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View Full Version : what's would be your ideal time to start from Springer?



lloyd528
04-06-2010, 11:54
Back in 1978 we didn't have to worry about crowds on Springer Mt. when my wife and I started our attempt at thru-hiking. Today, from all that I have read and I've done a lot of reading lately, the AT can be quite crowded on April 1. For those of you who are familiar with the trail now, what would be the worst time to start and the best time to begin. Third question being....what do you think would be the average number of days you could get some good hiking in if you started March 1, considering weather, blow-downs, etc. How was March this year for instance?

rhjanes
04-06-2010, 12:18
From reading Trail Journals and on here, this March was a doosie. Abby-Normal to say the least. Storm of the century in the south. 4 foot drifts in the smokys, etc.
Lots of people either delayed, or got off for a few weeks.
Are you going to thru? How's your health? (I see your are 60). Plot back from Katahdin perhaps. Number of zero's, time off for family, figure to finish third week in September, and work back from that. Then, maybe start a week or two before what you calculate.

white_russian
04-06-2010, 12:27
The crowds don't bother me. I enjoy the company of others so I like to hang around the shelters, but I do occasionally need a night to myself and there are plenty of unoccupied mountaintops starting in April

lloyd528
04-06-2010, 12:54
We are going thru and our health is good. Right now my wife needs to take care of her bunions before we do this. Her knees are a little weak but she will be carrying less weight than she used to and using treking poles, which really helps with balance, pace and a little weight.

The Solemates
04-06-2010, 13:14
if we were to do it again we'd probably go nobo starting either before february 1st or after may 1st

DBthal
04-06-2010, 13:37
if we were to do it again we'd probably go nobo starting either before february 1st or after may 1st


The Solemates - What are the reasons for your preferred start months?

Thx

buff_jeff
04-06-2010, 13:52
May 1.

I sectioned GA-Harpers Ferry starting May 10 and the combination of phenomenal weather and fewer people made it the best possible time to hike, for me. There were hardly any bugs, I didn't have to deal with uncomfortably cold or warm weather, and the NOBO herd was well ahead and thinned out by that time.

There were still a decent amount of thrus left, though, and many of them went on to finish with time to spare.

Blissful
04-06-2010, 14:24
This March was atypical for sure. But I would still start when I did in '07. First week of March.

Rain Man
04-06-2010, 14:28
"What's would be your ideal time to start from Springer?"

April Fool's Day, I think. It seems that "in the old days" many if not most started in May, though many in April.

For me, I don't see any reason to start in March, which can still be brutal winter at altitudes.

Rain:sunMan

.

full conditions
04-06-2010, 15:46
I began my thru on May 15 and I was very surprised at the large number of hikers setting out to do the whole trail. There were so many hikers that the shelters were full and folks had tents set up all around the shelter areas. I will add however, that once I got to the Nantahalas, the numbers thinned out dramatically and from there to New England there were only a handfull of us in my peloton.

That said, if I had to hike NOBO, I would probably leave Springer again in mid April to avoid the largest part of the herd and that would still leave me plenty of time to get to Katahdin before mid October.

Tin Man
04-06-2010, 15:55
If it were me... SOBO - mid-July

Roland
04-06-2010, 16:03
If it were me... SOBO - mid-July

If so, what would be your expected completion date?

solace
04-06-2010, 16:42
Yeah... it really depends.... the crowds are very large currently... so, if you want the masses, the crowded shelter with lots of newbies on thier cellphones, ect, then start away! But, yes... by FONTANA... Id say 25% are done with hiking, and by then it does begin to thin out... the party hard crowd who realizes that flush toilets aren't available every 5 miles, and that hiking each day is just not what they really want.... Starting FEB 1 - FEB 20th you will have thin crowds... and then by May 1st, it thins once again...

Tin Man
04-06-2010, 17:13
If so, what would be your expected completion date?

