View Full Version : Late Start SOBO
kayak karl
07-16-2008, 17:44
What is the latest you have heard of a person leaving on a SOBO Thru hike?
If it was you, what type of weather and temps did you encounter?
If it was somebody you know did they make it? did they do a trail journal?
Im thinking of leaving 8/15 to 9/1. Where will I run into problems?
minnesotasmith
07-16-2008, 18:11
I saw a guy who had started a SOBO about October 12th. No idea if he made it or not. (At the time, I thought he was out of his mind, and have not changed my opinion since.)
You could run into problems anywhere. ;) Snow is distinctly possible in the Whites (and north of there) any time from September onward. Winter hikes have been done, but they're tough. Not only do you have to carry more weight, but you have to deal with shorter days and longer nights, many services closed, tough trail conditions, etc. On the plus side, you'll have lots of solitude and mostly empty shelters.
CrumbSnatcher
07-16-2008, 19:29
What is the latest you have heard of a person leaving on a SOBO Thru hike?
If it was you, what type of weather and temps did you encounter?
If it was somebody you know did they make it? did they do a trail journal?
Im thinking of leaving 8/15 to 9/1. Where will I run into problems?
kayak karl, what kind of mileage will you be hiking. bad weather on washington any time of year, so hit or miss on that one.(once past the whites you should be fine.) you'll be behind the sobos for sure,but the shelters probably full of nobos til you get out of maine.plenty of company or bring a tent however you want to look at that. good luck on your journey
johnny quest
07-22-2008, 17:40
im looking at the same approx leave date. middle of august.
Blissful
07-22-2008, 20:45
Yeah I was gonna say - possible rough weather, cold temps, snow in the Whites if leaving mid Sept from Maine. But wow, nice autumn in New England to be had as well.
TJ aka Teej
07-22-2008, 21:01
Karl, you should plan on being south of Mt. Washington by October 1st. If you really can't start in time for that, plan on possibly skipping south around the snowy Presidentials from Gorham to Glenclif.
Might be of interest to you:
http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/summit.php
hammock engineer
07-22-2008, 21:35
It had 90 wind gusts, sustained in the 70's, rain, sheet, and wind chills in the teens when I went over in August. Can't say I would go through the whites in worse weather without a lot of cold weather gear and experience.