View Full Version : Hiking the AT in Winter
mikeyboy
11-16-2010, 14:59
Has anyone hiked the AT in the winter time? I only have a few months off in the winter this year and want to know if its possible to hike the miles necessary to complete the trail?
best...mikeyboy
kayak karl
11-16-2010, 15:13
has anyone hiked the at in the winter time? I only have a few months off in the winter this year and want to know if its possible to hike the miles necessary to complete the trail?
Best...mikeyboy
where??..............
Are you planning a thru-hike?
on_the_GOEZ
11-16-2010, 15:40
Baxter closes in the fall.
Squeaky 2
11-16-2010, 15:46
yes it is possible to winter hike the AT in a few months. but it all hinges on just how bad the weather is. how many days do you have?
dont forget that to make the miles you have to hike alot of miles in the dark and maybe also in deep snow. i have hiked in winter and summer and given the choice i would go winter again! the beauty and toughness make it so much more rewarding for me.
Tennessee Viking
11-16-2010, 16:00
I have seen NoBos start as early as December-January. Plan on doing some night or early morning hiking. So invest in a good headlamp.
Snow and cold temps will be your main draw back.
You want to keep your feet and clothes as dry as possible. So expect to carry some extra socks and clothes for camp.
Keep your water insulated. Sleep with your water and shoes.
mikeyboy
11-16-2010, 16:06
I only have 95 to 100 days which seems very tight on time and long on the trail for a thru-hike. But since I plan to start in Georgia I can stop in NJ if the weather becomes too unbearable or its just too tough to hike the trail.
Squeaky 2
11-16-2010, 16:07
yes good advice for sure, but i have found that when sleeping with gear and water in the bag you will lose loft in your bag so allow for that when choosing a bag. 0 degree atleast with a well insulated pad
TheYoungOne
11-16-2010, 16:22
I have seen NoBos start as early as December-January. Plan on doing some night or early morning hiking. So invest in a good headlamp.
Snow and cold temps will be your main draw back.
You want to keep your feet and clothes as dry as possible. So expect to carry some extra socks and clothes for camp.
Keep your water insulated. Sleep with your water and shoes.
Also just a word of advice, get a headlamp that can take lithium batteries, and use them. Lithium batteries are more expensive, but the will not die on you when they get too cold like regular alkalines batteries, and they are a bit lighter.
Its funny but if you have 100 days and you started in December in GA you would be hitting early spring when those 100 days are up.
mikeyboy
11-16-2010, 19:29
Also just a word of advice, get a headlamp that can take lithium batteries, and use them. Lithium batteries are more expensive, but the will not die on you when they get too cold like regular alkalines batteries, and they are a bit lighter.
Its funny but if you have 100 days and you started in December in GA you would be hitting early spring when those 100 days are up.
Yes, you are absolutely right but in the northern part of the trail (New England) bad weather rolls right into the early Spring (March) so I'm a little unsure about making it all the way.:confused:
mikeyboy
11-16-2010, 19:32
I have seen NoBos start as early as December-January. Plan on doing some night or early morning hiking. So invest in a good headlamp.
Snow and cold temps will be your main draw back.
You want to keep your feet and clothes as dry as possible. So expect to carry some extra socks and clothes for camp.
Keep your water insulated. Sleep with your water and shoes.
Do you think water will be an issue or are there enough fast-running rivers that I can pack lite and resupply on the trail?
mikeyboy
11-16-2010, 19:38
yes it is possible to winter hike the AT in a few months. but it all hinges on just how bad the weather is. how many days do you have?
dont forget that to make the miles you have to hike alot of miles in the dark and maybe also in deep snow. i have hiked in winter and summer and given the choice i would go winter again! the beauty and toughness make it so much more rewarding for me.
I know this sounds crazy but instead of carrying snowshoes I was thinking of hauling a split-board with me. Are either of these even useful in terms of their weight vs utility???
I thought that a split-board would allow me to make better time on the flat, snowy surfaces by XCing and maaaaaybeeee even snowboarding down a few hills/mountains???
Blissful
11-16-2010, 19:41
We had met some guys in a few years back thru hiking in winter. Its cold, wet lonely and dark. But they were doing it.
mikeyboy
11-16-2010, 19:45
We had met some guys in a few years back thru hiking in winter. Its cold, wet lonely and dark. But they were doing it.
I'm in a bit of a quandary because having company during this time of year is incredible important in terms of moral, extra odds/ends, etc. but no-one wants to join me sooooo I might be going it alone and keeping my expectations low.
Blissful
11-16-2010, 19:50
I'm in a bit of a quandary because having company during this time of year is incredible important in terms of moral, extra odds/ends, etc. but no-one wants to join me sooooo I might be going it alone and keeping my expectations low.