Everyone is different, so 3-6 months similar to NOBO. For me, I probably would not push it or set a hard deadline - 5-6 months... or more likely, split the hike over two years, and just SOBO for 3 months starting at the end of August: ME-WV year 1; WV-GA year 2. But then I am a simple section-hiker, so what do i know? :)

Tin Man
04-06-2010, 17:18
Everyone is different, so 3-6 months similar to NOBO. For me, I probably would not push it or set a hard deadline - 5-6 months... or more likely, split the hike over two years, and just SOBO for 3 months starting at the end of August: ME-WV year 1; WV-GA year 2. But then I am a simple section-hiker, so what do i know? :)

Thru-hiking is over-rated. All NOBO'ers I have met in New England chant 'gotta do the miles'... they don't appear to be having fun by the time they reach VT or NH. I would prefer to do longer sections than I do now and pick the season rather than let the miles determine my experience - hot, cold, buggy, etc. Again, just my opinion.

lloyd528
04-06-2010, 20:23
[QUOTE=Tin Man;997859]Thru-hiking is over-rated.

Tin Man, Have you thru-hiked? If you have, I would be interested in why you believe it is over-rated. If you haven't no need to reply but I do appreciate your addition to this thread.

max patch
04-06-2010, 20:34
The best date to start a thru for an average hiker is 4/15 in my opinion; although I wouldn't disagree with anyone who says 4/1 thru 4/15.

max patch
04-06-2010, 20:35
Thru-hiking is over-rated.

Do one first and then give us your opinion.

Tin Man
04-06-2010, 21:09
re:thru-hiking... no offense meant... just my opinion as i stated

Lone Wolf
04-06-2010, 21:24
Thru-hiking is over-rated. All NOBO'ers I have met in New England chant 'gotta do the miles'... they don't appear to be having fun by the time they reach VT or NH. I would prefer to do longer sections than I do now and pick the season rather than let the miles determine my experience - hot, cold, buggy, etc. Again, just my opinion.


[QUOTE=Tin Man;997859]Thru-hiking is over-rated.

Tin Man, Have you thru-hiked? If you have, I would be interested in why you believe it is over-rated. If you haven't no need to reply but I do appreciate your addition to this thread.

i'm with tin man. i've thru-hiked. it is overrated. fantasy is much better than reality

lloyd528
04-06-2010, 21:48
[QUOTE=lloyd528;997926]

i'm with tin man. i've thru-hiked. it is overrated. fantasy is much better than reality

Lone Wolf, since you've already walked the walk, do you mind sharing why you believe it is overated. Could you also elaborate on why fantasy is better than reality...I am sincerely interested in the comments of other hikers who completed the trail in one season.

Lone Wolf
04-06-2010, 21:53
the novelty wears off fairly quick, like in 500 miles. the rest become a chore. a job. never for me though. it was a lifestyle. katahdin wasn't a goal. neither was doing white blazes. i was just backpackin'. walkin. til it was time to do something different

Bulldawg
04-06-2010, 22:01
Thru-Hiking.........I was out last week walking south bound in North Carolina. This young kid, you know the ones; experts after the first 100 miles. He stops and asks me if I was a thru hiker. I stopped and turned to him and answered, "Hell yeah, I'll be through as soon as I get to the next road. I'm going to town for a steak!" He didn't seem to like my comment.

Tin Man
04-06-2010, 22:12
folks seem to like lining up and do what hundreds before them have done... walk past a bunch of white blazes end to end, for what? a patch??

regardless of reason, most (not all) thru-hikers I have met (or heard from here) start with stars in their eyes and just end up sore, tired, and let down if and when they reach the end. i backpack for fun and leisure, after all it is a vacation, so why make it into a job? i get the lifestyle thing. i don't get hiking after it ain't fun any more.

so before folks tell everyone they know they are thru-hiking and end up getting stuck in the rut of having to complete the dang thing because they told everyone they would, think hard and just tell folks you're going for a walk... and be sure to visit some blue blazes here and there... that's where some of the real sights are hiding, and so often missed by those with blindfolds and hopes of some kind of glory at end of the long green tunnel. there ain't no glory, it's just a hike. and hey, if you are having fun the whole way, and you do it make it end to end, well that is cool too. :cool:

lloyd528
04-06-2010, 22:39
regardless of reason, most (not all) thru-hikers I have met (or heard from here) start with stars in their eyes and just end up sore, tired, and let down if and when they reach the end.

