2016 when to start?

[JaketheFake]

I am planning to do my thru-hike in 2016. This is something I have dreamed about for 20 plus years.... And I selected a year when a movie about the AT is set to come out....ugh!!!!

Here is my question.... I set a tentative date to start on April 1. Why then? I felt it would edge out some of the nasty (cold) March temps in Georgia. And because I followed a calendar for the last 25 years I out of habit picked the 1st to start. With the expectation that herds of people will burst out of the cinemas this fall and bee-line to REI to be set to go in April, I am considering bumping my start day up a week or so. Say some random weekday like March 22 or 23.... Just to maybe avoid some of the potential stupidness. Thoughts? In these discussions the term flip flop often comes up.... For whatever reason I am starting in Springer. So that's not an option.

Does starting in late March on a weekday do anything to avoid a crush of people?

[Walkintom]

You're going to encounter plenty of stupidity no matter when you start.

Start when you want to, do your best to not get involved with and affected by the stupidity, and go HYOH.

[bigcranky]

The heaviest starting crowds are in March and April. April 1 will have a huge crowd, as will Mar 1, Mar 4, the equinox, and every weekend day. A random weekday in late March will be less crowded and is probably your best bet.

You could also start in early May, and have 5.5 months to finish. You'll end up passing a lot of earlier starters.

[JaketheFake]

The heaviest starting crowds are in March and April. April 1 will have a huge crowd, as will Mar 1, Mar 4, the equinox, and every weekend day. A random weekday in late March will be less crowded and is probably your best bet.

You could also start in early May, and have 5.5 months to finish. You'll end up passing a lot of earlier starters.

Thank you. I want to get on with it, so the early May option is out. Defiantly going to get moving before April 1 (that is a Friday). For what ever reason Monday March 28th seems to ring out at this time, but I have 8 months to zero in on it.

My only concern about starting on a Monday is the fear of stepping over the expired bodies (still clutching their "Walk in the Woods" ticket stubs) of those who started on Saturday and Sunday. Haha.

I think I get it.... there will be stupidness in the beginning, but let's face it, there is stuipidness in the the beginning of everything that is worthy of doing. Here is to me hopefully not being stupid.

[pauly_j]

I'm sure there are good parts of being stuck in the bubble for at least some part of the trail. I do wonder why people are so desperate to avoid the crowds to start. You'll have the next 4/5 months to do that. I plan on enjoying (responsibly!) the company (party?) for the first few weeks. As long as you generally avoid shelters and towns then what are the big downsides?

[JaketheFake]

I'm sure there are good parts of being stuck in the bubble for at least some part of the trail. I do wonder why people are so desperate to avoid the crowds to start. You'll have the next 4/5 months to do that. I plan on enjoying (responsibly!) the company (party?) for the first few weeks. As long as you generally avoid shelters and towns then what are the big downsides?

Good point... its not like there are 5,000 people starting on any one day right? I also get your point on the good parts of being stuck in the bubble. I actually could be kind of entertaining. One of my goals is to meet new friends/people so maybe I should not stress too much about it and start when I start.

I get the sense there is a type of hiker that is looking for the solitude and I guess that type of hiker would not do well starting in May or April.

[bigcranky]

I've hiked the Georgia section in March twice, once in each direction, both times starting and ending on a weekend.

It's not a party. There can be quite a few people, but it's not like Times Square with hordes on the trail in front of and behind you. There will be a lot of people at the shelters, most of them tenting. This makes sense - the shelters have obvious camp sites, good water, bear cables, and a sense of security with other people around. People help each other, and talk about the trail and their lives. It's more like the first few days of a sleepaway camp or moving into a college dorm than it is like Spring Break. If you are solo, you can hang with a group of like-minded people or just keep to yourself - people will leave you alone. You can easily hike by yourself, and if you really want to camp alone, there is no requirement to stay at the shelters (though there aren't lots of campsites along the trail and those that exist are sometimes less than optimal).

There are All Kinds of different people out there, from all walks of life, people with great jobs and plenty of money right next to people living right on the margins. High school and college kids, retirees, folks from all over the world. Almost all of them have been dreaming about this hike for years, and most of them won't make it to the first state line. :) After the first week or so, the crowds will thin out quite a bit and it gets even easier to be alone.

You can't avoid towns, of course, since you'll need things like food and maybe the occasional shower. (Please, for the sake of the rest of us, take a shower and do some laundry every couple of weeks. :) ) But you can avoid getting sucked into the town vortex, in which hikers find it very hard to leave the comforts of soft beds and good food. Just hit the grocery store and get back on the trail.

I kind of like Springer in March. There's a real feeling of adventure and cameraderie and it can be a lot of fun, plus you meet some cool people and make very quick friendships. I still keep up with a few of them.