Well if you are prepared for winter conditions and with the right gear and food supplies (food is crucial with temps and physical strain of hiking which can sap your energy and your calories - talk to Kayak Karl who left in January and had issues with keeping up his energy levels), go for it.
kayak karl
11-16-2010, 19:52
snowy surfaces by XCing and maaaaaybeeee even snowboarding down a few hills/mountains???
since your from jersey i'll assume you've hike pinnicale or tammany in the snow (having already tested equipment). that is what georgia is like but bigger rocks and 5-6 hills a day. how much weight are you planning on carrying???
mikeyboy
11-16-2010, 20:20
since your from jersey i'll assume you've hike pinnicale or tammany in the snow (having already tested equipment). that is what georgia is like but bigger rocks and 5-6 hills a day. how much weight are you planning on carrying???
I'm really not sure at this point...I've gotten by with a standard pack weight in the past (35-40pounds). For these short hikes I've gotten comfortable carrying an extra blanket, socks, and clothing on overnight trips in the winter but I haven't been out for a full week. I'm really concerned that my body temperature might slowly drop on me or I'll get caught with a few really bad nights and not have any extra layers because of the need to carry more food &/or water.
Squeaky 2
11-17-2010, 17:33
what ever you do dont go light in winter. you must go right!
you will need sufficent clothes and extra food as you will burn energy just keeping warm.
i hiked with a bare minimum. all my gear was in a tiny kelty redwing pack. i made sacrifices but never food, water or clothes. 0 degree bags will be a minimum
Mr. Clean, an experienced AT hiker, attempted a winter SOBO thru hike around 2,000. He started Jan.1 and it was spring before he got out of Maine, if I remember rightly. Illness forced him to quit in Connecticut in late April, early May, as I remember.
A single person snowshoeing through deep snow rarely can make more than three or four miles a day.
By the way, that Mr. Clean is not the Mr. Clean that is a member of White Blaze.
Breaking trail when your snowshoes sink in six inches with each step is about the toughest hiking one can imagine. Efficient winter hiking requirers a small group with members switching off the lead every few hundred yards.
Weary
Lone Wolf
11-17-2010, 19:21
Baxter closes in the fall.
baxter doesn't close, camping options do
Ox97GaMe
11-17-2010, 19:40
Ive hiked Dec/Jan/Feb at several places on the AT (GA - PA). I have found that in general, you will have some pretty cold temps at the higher elevations. Plan for it to be near 0 for several days at a time. Snow is another big issue. Ive seen as little as a couple inches and as much as 4-5 ft.
I usually pack snowshoes for winter hiking. These will be a life saver if you run into snow that is deeper than 8-10 inches. you will need to make sure you have a pair that is rated for your full weight (including pack). Mine are rated for 280 lbs and sink about 3-4 inches into a powdery snow. After a couple hours of use, I find that I can make about 2-2.5 miles/hr.
I heard of a guy that tried to hike in Maine in January. He post-holed the entire 100 mile wilderness before he decided he had had enough of that non-sense.
Ive also done some extensive winter hiking in the Rockies (Colorado and Montana). Shoot me a PM if you have any specific questions regarding winter hiking or gear.
peakbagger
11-18-2010, 08:43
Someone hiking the AT in northern NE in the winter would be breaking trail much of the time. A good average pace while breaking trail is 1 mile per hour. In many spots split boards would be useless, snow shoes are what you need in steep areas. Navigation will be challenge as the trail will disapear frequently up on the ridges where the firs and spruce will fill up with snow and bend over blocking the obvious trail making wrong turns quite possible. People have done it but it sure wasnt intended to be a time saver.
mikeyboy
11-18-2010, 16:12
Someone hiking the AT in northern NE in the winter would be breaking trail much of the time. A good average pace while breaking trail is 1 mile per hour. In many spots split boards would be useless, snow shoes are what you need in steep areas. Navigation will be challenge as the trail will disapear frequently up on the ridges where the firs and spruce will fill up with snow and bend over blocking the obvious trail making wrong turns quite possible. People have done it but it sure wasnt intended to be a time saver.
Although disappointing to hear, this is great information. Is there anything that I can do to increase my pace once past New York?
Which Northern states will be the slowest in January & February and thank you so much for your help.