I guess the folks that write the books that line the shelves of Barnes and Noble about their experience hiking end to end have a more uplifting view of the trail. Maybe I should stay away from those books for a while.....all I remember is having an adrenalin rush everyday for the 3 1/2 months we hiked.

Spokes
04-06-2010, 22:40
March 11, 2009

Tin Man
04-06-2010, 22:48
regardless of reason, most (not all) thru-hikers I have met (or heard from here) start with stars in their eyes and just end up sore, tired, and let down if and when they reach the end.

I guess the folks that write the books that line the shelves of Barnes and Noble about their experience hiking end to end have a more uplifting view of the trail. Maybe I should stay away from those books for a while.....all I remember is having an adrenalin rush everyday for the 3 1/2 months we hiked.

Awesome...

Tin Man
04-06-2010, 22:52
Awesome...

and thanks for the selective quoting and leaving out the part where i say if you are having fun, that's cool :)

interesting that some can read whole shelves full of books, can't read read thru a short post :-?

Kel, the "Stickman"
04-06-2010, 22:56
A lot of interesting, and valid, comments. The views of hiking, and how to hike, especially on the AT, are as varied as the number of hikers viewing it. It is akin to staring at Mt. Katahdin. Your perspective changes drastically, depending on your viewpoint. Yet, ALL the views have merit! As for me... my 2007 SOBO had an intended endpoint of Springer Mtn, GA. ...but when asked, "Are you a "thruhiker"?", I would reply, "Only if I make it to the end!". Having made it 800 miles, to Greymoor Friary in New York, I ended the year as an AT Hiker, not an AT Thruhiker. My hike was incredible, though, and I can't wait to get back to the trail. My next attempt will be NOBO, 2011. How far I'll hike? Don't know! I may become a thruhiker... or a section hiker... but, for sure, I will be a hiker.
Sorry for not answering the original question, directly. I THINK I would like to start out in late February/early March... but I'm still thinkin'!

God Bless all of your hikes!
Stickman

Tin Man
04-06-2010, 22:58
A lot of interesting, and valid, comments. The views of hiking, and how to hike, especially on the AT, are as varied as the number of hikers viewing it. It is akin to staring at Mt. Katahdin. Your perspective changes drastically, depending on your viewpoint. Yet, ALL the views have merit! As for me... my 2007 SOBO had an intended endpoint of Springer Mtn, GA. ...but when asked, "Are you a "thruhiker"?", I would reply, "Only if I make it to the end!". Having made it 800 miles, to Greymoor Friary in New York, I ended the year as an AT Hiker, not an AT Thruhiker. My hike was incredible, though, and I can't wait to get back to the trail. My next attempt will be NOBO, 2011. How far I'll hike? Don't know! I may become a thruhiker... or a section hiker... but, for sure, I will be a hiker.
Sorry for not answering the original question, directly. I THINK I would like to start out in late February/early March... but I'm still thinkin'!

God Bless all of your hikes!
Stickman

you get it

lloyd528
04-06-2010, 23:03
and thanks for the selective quoting and leaving out the part where i say if you are having fun, that's cool :)

interesting that some can read whole shelves full of books, can't read read thru a short post :-?
I'll remember to keep the whole quote as is,,,my apologies

Tin Man
04-06-2010, 23:11
I'll remember to keep the whole quote as is,,,my apologies

no apologies needed... just trying to bring a little balance into the thru-hiking discussion... my intent is not to diminish anyone's accomplishment or spoil anyone's dream :sun

A-Train
04-06-2010, 23:13
Sheesh. I haven't met any thru-hikers that were let down when they reached the end, and most of the people I've met and hiked with with in VT and NH were having a really good time.

