South Bound starting October 1 looking for advice

[eriklillquist]

Thinking about trying to thru hike starting October 1, wondering if anyone has done it close to this time frame and what their experience was. I am from the west coast so not too familiar with east coast weather patterns, have pretty good experience levels backpacking although nothing this big. Just wondering if yall who have done it and live in the area think that it would be enjoyable and worth the experience.
thanks yall
Erik

[peakbagger]

Given your timing you will hit the whites in November. There will be snow on the ridgelines, possible icing and winter conditions could prevail some days and fall conditions on others. Generally there is a wet spell around early October as the weather patterns shift. Plan on a 3day cycle, wet, cloudy, dry and repeat. On occasion you will get long stretches of warm weather during the days but if its warm during the day its probably clear and radiational cooling kicks in at night. Temps could go into the single digits in the whites at night. All of the AMC huts will be closed in the whites and many hostels will be closed. It past tourist season so hitches will be a challenge.

In general, there is a lot to be said for starting in Gorham and heading south returning to do Maine another year.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Advice? Don't. Enjoyable? Not most of the time. Worth the experience? I did it when I was younger, but not for weeks on end. For starters, you can't bank on climbing Katahdin on any given day due to weather, which could put you further behind than your Oct 1 date. Days will be getting quite short in the northern latitudes, which limits daily hiking time. The canoe ferry across the Kennebec, 151 miles from Katahdin, typically closes around Oct 12 - 15. You could miss that window of time forcing you to ford (not recommended) or hike around. Then you will hit western ME in late Oct, and later the Whites, likely around Nov 1, probably at least on some days slowing you down further due to snow, ice, hail, freezing fog, wind, etc. You won't get out of VT until December, if you're lucky - and a strong hiker. Your entire hike will be in winter conditions. If that's your idea of fun, have at it. Otherwise, if you are set on going to SOBO, strat at Gorham, NH and get through NH and clear of the Whites asap as peakbagger noted above. Come back and do ME next year.
Or even better, start SOBO Oct 1 in VT and leave NH and ME as a separate long section hike finishing before Oct 1, so you can take your time and enjoy them. Rushing through what many consider the best part of the AT just doesn't do it justice.

[Spirit Walker]

One thing to consider is that the AT in New England is nothing like trails out west. They are not graded for horses; they are not smooth dirt. In places the grade is 1000' per mile, sometimes more. There are rock climbs that are sometimes hand over hand scrambles. You aren't hiking, you're climbing straight up. In summer they are difficult, but doable. Under snow and ice, they become much more dangerous.

The rest of the trail is just rocky, so ice and snow may be a problem, but less dangerous. It will be cold and snow will be a possibility the whole way. More common the first few months once you've gotten south of NH will be cold rain. The Appalachians get a lot of rain.

If you have good winter gear and enjoy solitude, really cold weather, and hiking in the dark (sundown at 4:45 in December) then it's worth a try, but it won't be a "fun" hike. An adventure, certainly, but the uncomfortable kind.

[Dr. Professor]

Thinking about trying to thru hike starting October 1, wondering if anyone has done it close to this time frame and what their experience was. I am from the west coast so not too familiar with east coast weather patterns, have pretty good experience levels backpacking although nothing this big. Just wondering if yall who have done it and live in the area think that it would be enjoyable and worth the experience.
thanks yall
Erik

Every week you could start earlier than 1 October would be huge. Incredibly strong hikers have started later. Most would fail miserably even starting a week or two earlier.

Here is Swami's journal: http://www.thehikinglife.com/journal/2012/10/

[Slo-go'en]

The last few years winter didn't really start to crank up until the end of December. But that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of cold, nasty weather from October on. October can be wonderful or it can be really bad, but mostly it's a mix of both. November is when winter starts to really settle in for good. Late fall weather in the New England mountains tends to be really raw. A damp cold which cuts to the bone.

Even if you can get into Vermont by mid November your going to slow down to a crawl. Short days, consistent below freezing temps, snow and ice accumulating. What's worse then the snow is the ice which starts to accumulate first.

Bottom line is you have to be pretty tough and a real strong hiker to last long starting in October, but it could be interesting while it lasts. Just be ready to call it quits when it gets too crazy.

[fiddlehead]

It can be done depending on the year and your abilities.
We started Oct 14, back in 2001 but were van supported.
That said, we didn't have any problems until one day in the whites when we got about 2 feet of snow.
We were moving fast so, this was still in Oct.
Once you get through NH, the pressure will be off a bit.
You will be closer to roads the further south you get so that you can bail out.

Be in great shape when you start, watch the weather somehow.
Take off if a big storm is predicted.
Be able to hunker down for a few days if necessary.
Know that the whites (from Bigelow peak, in ME to Glencliff NH) trails are a LOT steeper than probably anything you've done.
Mileage will suffer because of this no matter what the weather.

