Two-week section ideas sought for family from west coast.

[jimqpublic]

Hello fellow hikers!


I'm looking for suggestions for a section to hike in late June with my family including two teenage kids. We are from California and have backpacked in the Sierra Nevada, doing increasingly longer trips up to 160 miles on the John Muir Trail in 2013. After lots of travel and camping in western mountains we would like to experience some of the AT. Unfortunately with busy summer schedules we only have a three week window available in late June and early July. The ideal trip would be point-to-point with available transport from/to a good airport. We aren't looking for long distances- in the Sierra we average about 10 miles per day subject to adjustment for weather or terrain. About 10 days of hiking and a few nice spots (in town would be fine) for zero days.


Suggestions?
Thanks.
Jim

[jimqpublic]

For what it's worth- we would prefer cooler and less buggy vs. hotter and more buggy.

[Venchka]

You are overlooking the Continental Divide. The Continental Divide Trail even. The Wind River Range in Wyoming also. Grand Teton-Yellowstone-Glacier National Parks. The list is endless. You would gain at least 2-3 extra trail days.
You're also overlooking Olympic N.P., unless you've been there before. You are also overlooking the National & Provincial Park complex in the Canadian Rockies along the border of Alberta & British Columbia.
On the other hand, HYOH.
Cheers.

Wayne

[jimqpublic]

Wayne;
Thanks for the reply. I wouldn't say we are "overlooking" those other trails, rather looking for a different cultural and physical setting. We have traveled, bicycled, hiked, and skied quite a few different places in the West and want to consider giving the other side of the country a try.

[Venchka]

So have I. Lived 5 years in Spokane and 5 years north of Springfield, MA and a year in Albuquerque. 24 round trips through Amarillo. 3 years in Angola and 3 years in Kazakhstan.
Have you hiked the Wind River Range? Wyoming is definitely different once you get about 25 miles away from Jackson.
50 miles either side of the Continental Divide wins in my book.
I'll behave. Y'all have fun.

Wayne

[colorado_rob]

Wayne;
Thanks for the reply. I wouldn't say we are "overlooking" those other trails, rather looking for a different cultural and physical setting. We have traveled, bicycled, hiked, and skied quite a few different places in the West and want to consider giving the other side of the country a try.

I hear ya jim... I've done 35 straight years of backpacking out west, decided to hike the AT for precisely those reasons. Get east for a change. Cheap flights on SW airlines will get you close, like boston. How about the Maine AT, like quite simply the 100 mile wilderness... decent logistics, cheap transport.

[bigcranky]

Start at North Adams, MA, and hike northbound to the Inn at Long Trail, about 100 miles. Nice section of trail, should be decent weather that time of year. More buggy than hot (that's sort of the trade off, it's hotter in the south but buggier in the north). Good resupply halfway through in Manchester Center. Not sure about access, we took the train to somewhere in Mass and got a shuttle to North Adams.

[jimqpublic]

Thanks all for the ideas. It's looking like this trip is more likely for 2017 than 2016, but I will save your suggestions.

Jim

[egilbe]

The hundred mile wilderness in June? I guess may as well feed the black flies tourists, rather than the local folk :)

i thought the HMW too, until I saw the time frame. Late July, August, September would be better.

[colorado_rob]

The hundred mile wilderness in June? I guess may as well feed the black flies tourists, rather than the local folk :)

i thought the HMW too, until I saw the time frame. Late July, August, September would be better.for some reason, I thought those pesky black flies dropped off by early july, but I stand corrected!

[LoneStranger]

for some reason, I thought those pesky black flies dropped off by early july, but I stand corrected!

Black fly conditions are dependent on the water being warm enough for them to spawn. That means colder years have later spawns as do higher elevations. We hit the trifecta in late June up in BSP last year with the BFs in full bloom, but supported by heavy waves of mosquitoes and an occasional barrage of deer flies. My nephew from TX was hiking in his rain gear to keep them at bay heh.

You can either learn to live with them or stay away for half the summer months. With permethrin treated clothing and a head net it can be reduced to a mostly mental torture of always being prepared to defend yourself. That being said I'm headed north from Stratton mid June for two weeks so if any of you type O- folks are available to provide a transfusion when I finish it would be appreciated :)