But that's just been my experience.

Oh and for starting dates, any day is a good day to start on AT hike. March 1st was good for me, but I'd probably start between April 15th-May if doing it again

Tin Man
04-06-2010, 23:22
by let down i meant you can read in many forums, journals or books how folks who finished thought there would be more to it, they would change or be different some how or whatever, etc... and they would be 'let down' when they discovered it's just a hike. :)

Chance09
04-06-2010, 23:23
we had some pretty serious snows in the smokeys in march last year too. Waist deep drifts and 20 degree weather that was just downright cold. I remember walking 7 miles in 7 hours postholing the whole way and when we got to the next shelter there were not any tracks in the snow so we figured there was no one there. Turned out the 15 or so people just stayed in their sleeping bags all day. Some guy even died during it the week i was in the smokeys.

I started March 17th in 09 and I think if i hiked again i'd start later. I'd like a little warmer weather. I really enjoy carrying less, and not having weather and temps be such a concern. I'd probabbly wait until april first. I spent a lot of time in hotels and hostels the first few months because the weather was so crappy and cold it was great just being dry for a few hours. I never really enjoyed the stays (in motels or hostels) but being dry after an 18 day stretch of rain was great. Especially the early cold rains.

Don't let anything dictate the pace of your hike though. There were days i'd stop and read for an hour by a steam or pond because i thought it was a great place to sit. I'd get up and walk 15 min and end up stopping again because i found another cool place. Unfortunately I only started hiking like that during the last half of my thru but i wish I had done it from the start.

Kel, the "Stickman"
04-06-2010, 23:41
Hmmm... Ideal time to start from Springer... Well, if you are headed SOBO, out of Katahdin, then whenever you reach Springer would be a great time to start! :rolleyes:

I'm only kinda joking, as there are hikers that will "tag a terminus" and keep hiking.

(It's late, sorry...)

When you get to Maine, look me up, I will do my best to help...

Stickman

turtle fast
04-07-2010, 00:06
The beginning of April is good...just don't start the 1st as a lot of folks were starting then. The weather was good in Georgia and when you get to the Smokies was not too terribly cold at night.

Marta
04-07-2010, 07:30
*Reasons for thru-hiking are many and varied, and some people may be okay with having quit. The original poster, however, has been wanting to finish the job for many, many years now and would probably be quite unhappy to get off the Trail having hiking anything less than all of it.

*If I were you and your wife, I'd start in Georgia around the beginning of April, hike north as slowly as you please, hopefully making Harper's Ferry by sometime in July. Then I'd flip up to Katahdin and hike back towards Harper's Ferry, arriving whenever. That schedule gives you 6-8 months of mostly-good weather hiking, with no race to reach Katahdin before the weather shuts you out.

lloyd528
04-07-2010, 08:34
*Reasons for thru-hiking are many and varied, and some people may be okay with having quit. The original poster, however, has been wanting to finish the job for many, many years now and would probably be quite unhappy to get off the Trail having hiking anything less than all of it.

*If I were you and your wife, I'd start in Georgia around the beginning of April, hike north as slowly as you please, hopefully making Harper's Ferry by sometime in July. Then I'd flip up to Katahdin and hike back towards Harper's Ferry, arriving whenever. That schedule gives you 6-8 months of mostly-good weather hiking, with no race to reach Katahdin before the weather shuts you out.
Marta, thanks for your insight. I appreciate the thought about changing direction and ending at Harper's Ferry. Do you know of hikers who have done that personally and were fulfilled? Somehow, after all that hiking, I pictured myself on top of a mountain after an uphill climb (like Katahdin). Ending it all in a town might seem anticlimatic after waiting 33 years to do it again. On the other hand, there may be something about ending it in Harper's Ferry that I am not seeing. Help me out if you can.