Squeaky 2
11-18-2010, 17:48
i had a tough early winter for a southbound hike. i started on oct 14 and met every weather condition possible. i had alot miles in my legs and i needed the conditioning.
the 100 mile wilderness completly flooded and made crossings very dangerous. heavy snow in new england left me needing to snow shoe the mahoosacs and and whites. very tough and add all the spruces and blow downs over the trail. i hiked very hard all day and made about 15 miles per day.
from the end of the presidentials to the start of the smokies i had alot of knee deep snow and very cold weather but still kept around a 40 mile per day pace. so if you need to it is still possible to get big miles done in winter.
the smokies was back to 1 mph on the high sections and again very tough.
although winter came very early i was able to stay ahead going south. you will be going north into the winter. maybe it will be a dry warmer winter, maybe it will very wet and cold.
one thing is for sure, you will have one hell of an experience!!! i just hope you like your own company!!
mweinstone
11-18-2010, 20:06
THE TRAIL IS EASILY HIKED ANYTIME. ITS A TRAIL. YOUR A HUMAN. YOU WIN. APPLY YOUR SKILLS AND HIKE. if you hiked the same path 10000 years ago in the winter it would be the same. its earth. we walk over it. speed vairys. distance coverd varies, humans walk over the whole earth year round in all conditions. you are human. do this thing .exsplore. if you are woefully unprepared you will learn why and hike on makeing the nessesary adjustments to your gear, ways and goals. 6 mi a day tops in now over the calf.
fiddlehead
11-18-2010, 20:14
The trail can be great in winter.
Depends on the year.
Long nights can suck though.
I did a SOBO in 2001/2002 in 120 days starting Oct 14 in Baxter.
But we were supported. (van)
Nobody on the trail made it really the best!
canoehead
11-18-2010, 20:35
I've Live and hike / back country ski in tht MA CT area. You could have a trace of snow and or you could have 4' feet of ice & snow in Jan/Feb/Mar with temps way down to -20 degrees and that doesn't include the wind chill.... Don't let anyone tell ya any different. With a heavy pack and breaking trail with snow shoes you could maybe get 4-6 miles a day in deep postholing snow or difficult terrain, that said we often have ice storms (I lost my power here for 12 days because of it). You just don't walk on ice covered hilly terrain without a crampon of some sort and especially on the ridges and with the ice storms come many broken trees across the trail if you can find it... Even when I go BC skiing here I take skins and crampons in my pack cuz some places you're just not going to get up or down with out them. Frozen filters & water bottles, Hypothermia & exposure will be your enemy here so warm and dry is essential. The ability to regulate your sweating will be a test of self awareness and and whats available in your pack.
I run an outdoor education business here and we do plenty of fun local winter trips and International trekking/climbing expeditions. www.tekoamountainoutdoors.com I'm not lookin for your business I'm just sending you some advice based on my experience.
On the upside NO bugs No bears. Winter outdoors in New England can kill you so be prepared for it... Have fun
fiddlehead
11-18-2010, 21:31
Yeah, I'd do my best to do the coldest months in the south.
New England gets very cold most years.
I do remember a few days in the 50's, 60's and even 70's in Nov and Dec above NY though.
I think the coldest night we had was in VA in Jan when it dipped below zero.
But we had a fairly warm winter that year.
Good luck.
4eyedbuzzard
11-18-2010, 21:55
Although disappointing to hear, this is great information. Is there anything that I can do to increase my pace once past New York?Yellowblaze
Which Northern states will be the slowest in January & February and thank you so much for your help.[/QUOTE]All of them. Seriously, in just the order they occur ME, NH, VT, MA, CT. But in VT, NH, and ME just be prepared for some truly cold weather and deep snow. Like -40 and 4+ feet deep.
Over the decades I must have spent at least 100 days hiking and camping on or near the AT in Maine and New Hampshire during the three winter months, mostly in long weekend and 4-5 day excursions.
I never thought of it as setting records, or doing anything special, even when on the summit of Katahdin. I just enjoyed backpacking in winter -- both the challenges and the special benefits. There are many of both, I found.
It was always a challenge -- the cold, the storms, the ice. And always enjoyable -- snow makes a nice smooth incline plane over summer boulders, the absence of crowds, the missing bugs, a sense of conquering nature in a season when few were out.
The only real "wilderness" is during winter, especially outside of Baxter Park and the Whites where rangers and rescue are always nearby. Though I spent dozens of days in Baxter and in the Whites, I most enjoyed trips to the Bigelows and the Mahoosucs and points in between before the invention of cell phones when winter explorers were truly on their own.
Weary
what is your start date and planned milage for the first few weeks
Do you think water will be an issue or are there enough fast-running rivers that I can pack lite and resupply on the trail?