Mt Washington will be a huge hurdle and the huts up there will most likely be closed by the time you get there.
So, we did Pinkham to Crawford in one stressful day (stressed beforehand but it turned out to be an awesome day, both weatherwise and our abilities)
Did this finishing by 5:30 as that's when it gets dark up there that time of year.

That is another concern, the darkness.
Days are going to be short.
You'll be eating in the dark at the very least, maybe hiking in it too although I wouldn't try THAT until perhaps Mass. or so.
So, lots of time in the bag.
Normally I don't carry a headlamp but, for a winter/fall hike like yours, I definitely would.
And a radio to keep a close eye on the weather.
And some extra clothes, food and extra fuel to heat up water for a hot water bottle to help keep you warm.

If you can handle all of that without stress and have the personality to bail out or quit if things get sketchy, then go for it.
Good luck.

[fiddlehead]

I feel like my post above was too negative.
Let me add that in NJ, we had 70 degree days in December!
And there are people in the woods that time of year: Deer Hunters!
So, wear some orange on the front AND the back of your pack. (front is more important IMO)
Most likely you will be following the hunting season south.
I believe we saw deer season in every state until about NC (then it was bear)

The other good part is you will have the AT practically to yourself.
Views are better (no leaves on the hardwoods)
Shelters will be empty for the most part.

A great way to see the trail actually ( as long as you can stay safe)

[squeezebox]

Read the thread about the experienced woman who died in the Presidents in the same kind of bad weather you'll face. I'm not experienced but it sounds like winter hiking means being able to hunker down for several days at a time.

[squeezebox]

It would be much safer if you had a hiking partner.

[LoneStranger]

I joke about a winter SOBO being the only way to do the AT if you want to avoid the crowds, but if time and money were no concern I'd give it a shot. Lots of zeroes due to weather, both on trail and off. Short, low mileage days in spikes or snowshoes with a heavy pack. Lots of food and fuel being consumed even when you are getting nowhere.

Yup, I don't have that much time or money to spare, but it does sound like a fun adventure.

[fiddlehead]

I'll add one other negative, from our experience in 2001/2002 SOBO winter hike:
Many motels, hostels, state parks, county parks, food supply stores, etc were closed, that are normally open for hikers.
Like I said before, we had van support and it really came in handy sometimes as supplies would have been hard to get some places.

Huts in the whites too: closed
No canoe ride across the Kennebec. We enjoyed fording it anyway and wanted to give it a try. We knew we had to do it early, so we camped on the north side and did it at first light.
I actually have a video of this ford here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEPxDtepd_8

[wornoutboots]

It can be done, but be prepared & in shape to crank out long miles from the start & pay VERY close attention to the weather. A women died earlier this Winter on her 1st night out of a 3 days training hike from exposure.

[TJ aka Teej]

Common sense would have you south of Mt. Washington by Oct. 1st.

[jeffmeh]

While it certainly can be done, it would be foolish to try this through ME and NH without significant winter mountaineering experience. Winter can slow the pace to a crawl, snow levels could require snow shoes, icing can be severe enough to require full crampons and an ice axe with the knowledge of how to use it for self arrest. If one gets caught somewhere and any gear gets wet, hypothermia, frostbite, and death are distinct possibilities.

[full conditions]

If you could start just one month earlier, I believe you'd have a lovely time. I did a SOBO back in '78 from Katahdin to Kent, CT beginning Sept 1 and even then, I had had a couple of severe storms to hunker down through up in the Whites. But the colors were amazing which stayed with me through Vermont. And, Maine in September was amazing - bug free, less mud, fewer people (although still plenty), and cool days with chilly nights. My best trip ever - if I'd had the time and money I would have kept going to Springer.

[Tennessee Viking]

Given that time frame, it will all depend on the weather if the trail inside Baxter SP is open. Given right around that time frame and one, the AT inside Baxter starts to close if weather conditions are bad.

[Snowleopard]

I agree with what's already been said. I would like to emphasize what Jeffmeh said about needing "significant winter mountaineering experience".
In Montana you might have that experience, but conditions here are sometimes different from out west. It can be a lot wetter, so you might get 35F with heavy rain followed by subzero temps a few hours later (i.e., hypothermia weather). Definitely read up on hypothermia.

Here's a link to the weather archives for the Mt. Washington Observatory: https://www.mountwashington.org/experience-the-weather/mount-washington-weather-archives/monthly-f6.aspx
I'd suggest looking at the temps and winds there to get an idea of what conditions above treeline can be. Last November, for example, the windiest day had an average wind speed of 75 mph with a peak wind of 116 mph and temps in the teens.

I'd say starting Sept. 1, it could be a glorious hike. Starting Oct. 1 you'd get some beautiful days, but parts of ME and NH would range from uncomfortable and unpleasant to dangerous. Unless you're very fast and get lucky with the weather, you'd probably have to skip over some of the most beautiful parts of the AT.