Harpers to Rutland

[Live the Journey]

I started my Thru attempt March 23, 2009. Made it happily to Harpers Ferry when I decided to Flip Flop. Southbounded the "last" 500 miles from Katahdin to Rutland before I realized that I had enough money to a) stay on trail for another few weeks or b)catch a train home and have enough money to get my life back on track. I knew I didn't have enough money to finish the last 600 miles back to Harpers, which is why I decided to go with option B.
Of course, now that I'm home, all I can think about is that 600 miles from Rutland to Harpers. What I'm wondering is when the best time of the season to tackle this section would be...trying to run with the thru hikers of 2010 in the summer, spring to avoid the ticks and mozzys in Southern New England, Fall to avoid the heat?
Thoughts?

Also, as an average 15 mile/day hiker who enjoys the occasional zero/nero and town stop, how long would you guess this 600 mile section would take? I was thinking about a month and a half...sound about right?

[Jack Tarlin]

If you leave Harpers in late June you should be done by early to mid-August.

This would absolutely put you in good company with the 2010 hikers, but it WILL be buggy in Connecticut and Massachusetts, this really can't be helped.
(If you want to avoid bugs here, you gotta hike in September!)

[Jack Tarlin]

If you decide to go Southbound, you can leave Rutland in early or mid August; you'd meet up with the 2010 Southbounders, and you'd go thru Southern New England and the mid-Atlanitc states when it's not so buggy and significantly cooler. It really depends where you want to finish up; it'll take the same ammount of time no matter which way you go.

[Live the Journey]

Thanks Jack,
I was thinking, too...If I did Hardcore at Trail Days, and got a ride to Harpers with whomever was headed that way and continued North from there...it's so crazy, it just might work. Then I could finish sometime in July in Rutland...if I don't decide just to stay on the trail back to Katahdin!

[sasquatch2014]

Keep in mind you won't have trail legs so don't try too hard to stay with any one group of thru's and keep their pace or you will be risking injury.

[Cookerhiker]

The above suggestions are good. If it were me, I'd start in Rutland around September 1 and finish mid-October or bump the start to mid-September so you'd catch some Fall colors. I like southbound because Harpers Ferry is a fitting place to complete your AT hike.

What I wouldn't do is hike it in mid-summer but again, I'd rather avoid heat and mosquitos.

[Not So Fast!]

A strong agreement with Cookerhiker's suggestion.

I think September is the perfect time for this section (sobo OR nobo).

But I'd pick sobo...it sort of feels right to pick back up where you left off.

[Jack Tarlin]

Live the Journey:

I know someone who will absolutely be going to Harpers a day or two after Trail Days, so stay in touch.

[Live the Journey]

Although I agree that Harpers would be nice to end with, I think I'd rather hike north with "the crowd" No matter how you slice it, I'm a 25 year old female, and I feel safer hiking with the majority of people hiking north then the few hiking south...

Thanks Jack, I may take you up on snagging a ride with your friend.