwood]

Don't make the mistake of confusing the typical warmer Feb weather in D with the typical Feb weather on the AT going NOBO starting in GA either. It will be colder with greater snow/chances of snow in Feb on the AT. Feb D weather - ho hum, can be Brr. Feb AT weather - damn its cold BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Resulting in, I'm heading back to D. I'll go out on a limb here. It's my illusion that Feb AT thru-hiker wanna bees attempting their first long distanced hikes are more likely to go home w/ that early of a start date. Someone accustomed to a warmer climate coming to start an AT NOBO in Feb the likeliness of quitting early on rises. Make sure you know what a Feb start date entails and prepare according. It's a cold start even in March.

As others are phrasing their responses think in terms of weather ranges not weather absolutes for Feb, March, April and even into mid May.

[bangorme]

I was a Feb 17th starter in 2013. It was pretty much what other folks have already said. I saw snow at least once a week through the first week of April. Everything from a dusting to a few feet. Had to wait out a storm at Fontana Lodge and still had nearly two feet in parts of GSMNP. Saw 5-6ft drifts on parts of Roan Mt. on easter sunday. Temps ranged wildly; few days in the 50s, but a couple single digit nights. I think the lowest was 7deg with a -14 wind chill. It can certainly make things harder. But like most folks who start that early, I had my reasons and would do it again if faced with the same circumstances.

Just curious, how do you follow the trail after a meaningful snowfall? Much of the time I can't see the next blaze... in the summer.

[Slo-go'en]

Just curious, how do you follow the trail after a meaningful snowfall? Much of the time I can't see the next blaze... in the summer.

You just have to have an eye for the lay of the land and how the trail follows it, which comes with experience. For the most part, the AT has a well defined troth worn into it which can make a little dip in the snow to follow. It's also the path of least resistance and rarely takes a sharp turn which can go unnoticed for long. (Opps, drainage ditch, not the trial, back up a few feet..)

Crossing balds or other open areas (say above tree line) is a bit more difficult and is usually where people get off track, especially if trying to cross in the mist of the storm and even worse if the wind is blowing in your face, which can really put you off course. There are few visual clues to go by and you just have to stumble from blaze to blaze the best you can. These blazes could be posts in the ground or rock cairns - hopefully spaced close enough together for you to see the next one.

[takethisbread]

People starting early is puzzling to me, I understand time constraints in some cases, but the weather is going to be cold from February through April that gets you through Probably PA then you get to New England in June to deal with still cold nights in New Hampshire and Maine and finish in prime black fly season. If I did it again, I would seriously think about a May 1 start and finish in mid to late September . At least mid April start .

[RED-DOG]

Why does everybody bash people for starting in FEB, I personally started all my thru's in FEB and loved it, the views are better, no biting insects, a lot less people, and the hostel owners/caretakers are a lot nicer since they haven't had to deal with a bunch of smart mouthed youngsters, I will take the blackflies over a bunch of smart mouths any day, when I do the AT again I will deffinatly start in FEB again or even earlier.
to answer the question, go prepared for ANY type of weather situations, very cold, rain,snow, sleet, ice on the trail.

[bangorme]

You just have to have an eye for the lay of the land and how the trail follows it, which comes with experience. For the most part, the AT has a well defined troth worn into it which can make a little dip in the snow to follow. It's also the path of least resistance and rarely takes a sharp turn which can go unnoticed for long. (Opps, drainage ditch, not the trial, back up a few feet..)

Crossing balds or other open areas (say above tree line) is a bit more difficult and is usually where people get off track, especially if trying to cross in the mist of the storm and even worse if the wind is blowing in your face, which can really put you off course. There are few visual clues to go by and you just have to stumble from blaze to blaze the best you can. These blazes could be posts in the ground or rock cairns - hopefully spaced close enough together for you to see the next one.

Yeah, that's what I thought lol. It must be a blast when the blazes are painted on snow covered rock or the cairns below the snow.

I just gotta wonder what is really achieved by starting in February and not March even? Winter gear is much heavier. Days are shorter. Miles per day are probably much less (depending on the terrain). Everything is harder (e.g. cooking). So, I wonder how many miles you'd actually gain for the additional risk?