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CVANN
07-14-2008, 16:03
Whats the earliest date to leave Springer but still :-?avoid the initial rush

tlbj6142
07-14-2008, 16:20
I believe the rush is from mid-March through the end of April. Do you want to be in front or behind the rush?

Lone Wolf
07-14-2008, 16:20
march 1st would be good

CVANN
07-14-2008, 16:26
wanna be behind the rush

wilconow
07-14-2008, 16:41
I guess he's saying he wants to leave as soon as the rush is over

Lone Wolf
07-14-2008, 16:42
I guess he's saying he wants to leave as soon as the rush is over

oh. april 10th then

Peaks
07-14-2008, 18:29
I wish I had day by day numbers from Winton/Mountain Crossings. Not 100% complete, but probably the best numbers available.

To answer your question about start date, I suspect that the majority of hikers have left by April 15. I started April 22, and shared the first shelter with one other hiker.

The Solemates
07-14-2008, 20:14
i'd start 1 may

Jim Adams
07-14-2008, 21:27
Feb. 15th....too hot by April 15th. Make them catch you!

geek

whitefoot_hp
07-14-2008, 21:34
late april and early may 2008 were not crowded at all in georgia. 1-2 at shelters/ good sites, if that. pass 3-5 folks a day.

Flush2wice
07-14-2008, 22:30
The 2nd half of April is a fine time to start. It can still get below freezing on the mountains, but you don't have to carry so much extra cold weather gear. You get to see lot's of wildflowers in the south. The biggest crowds are ahead of you.
There's benefits to starting early and benefits to starting late. A lot of considerations depend on your pace, conditioning, budget, etc.
I don't blame you for wanting to avoid the crowds. IMO, starting Feb 1 is tougher than starting May 1.

rafe
07-14-2008, 22:45
Back in the old days, the first week of April was still close to prime-time for starts. But I get the impression that prime-time has moved forward a couple of weeks, to mid-March or so.

Flush2wice
07-14-2008, 22:49
Back in the old days, the first week of April was still close to prime-time for starts. But I get the impression that prime-time has moved forward a couple of weeks, to mid-March or so.
Yep, the start times have gotten earlier. A good thread would be- what are the pros and cons of starting before the crowd and after the crowd.

The Solemates
07-15-2008, 00:45
A good thread would be- what are the pros and cons of starting before the crowd and after the crowd.

i dont see any cons. if i do it again, i'll start before feb 1 or after may 1.

Wags
07-15-2008, 00:45
what would be the earliest you guys would leave and be ok w/ a +20 bag? i'm probably going for it in 2010 and would like to leave sooner rather than later

Jim Adams
07-15-2008, 01:07
what would be the earliest you guys would leave and be ok w/ a +20 bag? i'm probably going for it in 2010 and would like to leave sooner rather than later


weather varies so much, it's hard to say.
+20 could be good at Springer on Jan. 1 and not warm enough in the Grayson Highlands in mid May.
as an average IMO a +20 bag can get you thru from March 1 with a set of good underware to sleep in.

geek

Nest
07-15-2008, 01:35
weather varies so much, it's hard to say.
+20 could be good at Springer on Jan. 1 and not warm enough in the Grayson Highlands in mid May.
as an average IMO a +20 bag can get you thru from March 1 with a set of good underware to sleep in.

geek


That's where the bag liners come in handy. A couple I hiked with this year started March 5, and carried 32* bags. They just carried a coolmax and a silk liner each to get down to the colder temps. It's a lot cheaper than buying two bags, a summer and winter one.

A-Train
07-15-2008, 01:57
Staying ahead of the crowds would be beneficial IMO, as opposed to being behind them. If you are in front, you're more likely to be accepted into a town with open arms. I think by the end of the hiker season, many towns, locals and hiker establishments are burned out-it's natural. Sometimes the actions of a few have people fed up with the hiker community. Maybe you just arrived after a few drunken A holes pissed people off and ruined it for others. This is much less likely to happen to folks in the early season.