10-K
04-07-2010, 09:12
by let down i meant you can read in many forums, journals or books how folks who finished thought there would be more to it, they would change or be different some how or whatever, etc... and they would be 'let down' when they discovered it's just a hike. :)

This is how life in general is, metaphorically speaking.

Once you see this you can accept things as they are.

garlic08
04-07-2010, 11:15
I'd suggest April 15, tax day. Two reasons to celebrate.

The Solemates
04-07-2010, 11:58
The Solemates - What are the reasons for your preferred start months?

Thx

the post just below this one pretty much sums it up. with a february start date you meet all my criteria for hiking: no people, no bugs, no hot. with a may start date you would have fewer people (mainly just dayhikers/section hikers) and the luxury of nicer weather (albeit hot at times). for what its worth, we started 1 feb on our thru.

lloyd528
04-07-2010, 12:04
the post just below this one pretty much sums it up. with a february start date you meet all my criteria for hiking: no people, no bugs, no hot. with a may start date you would have fewer people (mainly just dayhikers/section hikers) and the luxury of nicer weather (albeit hot at times). for what its worth, we started 1 feb on our thru.

Solemates, Feb. 1 seems pretty early.....of the 8 weeks of Feb. and March, how many days would you guess you were not able to hike due to the weather. I know this varies from year to year but I would be interested in how tough you thought it was being in the mountains of Ga. and N.C. during that time.

Johnny Swank
04-07-2010, 12:17
I'd start no earlier than April 15, and probably as late as May 1. That's assuming a 4 month thru-hike though.

cowboy nichols
04-07-2010, 12:29
4 hours from now!!!! I WISH!!!!!!!

ChinMusic
04-07-2010, 12:45
For me, I don't see any reason to start in March, which can still be brutal winter at altitudes.

Rain:sunMan

I fear the heat I would encounter in the summer, from starting late, more than the cold in March.

centsless
04-07-2010, 13:29
Marta, thanks for your insight. I appreciate the thought about changing direction and ending at Harper's Ferry. Do you know of hikers who have done that personally and were fulfilled? Somehow, after all that hiking, I pictured myself on top of a mountain after an uphill climb (like Katahdin). Ending it all in a town might seem anticlimatic after waiting 33 years to do it again. On the other hand, there may be something about ending it in Harper's Ferry that I am not seeing. Help me out if you can.

The previous post my Marta brings an interesting aspect to it, however, i do agree in your viewpoint about climbing up to Katahdin... i think some element of mytique is lost if you were to break up the hike into sections like that. Then again, there are valid reasons to do so.

Personally, i've explored those options as well, and as of now, i've decided to go right thru NOBO next year.

Good luck!

lloyd528
04-07-2010, 14:11
centsless, I'm in Gahanna, maybe we will run into each other next year....My wife and I teach at Columbus Academy...

1azarus
04-07-2010, 17:06
4 hours from now!!!! I WISH!!!!!!!
...that's pretty much what I wanted to say, since reading through all of the posts -- although I was going to say... TOMORROW!!! The truth is, I think it is a wonderful thing to be able to prioritize the time to take a long walk. any time. and the longer the better.

weary
04-07-2010, 17:54
I began my thru on May 15 and I was very surprised at the large number of hikers setting out to do the whole trail. There were so many hikers that the shelters were full and folks had tents set up all around the shelter areas. I will add however, that once I got to the Nantahalas, the numbers thinned out dramatically and from there to New England there were only a handfull of us in my peloton.

That said, if I had to hike NOBO, I would probably leave Springer again in mid April to avoid the largest part of the herd and that would still leave me plenty of time to get to Katahdin before mid October.
Every year is different. But the summit ridges of the high mountains of Georgia and North Carolina have climate conditions remarkably similar to coastal Maine, where I live.

