April Start

[dab48eu]

I plan to start a section hike, beginning at Springer on April 13th. My schedule would not allow me to start sooner. I am an experienced hiker but for safety reasons am hopeful that other thru or section hikers will be on the trail at that time. Comments will be appreciated.

[max patch]

You'll have plenty of company.

[SalParadise]

so many people it'll be chlaustrophibic.

[mwaidley]

My crew and I will be turning the Standing Indian Loop the week of the 23rd (April) ... might run into you. Its a beautiful time to head through that area!

[dab48eu]

Thanks for the info.

[fiddlehead]

I started my thru in '95 on May 5. Had a great time with a lot of folks. No problem.

[Pokey2006]

I started April 5 and was taken over by all kinds of people who started behind me, even people who started in May. So plenty of hikers do it every year.

Just don't have the "Katahdin or bust" attitude, and you'll be fine. Do what you can, and if you can do the whole thing, great, if not, at least enjoy the ride.

Should be nice starting out at that time, actually. I mean, nice temperatures, spring wildflowers, should be real pretty. Enjoy it!

[Moxie00]

The earliest I could start was April 6th. About 30 others started the same day. Within 3 hours the first one quit and by day's end I met three potential thru hikers that gave up. The next day we lost several more but after a week we settled into a loosly knit group of about 30 that were walking north. Faster hikers went ahead, slower hikers joined up with us. About half way through Virginia we had our next bunch of casulaties as many hikers got hurt, sick or just got the "Virginia Blues" and went home. Frequently someone you hadn't seen since Georgia would appear as you caught up or they slowed down or perhaps tpook a few days off the trail. When we got to Maine a whole new group seemed to merge into our group. The strange thing is that several of us that started together in Georgia finished within a day or two of each other in Maine. I started in April, was 62 years old, suffer from both asthma and emphesima and still managed to make 12.3 miles a day and finished by October 7th. I was very slow and didn't pass more than a dozen thru hikers between georgia and Maine while hiking but the secret is hike every day, start early, and you will have no problem making it. Many younger hikers started in May and still made it. I never felt alone on the trail, plenty of hikers, both thru and section are out there. Have a ball and don't worry about being lonely. I know plenty of southbounders are lonely after Labor Day in the southern hillls but there aren't that many of them. A northbounder is never alone.

[dab48eu]

I appreciate all the helpful comments.