View Full Version : am i the last?
johnny quest
07-29-2008, 17:42
im looking at a august 17 leave date from baxter. so does that make me the last one out this year?
Lone Wolf
07-29-2008, 17:46
probably not. lots of folks never announce they are hiking or post on websites or do online journals
johnny quest
07-29-2008, 17:51
but are others so dumb as to leave so late?
Lone Wolf
07-29-2008, 17:55
it's not dumb at all. anyone who tells you that doesn't do much hiking
As long as you get through northern New England before the snow flies, you should be fine. After that you just need to be prepared for cold weather down south.
I'll email you later today Johnny.
Kirby
Lone Wolf
07-29-2008, 18:03
As long as you get through northern New England before the snow flies, you should be fine.
not really. when i lived at the north end of the long trail there were quite a few tough souls going SOBO mid-winter. as long as you're equipped, no problem
johnny quest
07-29-2008, 18:06
brought up a good point. my original plans had been for a earlier leave date. i need to go over my list and see if i need to add anything to it. guess i will post it somewhere around here and let folks rip it a new one.
Hikerhead
07-29-2008, 18:51
You might consider a pair of Yak-Trax. Not the ones with the wire but with the studs. They can get you out of some icy areas and are light weight.
Pedaling Fool
07-29-2008, 19:12
I walked thru Maine in October, summited 14 October. Temps were great, nights a little chilly and the night before summiting it got down to about 20 deg., my water froze overnight. But the next day was perfect for hiking and had clear blue skies on Katahdin.
johnny quest
07-29-2008, 19:37
i got a pair of yaks. i will consider having them dropped to me after the 100. now what i REALLY want to do is get a chance to use my wooden 1950s snowshoes!
yeah, john, im not too worried about maine. im told the whites may be blustery by then though. oh, bother!
Lone Wolf
07-29-2008, 19:43
yeah, john, im not too worried about maine. im told the whites may be blustery by then though. oh, bother!
or not. i was in the whites one year just before the gathering, early october. i hiked up mt. washington. temps. in the sixties on top
TJ aka Teej
07-29-2008, 19:50
Last? Heck, no. There will be people heading south out of Baxter October 16th. Always are.
Lone Wolf
07-29-2008, 19:52
hiking on the AT in the middle of winter is no biggie if you're properly equipped
saimyoji
07-29-2008, 19:56
hiking on the AT in the middle of winter is no biggie if you're properly equipped
true dat. though no matter what gear they carry, most people will never be as well "equipped" as some of us.
Blissful
07-29-2008, 20:04
Sounds like fun and great autumn in New England! Go for it, but leave the yak trax at home, maybe until Mt Rogers area at least.
Doesn't get cold down here until mid November.
johnny quest
07-29-2008, 20:18
Last? Heck, no. There will be people heading south out of Baxter October 16th. Always are.
seriously? thruhikers? i didnt know that. now that is amazing to me.
Lone Wolf
07-29-2008, 20:21
seriously? thruhikers? i didnt know that. now that is amazing to me.
like i said. they don't announce it. they know what they're doing. they don't grandstand on websites. i see them in damascus every spring
johnny quest
07-29-2008, 20:27
i did not know that.
so these mythic winter hiking beasts... will they mind if i sniff their pack as they stride past my weary prone body?
sheepdog
07-29-2008, 20:52
i did not know that.
so these mythic winter hiking beasts... will they mind if i sniff their pack as they stride past my weary prone body?
Now that's funny. :D:D
hammock engineer
07-30-2008, 20:46
Winter is the best time to be out hiking.