But I agree mid April is an ideal starting time. The spring flowers are starting to bloom by mid-April. Serious snow is unlikely. The leaves are starting to emerge. It's an altogether beautiful time of years in the southern Appalachians. And better still, by the time one is likely to reach northern New England, the fall leaves will be in full color.

Weary

ChinMusic
04-07-2010, 18:00
Do you know of hikers who have done that personally and were fulfilled? Somehow, after all that hiking, I pictured myself on top of a mountain after an uphill climb (like Katahdin). Ending it all in a town might seem anticlimatic after waiting 33 years to do it again.
I have the same gut feeling.

I would want to end at Katahdin and plan accordingly. If reasons made for this not to happen I feel something would be lost.

lloyd528
04-07-2010, 18:13
But I agree mid April is an ideal starting time. The spring flowers are starting to bloom by mid-April. Serious snow is unlikely. The leaves are starting to emerge. It's an altogether beautiful time of years in the southern Appalachians. And better still, by the time one is likely to reach northern New England, the fall leaves will be in full color.

Weary
Weary, back in '78 when we made it 1500 miles (an injury the thru hike) we left on April 28th from Springer. It was perfect....but now we are probably going to be approved for a leave from the school we both teach at in mid March. We would both like to start the school year in September so I guess that answers it. We should actually start March 1, even if it's cold, if we want to have 6 full months..that's about 13 miles a day....when we were young, 28ish, we were doing 20 a day. That was too hurried. I know we missed out by doing too much. Can't believe we wore navy woolen pants then. Sure weighed a lot when they got wet.

Marta
04-07-2010, 21:44
Marta, thanks for your insight. I appreciate the thought about changing direction and ending at Harper's Ferry. Do you know of hikers who have done that personally and were fulfilled? Somehow, after all that hiking, I pictured myself on top of a mountain after an uphill climb (like Katahdin). Ending it all in a town might seem anticlimatic after waiting 33 years to do it again. On the other hand, there may be something about ending it in Harper's Ferry that I am not seeing. Help me out if you can.

Ordinarily I'd recommend a SOBO hike, but with your wife's physical issues, it's probably not a great idea to hit Maine and New Hampshire right out of the starting gate.

Several hikers I've known have done flipflops, and were extremely thrilled to complete the Trail. One of the hikers is Mosey, one of the oldest women to have thru-hiked. A flipflop was pretty much a necessity for her because the hike took her 8 months.

One fun aspect of a flipflop is that, when you are starting part II, you would be an experienced hiker amongst the novices, and they would look on you as a god walking amongst them. (Deep down underneath it all, people starting thru-hikes are usually very insecure about their chance of success...at least if they have any sense.)

Another fun aspect is that, when the SOBOs you're hiking amongst are grappling with the fact that they're only halfway done, and winter is rapidly approaching, you will be done!

stranger
04-08-2010, 07:43
Mid to late April is the best overall time to leave in my view (in terms of weather, crowds and blooming flowers), but it depends on your timeframes and how far you like to hike each day obviously.

March potentially means snow and quite a bit of cold nights, which is cool, but I find those things taxing on a long hike personally. If I want 2 deg and snow, I'll go hiking in the Catskills of NY in January.

Also with the crowds, if you avoid shelters and hostels, the trail can almost seem empty at times, even in thru-hiker season. Plus, most shelters are off the trail a couple hundred feet, so it's quite easy to pass by the side trail and never see the 22 hikers at that shelter, then camp up the trail alone.

The earlier you leave, the more you are potentially going to face in terms of weather...but there are always the odd, warm, dry year...or so I'm told ha.

Bare Bear
04-16-2010, 16:55
The best time to start is Daylight. I have walked a bit in the dark by necessity and by choice and it is just better when you can see stuff.
My point would be 'just go'. That is much more important than a date on a calendar.