On the flip side of the coin, being really early has its drawbacks. Some services may not be open or expecting hikers. Trail magic will obviously be much less. You're not likely to arrive to any feeds or gatherings (which can be good OR bad depending how you view them).

I guess I'd rather be part of the early crowd, as I was on the AT. I was generally treated really well and had great experiences.

Nearly Normal
07-15-2008, 06:33
Earlier to miss the shelter snakes, less mice, more firewood. Just gear for it.

Rockhound
07-15-2008, 06:41
before the rush is easy. last week in Feb. if you want to be behind the rush you may as well wait until after trail days. even then you'll see quite a few section hikers and weekenders.

7Sisters
07-15-2008, 07:56
If you want to use a 20 degree bag, you can start in mid to late March. However, if you're going to be out there in a 20 degree bag that time year, you really need additional protection for warmth. In March, I always carry glove liners, gloves and mitten shell, fleece wind blocker hat, fleece ear wrap and balaclava. There are definitely going to be people that say that's too much and overkill, but if your gear gets wet you won't have a drying machine with you and most things don't dry out at night in March.

The reason I bring up the additional gear is that on a colder night, you'll want to use that to stay warm. Also I would definitely bring a tent as they are warmer than sleeping in a shelter.

All those combined, can offset the temp issues you may have with a 20 degree bag. You may still have a chilly night or two, but you'll easily add 10 degrees of comfort rating. The other major thing to consider is how true is your bag and how cold do you sleep.

If you sleep cold and your bag rating isn't real true, you could have issues regardless. A major assumption here is that you sleep at least nuetral and your bag rating is accurate.

Hope this helps.

Route Step
07-15-2008, 07:58
Leave by mid March. The crowd thins itself out soon enough and you can always camp apart from other hikers if you want.

The later you go the more insects that will buzz you all day as you hike and all night in a shelter. Also water can become hard to find on the ridges up North in the Middle Atlantic states as the summer advances.

Wise Old Owl
07-15-2008, 10:17
That's where the bag liners come in handy. A couple I hiked with this year started March 5, and carried 32* bags. They just carried a coolmax and a silk liner each to get down to the colder temps. It's a lot cheaper than buying two bags, a summer and winter one.

I fail to see how a silk or cool max liner would help inside the bag to trap more heat. Cool Max works best when it is right up against the skin. (not flopping around in the bag) However the soft shell cover bivys clearly make a bag 10 degrees warmer for a extra 16 oz.

Just from experience. (freezing my butt in Canada)

7Sisters up above - has some good advice too.

Bearpaw88
07-15-2008, 10:22
I left March 1st which turned out to be a busy start date this year.
A 20 degree bag was okay on March 1st but I picked up a liner later. It kept me warm through the Smokies. I am not sure how it is every year but 08 seemed to have a steady amount of people starting from March 1st to May 1st.
It seems hard to avoid people and crowds early on but it thins out soon, and as someone else mentioned you can always stealth camp and use campsites which are nicer anyway.

Flush2wice
07-15-2008, 10:28
Another option to avoid the crowd, even if you start in the thick of it, is to take the BMT all the way. By the time you hook back up with the AT, most of the other hikers have quit.

Stitch_and_Figgy
07-15-2008, 10:47
April 30th was a great start for us in 2007. We enjoyed a 'late' start and still finished on September 27th.

Had the trail mostly to ourselves until the Smokies, and then bounced with occasional hikers up through Virginia. We really hit the most of the pack in Pennsylvania, but it was pretty thinned out by then.

Worked for us... highly recommended.

River Runner
07-18-2008, 19:01
It might also help to leave in the middle of the week instead of on a weekend or Monday. I've noticed a lot of thrus choose Mondays or weekend days to start. This gives you a few days to get to Neel's Gap where 10% or so of the hikers quit. <grin>