View Full Version : Need advice
Pooja Blue
09-18-2004, 19:37
Foot is finally better and I'd like to head back to finish what's now a flipflop hike. This means doing the Whites first in the last week in September then taking a train up to Katahdin and heading south from there (skipping the Whites) to arrive at the midpoint in PA at the end of December. Can anyone tell me what problems I'm likely to encounter hiking this late in the year?
Foot is finally better and I'd like to head back to finish what's now a flipflop hike. This means doing the Whites first in the last week in September then taking a train up to Katahdin and heading south from there (skipping the Whites) to arrive at the midpoint in PA at the end of December. Can anyone tell me what problems I'm likely to encounter hiking this late in the year?
Well, you are probably going to want to wear blaze orange as hunting season will be in full swing in many northeastern states. PA is particularly thick with hunters. The latest edition of Appalachian Trailway News lists the hunting seasons in all states along the AT. That would be a good reference for you.
You can purchase a blaze orange pack cover or knit cap - two items you'll need during that time.
Good luck - stay safe.
Pooja Blue
09-18-2004, 20:04
Thanks, Mowgli. I bought some material yesterday to sew a blaze orange pack cover/vest combination and made a hatband for my hat.
Anything else I should know?
There is no train. Use the bus.
Magic City
09-19-2004, 16:43
September then taking a train up to Katahdin ... Can anyone tell me what problems I'm likely to encounter hiking this late in the year?
Finding a train to Katahdin. I think Portland is about as far north as the trains go, if that.
Pooja Blue
09-19-2004, 17:12
Bus it is. Anything else I should know about going SOBO that time of year? Lots of snow, or just rain? Will there be anyone in the shelters?
Bus it is. Anything else I should know about going SOBO that time of year? Lots of snow, or just rain? Will there be anyone in the shelters?
I suspect shelters will be busy on weekends (Friday and Saturday nights) until the end of October. Especially Columbus Day Weekend.
It can snow any time of the year in the White Mountains. But, I wouldn't expect any lasting accumulation until December. But, be prepared for nights below freezing from now (mid September) until late spring.
Read the ALDHA Companion or Wingfoot for how to get to Katahdin.
if you're hiking the Whites the end of Sept and then going up to Katahdin, it seems as if you'll be headed south the first week in October. In 03' the last of the hikers saw a somewhat freakish amount of snow in Maine, so its very possible, especially at the higher elevations like Katahdin (of course), White Cap and the Bigelows. You'll be running nose first into the last pack of Nobo's all thru the wilderness, so I wouldn't count on shelters being free, though hikers tend to be in bunches. I'm sure you'll be in for some interesting fireside tales from hikers on the verge of being done. Yeah, its gonna be cold, I'd have full winter gear with you and a set of maps for sure. As you continue, obviosouly chance of snow will increase, especially in the ranges (Bigelows, Saddlebacks and Mahoosucs). You'll then be able to skip over the whites and be in Vermont end of October/beginning of November. By this point, you should be hitting snow more frequently. One thing you got going for you is that once thru the Greens and over Mt Greylock, you'll be down mostly at low elevations around 1000-2000 ft where chance of snow is less likely, though cold temps will not be. Once you hit Vermont you should have shelters to yourself.
If anything you should know, i'd say to be flexible and be aware of what your getting into. The East dishes out a lot of unexpected brutal weather and you just can't bank on when its gonna happen. Be prepared, don't be on a schedule and be able to not only take a day or two off now and then, but also be able financially to rent a motel, hostel or lodging, cause you will probably need to warm up and dry out more frequently then those hiking in summer. Enjoy!
Pooja Blue
09-19-2004, 18:07
I have a 3-season tent that does okay up to a few inches of snow but beyond that I need to get to a shelter (I found out in the Smokies). Would I be wiser to buy a 4-season tent?