View Full Version : Advice/Springer to Smokies starting mid Feb?
It would work well for me if I could start and complete the first leg of my NB thru hike earlier than it might be attempted by most. My schedule necessitates that I return home (after a mid-Feb start and 4 to 6 weeks) then return to Trail mid to late June.
I am in the process of gathering everything I would need. I need advice on equipment choices that would serve me well both for the 4 to 6 weeks of winter (first section) and 4 to 5 months of summer and fall (remainder of AT) that I would encounter.
Any advice on equipment that would serve double duty would be most appreciated! Particularly interested in hearing about main components, such as pack, tent, stove, clothing, footwear, sleeping bag/pad, and the like.
Elton
How experienced are you with hiking in general, and hiking in winter, more specifically?
If possible, get up to Springer New Year's Eve. A whole group will be camping out there and you can get more advice than imaginable.
If you can't make that, a good way to get a feel for what it is like that time of year is to read some trail journals of people who started about the time you plan on starting.
This year there were several mid-Feb starts:
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?ID=124982
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=124565
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?ID=124592
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?ID=124732
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=124626
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=125281
Note that there were many more hikers than these. These are only the ones who kept online journals.
Red Dane started Jan 6:
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=123260
From what I read in journals (and this is what I read in journals, not experience talking) expect day time temps in mid Feb in GEORGIA to be between 30's and 60's, and night time temps ranging from the low teens to the high thirties. Smokies can get real cold/snowy. Read Red Dane's journal
fiddlehead
12-27-2006, 08:25
LOts of forums on here about all the equipment.
I took my 2 friends down to GA in Feb of 1996. The day i dropped them off it was 60* and a beautiful day. They enjoyed that kind of weather for about a week and then winter set back in . they stayed out until the Smokies and then holed up in a hotel/motel for about a week. It really sapped a lot of their funds and they ended up not finishing, partly because they ran out of money.
As far as a winter vs. summer gear list. Also, i've posted this on Whiteblaze forums before but here is a link to our website describing them in detail: http://fiddleheadpa.safeshopper.com/14/cat14.htm?941
good luck and have fun.
Most hikers start real early to get ahead of the pack but weather can slow you down and eventually they start catching up. Started a thru in 96' on Feb 9 the start was wonderful like FH said but it soon turned nasty lots of long cold nights by myself. Won't be many out there so you'll have the shelters all to yourself, a good bivy sack should work fine unless you prefer tenting. Be prepared to spend alot of time in your sleeping bag and multiple days at Motels etc. (most hostels are still closed). BTW got caught in a snowstorm between Hot Springs and Irwin and bailed from there but returned in two weeks and continued to Dalton Mass. when broken bones in my foot forced me off the trail. Don't know what your schedule or situation is but if you are planning to return in June you might want to consider a SB hike. GOOD LUCK!!
Most hikers start real early to get ahead of the pack but weather can slow you down and eventually they start catching up.
Truth. Early starters are facing tougher weather, shorter days, and a lot more obstacles. Obviously there's the advantage of a less crowded trail, but starting on March 1 instead of April 1 doesn't mean you'll get to K a month ahead of the wave.
Johnny Swank
12-27-2006, 09:34
I need to poke through some data from my masters thesis, but I remember finding that early starters (pre-march) actually had a lower completion % than those that started around April. This was only one data set I collected, so take that with a huge grain of salt.
Instead of doing all this traveling back and forth from the trail, why not consider doing a southbound thru-hike? Your mid June start time would be perfect, and you wouldn't mess up the flow of your trip.
I need to poke through some data from my masters thesis...
You did your masters thesis on hiking? I'd love to read it!
The best pseudo-scientific work on AT hiking that I have seen is Roland Mueser's study of the class of '89. Especially so since I knew a few of the characters he mentioned and interviewed.
Johnny Swank
12-27-2006, 09:56
I did it on motivations of long distance hikers on the AT. It's not that great, and I'd do alot of it differently next time around, but it was a good excuse to go to Trail Days and collect data. Ohio University should have it as a PDF in their library.
Mueser's study and book were great, IMO. Assuming I go back and finish my PhD (I'm on an "extended hiatus") I probably do a newer version of that and collect some more data sometime in the next couple of years.
I did it on motivations of long distance hikers on the AT. It's not that great, and I'd do alot of it differently next time around, but it was a good excuse to go to Trail Days and collect data. Ohio University should have it as a PDF in their library.
OK... a proper name and/or title of the report might help in that search... maybe PM me if you want to keep this private?
Mueser's study and book were great, IMO. Assuming I go back and finish my PhD (I'm on an "extended hiatus") I probably do a newer version of that and collect some more data sometime in the next couple of years.That would be awesome. A lot has changed since '89 -- most importantly, the trend toward hiking light, and all the changes stemming from that. Pack weights back then were huge by current standards. Interesting that Mueser noticed and explored the non-correlation between water treatment and incidence of disease. Way ahead of his time!
The Solemates
12-27-2006, 11:41
we started Feb 1. if you have specific questions for us, shoot. PM would be best.
Flying Monkey
12-27-2006, 12:08
I know that it's a month and a half away, but if the weather in mid Febrarury is anyhting like now, you need to be able to accomodate changing weather. The day before christmas I hiked from Gooch shelter to Neels gap shirtless and in shorts most of the day. I took X-mas as a zero day, and hiked from Neels to Unicoi yesterday. It snowed or hailed all day, and the wind was terrible. Very bundled up. Gloves, balaclava, layers, the whole deal. The weather forecast for this weekn looks like all great, except for a solo thiunderstorm coming in the middle of a sunny week.
While you may be able to get away without rain gear in the summer, you are definitely going to want it in the winter. Zero-degree bag, some sort of pad (or plan to sleep on your clothes/bag).
Also, as said above, plan to stay in motels or hostels alot.
FM
Desert Lobster
12-27-2006, 22:36
dont' go! Start in June northbound from Harpers to Katahdin and then finish up the bottom half after.
dont' go! Start in June northbound from Harpers to Katahdin and then finish up the bottom half after.
Excellent idea.
Johnny Swank
12-27-2006, 23:19
Come on - join the darkside and go SOBO. All the cool kids are doing it!
Jim Adams
12-27-2006, 23:25
Come on - join the darkside and go SOBO. All the cool kids are doing it!
makes good sense with your schedule.
geek
Johnny Swank
12-27-2006, 23:31
I was kidding, sort of, but a mid-june start is perfect for a SOBO, you get one continuous trip, less transportation hassles, and get to hook up with the same crowd for the entire time instead of doing the flip-flop thing.
soulrebel
12-28-2006, 01:10
The trail is great and HYOH, but it gets dark too early, IMO, to be doing decent mileage in Feb. and you'll be spending 10-14 hours a day in your bag if winter comes around.
The 2am pee is gonna suck every night. Now get hiking! :)