I would leave the yak traks at home, my hiking partner's last year broke after less than a day of hiking. All the reviews I read of them say about the same. If it gets bad and you want traction PM and I will part with a set of Neeve crampons at a good deal. The weigh in at just over a pound. I bought them a couple years ago and never used them. Now I live in New Orleans and don't think I will see any ice anytime soon.
johnny quest
08-16-2008, 08:46
well, im about ready to go. last day of work was yesterday. i leave texas the 21st and will be at baxter the 24th. i wont be keeping an online trailjournal but will be posting to trailphone.net and...if i check email, it will be at
[email protected]. things are busy as i get ready to go but i will check back here infrequently till i leave.
i would love to meet and/or hike with any whiteblazers. just yell at me if i come to your neighborhood. thanks to everyone for all the advice. ooohrah!
kayak karl
08-16-2008, 13:30
well, im about ready to go. last day of work was yesterday. i leave texas the 21st and will be at baxter the 24th. i wont be keeping an online trailjournal but will be posting to trailphone.net and...if i check email, it will be at
[email protected]. things are busy as i get ready to go but i will check back here infrequently till i leave.
i would love to meet and/or hike with any whiteblazers. just yell at me if i come to your neighborhood. thanks to everyone for all the advice. ooohrah!
Little joke before u go.
There’s a Christian who’s hiking in the woods one day when he comes upon an angry bear.
The bear stood up on its hind legs and growled ferociously, clearly preparing to charge.
In panic, the Christian started to run, but the bear followed close on his heels.
Finally the hiker came to a cliff. So he dropped to his knees and asked God to please make this bear a good Christian bear.
To the hiker’s amazement, the bear suddenly stopped growling, fell to his knees and folded his paws together in prayer!
"Thank you, Lord!" exclaimed the Christian.
"Thank you, Lord!" exclaimed the bear, "for this meal I'm about to receive!"
Have a safe trip.:)
I'd say get your kit together, put a smile on your face, and when the day comes, start heading south. Live in the moment and the future will take care of itself. It is important to drop the negatives and gather lots of positives. Lone Wolf is right in his advice and observations.
SoboPachyderm
08-31-2008, 13:07
im looking at a august 17 leave date from baxter. so does that make me the last one out this year?
No. :cool:
johnny quest
09-06-2008, 10:52
well, i made it down to gulf hagas before coming off the trail with knee pain. the downhills were killing me. ive got an appointment monday with a podiatrist to look at some orthodics as an answer. i decided to come down to the florida panhandle and if i can get my knees back in shape to start again from the south. at this point i just want to be on the trail and dont care what part i'm on or what direction i am going. anybody in my (new) neck of the woods interested in hiking give me a yell.
Hey Johnny, looks like us Texans weren't meant to hike in Maine... (I got off at the Bodfish Rd before Monson) Hope everything is okay with your knees and you can get back to the important job of hiking.
mweinstone
03-23-2009, 07:55
bearpaw, aka, my wench, insists your not to late. nor last. nor even qualifie as a winter walk. you my dear sir, are nothing. you do not exist. i, the great and powerful matthewski will now recreate you. from hence forward, you will be my ward. you will do my bidding. and you will represent me, in all things. the one thing you will not have authority over in my house, is my wench. love matty.
Wrangler88
03-26-2009, 11:37
Hey Johnny, looks like us Texans weren't meant to hike in Maine... (I got off at the Bodfish Rd before Monson) Hope everything is okay with your knees and you can get back to the important job of hiking.
Hope this Texan hypothesis of yours doesn't hold true for me.
Find out in late June/early July.
im looking at a august 17 leave date from baxter. so does that make me the last one out this year?
You won't be the last, but you probably will be past the peak of the pack.
You also will arrive in GA (assuming you are thru hiking all the way) in winter conditions. you may be able to catch the fall colors before you are out of northern New England. Oh.. you also will probably be in the smokies in December at the earliest..meaning cold and snowy weather!
Does any one know if the southern Appalachians get nice fall colors?
David
phillycheze
03-26-2009, 17:33
they do but its a short color period. they get brown quick and hang on the trees until wind comes...
Low Impact
03-26-2009, 20:01
or not. i was in the whites one year just before the gathering, early october. i hiked up mt. washington. temps. in the sixties on top
This ain't likely to happen too often. Record high for Washington in the month of October is 59, and that was back in the late 1930's.
More average temps will be in the mid 30's.
Just be safe.
sticks&stones
03-26-2009, 20:16
im looking at a august 17 leave date from baxter. so does that make me the last one out this year?
No dude, they'll be several coming off bigk for awhile in your wake. I summited springer a couple times in march and never was the last, not even close.