Earliest NOBO finish?

[jawnzee]

Anyone have any idea what the earliest NOBO thru hike finish date might be? Has anyone finished in May before?

[MuddyWaters]

You could be first. Report back the trail conditions in NH and ME in April/May.

P.s. bring winter mountaineering gear.

[Lauriep]

A handful have reported to ATC completing a northbound thru-hike in May, but it's a a very small number - about half a dozen out of almost 10,000.

One thing to keep in mind: the Hunt Trail/AT up Katahdin doesn't open until May 15 at the earliest, sometimes later in the month. A few years in the park's history it has even been in June. The winter season ends March 31 (more info at baxterstateparkauthority.com/camping/WinterPolicy.htm (http://www.baxterstateparkauthority.com/camping/WinterPolicy.htm), and the trail is closed during the period of frequent freeze and thaw when trails are most unstable and vulnerable to damage. The park takes resource protection very seriously, as that is the park's primary mission. From the park's management plan: "Park trails above treeline on Katahdin may be closed to protect the trail treadway and adjacent fragile alpine communities when soils are softened by a daily freeze-thaw cycle."

There's a lot of information on the Baxter State Park website, and a lot to digest. If you have any questions, call the park to find out more about the policies and conditions you should be aware of.

[Slo-go'en]

And of those half dozen, they probably all finished May 31st and happened to hit a low snow year.

[Kaptain Kangaroo]

Well... way back in '06 ;) I think the first NOBO to finish was around June 25th. I finished on July 12th & if I recall correctly, I registered as NOBO number 12 for the year and was about 15-20 days behind the guy who was leading the way.

of course that might be a bit different now with so many more hikers on the trail

[RED-DOG]

I wouldn't want to finish before mid June, on my 2006 thru-hike i finished on July 13th and in 2012 I finished June 16th and the weather was very crappy I went across MT Washington in a ice storm and I had a little bit of snow on Mt Katahdin Nope I wouldn't want to finish before mid June.

[Praha4]

no fun hiking thru Vermont in late spring/early summer mud season either

[TJ aka Teej]

I was still using micro spikes and snowshoes in the Whites and Maine last April.
Many service providers, including the Kennebec Ferry and Shaws, won't be open for you.
Expect blow-downs, snow-covered mountains, icy fords, and closed stores.
The first trail up Katahdin to open is usually the Abol Slide. It will stay closed this season until fall.
No camping in Baxter until May 15th. (Including the Birches).
The Hunt Trail (the AT) seldom is open on the first weekend of camping season.
Recent dates for the opening of the AT out of Katahdin Stream:
'14 May 29th, with a flagged detour below the monkey bars. Some campgrounds closed til 5/22.
'13 May 24th.
'12 May 20th.
'11 Park canceled traditional May 15th opening, Abol open Memorial day weekend.
'10 May 25th.
'09 May 20th for both Hunt and Abol.
'08 Park canceled traditional May 15th opening, Abol and Hunt open May 29th.
'07 May 31st.
'06 Abol May 15th, Hunt May 18th.
'05 June 4th.

[Slo-go'en]

Considering the amount of snow we usually have in the Whites even in late April, I really find it hard to believe anyone actually finished in May without skipping a lot of trail through NH and Maine. It takes a good 3-4 weeks to get through Maine, which means getting through Vermont and New Hampshire in April, when the snow along the ridges is just starting to melt. The snow pack is typically at it's peak the first week of April. A few years ago we had a storm which dumped 5 feet of snow in early April. Heck, their skiing in Tucks on Mt Washington into May most years.

[Del Q]

A few years ago I was with "TREK" at the RPH shelter in NY.................at the end of March.

I believe that he is from NH and loves snowshoeing etc, no telling when he finished that year. I know that one year he started on New Years Day.

[firesign]

Anyone have any idea what the earliest NOBO thru hike finish date might be? Has anyone finished in May before?

Not sure about May, but last year, NoBos Sam Wise and Road Runner summited Katahdin on the first day of it's official opening which I think was 1 June. They were closely followed by Pan and Scotia and I think that they were all Springer starters and sub 100 days finishers. A fantastic achievement by all concerned.