Route planning help / suggestions

[Megapixel]

Ok, so we have a wedding to attend on May 14th, my daughters!!! Probably really need to be off the trail on May 13th. It's in Northern VA, so we are planning starting our hike from Harpers Ferry, going North, then Back to HF to Springer. Now the lease we just signed ends April 21. Our LOA from work can start then too. So I figure we'll be in the VA WV MD area ready to hike BEFORE the wedding on our around the 24th of April, giving us about 19 hiking days. I really have no idea what to do with these days except hike. My first thought was start South of HF but that start puts me somewhere in SNP, where i'm a bit worried about being at higher elevations that early because of weather.
Is this paranoia? Is there a different route you would cover for those first 19 days? I could go North from Harpers ( much lower elevations) and attempt to get a ride back to Harpers, then back to the trail after... just not sure how practical that will be.

[Megapixel]

just reviving this thread... thoughts at all on starting in Waynesboro at SNP S and heading to Harpers ferry, April 22 -May12. Enough time to make it? Also, should i consider another starting point? Thanks in advance.

[BrianLe]

I started my thru-hike this year in late Feb, and so was walking through Shenendoah in late April, almost exactly the same time that you propose. It wasn't bad at all, apart from a little less fortunate in the local weather patterns than what we had enjoyed just prior.

It's perhaps a bit on the early side, insofar as not all of the resort restaurants or stores along the way in there were open yet, but some were. It would be good to see if you can find out which places are open for meals or resupply ahead of time if possible; it can be dissapointing to push to make a restaurant meal at a place that doesn't open until the following week.

Definitely no snow, and this was a fairly high snow year for the south. My wife jumped onto the trail with us in Waynesboro and had no problem with weather or doing decent miles.

I think you be just fine doing what you propose. We started out of Waynesboro on April 23rd this year and got to Harper's Ferry on May 1st, and my wife and I are in our mid-50's and my hiking partner is in his 60's.

Mind you, he and I were well in "thru-hiker condition" by that point, and my wife had been training pretty hard so as not to slow us down, so of course YMMV, but still --- April 22nd to May 12th should be a very generous amount of time.

FWIW, you can read my trail journal entries for this time period starting here (http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?sid=90e31d0bea78f7f0157e7afd8a5a23 7c&entry_id=14217).

[LIhikers]

If it were me, I'd just start the hike after the wedding.
I'd go NOBO from Harper's Ferry and then flip flop back to Harper's Ferry for the SOBO to Springer. After all, it's less than a month's difference if you wait until after the wedding, and you'll still have something like 4.5 months to make it to Maine.
Just my 2 cents.

[Megapixel]

If it were me, I'd just start the hike after the wedding.
I'd go NOBO from Harper's Ferry and then flip flop back to Harper's Ferry for the SOBO to Springer. After all, it's less than a month's difference if you wait until after the wedding, and you'll still have something like 4.5 months to make it to Maine.
Just my 2 cents.

Understand. But we have a 6 month lease ending at 4/20. we also begin our LOA then. and we are older, im 36, my wife 47. we may need the extra trail time.

[Megapixel]

I started my thru-hike this year in late Feb, and so was walking through Shenendoah in late April, almost exactly the same time that you propose. It wasn't bad at all, apart from a little less fortunate in the local weather patterns than what we had enjoyed just prior.

It's perhaps a bit on the early side, insofar as not all of the resort restaurants or stores along the way in there were open yet, but some were. It would be good to see if you can find out which places are open for meals or resupply ahead of time if possible; it can be dissapointing to push to make a restaurant meal at a place that doesn't open until the following week.

Definitely no snow, and this was a fairly high snow year for the south. My wife jumped onto the trail with us in Waynesboro and had no problem with weather or doing decent miles.

I think you be just fine doing what you propose. We started out of Waynesboro on April 23rd this year and got to Harper's Ferry on May 1st, and my wife and I are in our mid-50's and my hiking partner is in his 60's.

Mind you, he and I were well in "thru-hiker condition" by that point, and my wife had been training pretty hard so as not to slow us down, so of course YMMV, but still --- April 22nd to May 12th should be a very generous amount of time.

FWIW, you can read my trail journal entries for this time period starting here (http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?sid=90e31d0bea78f7f0157e7afd8a5a23 7c&entry_id=14217).

thanks brianle! especially for the trail journal link. nice thinking! very helpful indeed.

[Cookerhiker]

just reviving this thread... thoughts at all on starting in Waynesboro at SNP S and heading to Harpers ferry, April 22 -May12. Enough time to make it? Also, should i consider another starting point? Thanks in advance.

I think this will work easily. Weatherwise, you may experience some cold nights in SNP but not bitter mid-winter cold - more likely 30s at the lowest. Make sure you have adequate raingear if you're not staying in shelters. Timewise, you have 21 days to cover only 160 miles. I'd suggest either starting south of SNP at Rt. 60/Buena Vista or, if you still start at Rockfish Gap, hike on to Caledonia State Park/US 30 in PA providing you can arrange transportation back to your wedding.

[Megapixel]

I think this will work easily. Weatherwise, you may experience some cold nights in SNP but not bitter mid-winter cold - more likely 30s at the lowest. Make sure you have adequate raingear if you're not staying in shelters. Timewise, you have 21 days to cover only 160 miles. I'd suggest either starting south of SNP at Rt. 60/Buena Vista or, if you still start at Rockfish Gap, hike on to Caledonia State Park/US 30 in PA providing you can arrange transportation back to your wedding.

u think these miles u recommend are doable for just starting out over this terrain? and it's actually about 18 days, and 2 half days of hiking.

[Cookerhiker]

18 days plus 2 half days is the equivalent of 19 days. If you average 11 miles per day, you'd hike 200 miles. South from Harpers Ferry means you'd start at Montebello but the issue there is the longest (by far) ascent of your hike up Three Ridges occurs on your second day. If you can hack that, the rest of the hike schedule is entirely feasible.

Or if you start at Rockfish Gap, 200 miles north takes you to Pen Mar on the MD/PA line. It would probably be easier. Even with the ups and downs in SNP, I'm confident you can hike 11 miles per day; if anything, you'll have some days where you hike more, perhaps working your way up to 15-16. And keep in mind the time of year you're hiking features plenty of daylight hours. It's a beautiful time to hike SNP with the early wildflowers and before bugs get bad.