PDA

View Full Version : Winter Hike



skeeterfeeder
10-28-2004, 00:10
If there is already thread on this, please let me know.
I was wondering if anyone out there has done a January start on a thru hike?
What can one expect (in relation to a March start), and what extra measures would be required (or at least extremely benefitial)?

Frosty
10-28-2004, 00:18
January start on a thru hike?
What can one expect (in relation to a March start)?
Colder weather, more snow.


what extra measures would be required (or at least extremely benefitial)?Warmer clothing, winter gear.

Was this a trick question? :)

TakeABreak
10-28-2004, 00:48
I started on February 12th, 2000. You and lived near Franklin, NC the next two winters.

The weather I encounter would see saw, nights were cold mostly, one night on rocky I laid with bag open all night, but, most were cold 10 - 25 degree (f), days would vary from misty cool, warm to out right cold. I experienced cool winds and dampness a lot. But, it was not all bad, there actually were lots of decent days in 2000.

The following winter in 2001, the cold settle in in October, I'm talking a foot of snow on silers bald, and pretty much stayed that way until April. It was a cold winter, Bottom line each year varies.

I used a 15 degree bag and never got cold, If I were to start on January 1st, I would definitely use a 0 degree (f) bag and a down jacket for evening wear, just to be on the safe side.

A january 1st, start would put in VA, in February so you would be running from most of the way up the east coast.

skeeterfeeder
10-28-2004, 01:34
Thanks, Takeabreak, that's the kind of information I was looking for to make a more informed decision.

orangebug
10-28-2004, 06:13
Lots of folks start Jan 1. The common wisdom is that you will have more zero days due to weather, shorter average days due to the short daylight, and heavier pack weight due to the clothing, gear and food. You also get more dramatic weather changes as fronts approach, drop snow/sleet/ice/rain, then all goes clear and cold until the next front.

Georgia is famous for ice on the mountains as warm Gulf moisture hits the wall of our mountains and sleet happens. Plan on some sort of crampon and some consider snow shoes in the Smokies. There are few things as thrilling and frightening as a Smokie's blizzard.

Happy
10-28-2004, 09:12
Several people leave in January...Go to Trail Journals.com and read the 2003 journals of BONO, also ROCKET...this will give you some good idea of what to expect and gear needed.

Start with a 0 degree bag and a warm down jacket or other material, as recommended above. Consider keeping shoes/boots and water bottles in the bag with you and a tarp to block off the front of the shelters would be handy.

Also consider your stove choice and extra fuel according to what you take.

Each December 31st it is has become an annual event, for hikers to share a pot luck dinner and camp on top of Springer and bring in the new year. Some hikers have left the next day for a thru hike!

The Solemates
10-28-2004, 15:18
Many people leave Jan 1. Flyin Brian comes to mind. Then there's Rocket and Bono, EZ1, IceCold, and many others. We left Feb 1 this year. We saw temps averaging around 10 deg F the first month or so, although some nights would reach 30 or more. Besxides the usual flurries that didnt amount to much, we got hit by 3 major storms: 6 inches of snow in GA (in 1 day) 30 inches of snow in the Smokies (in the course of a week), and 10 inches near Erwin (in 2 days). It was a winter wonderland and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I wouldnt mind doing a winter thru, starting in GA Dec 1 or so.

The Solemates
10-28-2004, 15:23
I forgot another storm...

We got hit in Grayson Highlands one day with about 12 inches and high winds. When all these storms came, we would try to make it to a shelter rather than tenting it; it just gave better protection. For the Grayson Highlands/Mt Rogers storm, however, we were forced to tent it on Whitetop Mtn, which made for a long damp night. I had to get up 3 times in the middle of the night to brush the snow off the tent because the weight of the snow was causing it to collapse. We only carried a 3-season lightweight tent.

Frosty
10-28-2004, 21:17
Several people leave in January...Go to Trail Journals.com and read the 2003 journals of BONO, also ROCKET...this will give you some good idea of what to expect and gear needed.

Start with a 0 degree bag and a warm down jacket or other material, as recommended above. Consider keeping shoes/boots and water bottles in the bag with you and a tarp to block off the front of the shelters would be handy.

Also consider your stove choice and extra fuel according to what you take.

Each December 31st it is has become an annual event, for hikers to share a pot luck dinner and camp on top of Springer and bring in the new year. Some hikers have left the next day for a thru hike! Bono and Rocket never finished their hikes, though. Has a Jan 1 starter ever finished that you know of?

orangebug
10-29-2004, 00:44
Flyin' Brian on his Triple Crown, for one.

Peaks
10-29-2004, 19:03
Flyin' Brian on his Triple Crown, for one.

Yes, but he didn't go straight through. Snow stopped him in Bennington, so he went west, and then returned to Vermont in September to finish the AT.