I strongly recommend that you read Barefoot Sisters: Southbound by Lucy and Susan Letcher. It gives a detailed account of their SOBO hike in 2000-01, with about the second half of the book devoted to their winter hiking, mostly in VA and TN. If you want a good feel for the worst the Trail can offer in winter (in the South, that is - I don't think many ppl would propose to hike the complete NH and ME sections of the AT in December and January), I think this book covers it well. In the opinion of one of the sisters, they just about froze to death in a blizzard on the Grayson Highlands in SW Va in early January. Fortunately for them, it thawed out considerably once they got to Tennessee. But water was an issue and a whole host of severe-cold-related malfunctions and maladies confronted them in the worst of the VA winter.
mweinstone
11-19-2010, 01:46
all good info here. remember, those who posses the skillset to be out hiking long distance in the north in the winter, can be warm and safe and only semi exahusted by the struggle thru snow, but we all know something no one else who cannot or chooses not to hike in such conditions knows.
it was mentioned above out of this context.
you do your postholeing on days maby you might have spent your energys better not postholeing. and the reason you worked all day to move 5 miles to the next shelter on those days vairys from bordom waiting out storms in one shelter, to supplys running out causing a need to move no matter how much trouble .
then it happens
you have a string of warmer beautiful days and nights. oh my god its beautiful. i wont embarrass myself trying to write with meer letters what we have all exsperienced on those days. and those days need not be rare. a winter hike contains many. some comming at seemingly the most oppurtune times, others , provide spiritual renual so grand, they are days with boundless energys. even one such exsperience alone on the winter trail causes a deep and profound love of the trail and its environs to grow into a lifelong need. far beyond anything learned in the most beautiful spring feilds of wildflowers and bees and bird and hawk.the solic and peace of the solitairy winter long distance hikers day to day life on our trail leaves a mark on a one. a very very beautiful mark. if at all possible, winter hike. but be aware of the absolute death surrounding . any spill of water in a sleeping bag, any loss of headlamp or match, a single horrid slip on ice, it all spells death. but the juxtoposition of the exsperience against such a threatning backdrop, lends a wonder untold.
the single most important thing you must maintain to survive the worst situation in the winter? the ability to stop and drop. legs and one arm cut off and freezing to death with a bear in the hood? your sleeping bag being dry is everything. the ability to "hole up and wait it out" be it a storm, or a resque team for your severed body. the bags dryness is life. long after you have run out of heat units we call calories. after the adrenilin. and after the autocanabalism. the shivering , starved, lost and damaged body, depends on this. i know. as a young man alone foolishly hiking in waist deep drifts, i froze. i was carryed on a horse bounceing and not beliveing . and the novocain in the groin tratment to save my toe sucked bad. the needle is a knitting size needle. frostbite, hypothermia,inexsperience,and exsposure. these are your foes.
Hoop Time
11-19-2010, 13:08
I actually just have been asked to do a winter hiking piece for AT Journeys. Would appreciate anybody willing to share their expertise via a phone interview. Especially could use folks from north and south of Pa. to comment on conditions on other areas of the trail and also to suggest some good shorter hikes for winter hikes (day hikes, weekends or even 1-week type sections).
Please message me with your contact info if you'd be willing to talk to me for the story.
Wolf - 23000
11-20-2010, 14:55
Mikeyboy,
I've section hiked the AT in the winter. The only months that counted were Dec/Jan/Feb. Up until around NY it is possible to make the miles. When I got hit with deep snow, I slowed down to 15 miles a day of hard hiking. Entering VT and going farther north made it even harder. I was using snow shoes. To try to slide down the trail would be EXREMELY dangerous. There are to many blow-downs and sharp turns and sometimes extremely steep. The trail is also to narrow to make the turns. There were some places in NH and Maine I needed crampons.
Hope this helps.
Wolf
THE TRAIL IS EASILY HIKED ANYTIME. ITS A TRAIL. YOUR A HUMAN. YOU WIN. APPLY YOUR SKILLS AND HIKE. if you hiked the same path 10000 years ago in the winter it would be the same. its earth. we walk over it. speed vairys. distance coverd varies, humans walk over the whole earth year round in all conditions. you are human. do this thing .exsplore. if you are woefully unprepared you will learn why and hike on makeing the nessesary adjustments to your gear, ways and goals. 6 mi a day tops in now over the calf.
That makes sense...!
Hiking in snow isn't so bad but hiking on ice is no fun at all and quite dangerous, most especially if you're hiking on a rocky section of trail.
I was hiking in NY/NJ last winter when everything was covered with ice and man - I gotta tell you, there were times when I wanted to turn around but I couldn't because I knew for sure I couldn't make it back - the only way out was forward.
If you're hiking alone and break your leg you're going to be there a while....
Not saying don't do it, just be extraordinarily cautious.
Fornfearen
11-20-2010, 20:25
I've done several 2-4 day sections in winter, from around the NJ-NY line to the Mass-VT line.
I never needed snowshoes in that section, but the region is subject to Nor'easters which can change that overnight. My main concern over this hilly but not mountainous terrain was ice, and especially ice hidden by a bit of unbonded snow.
One big plus for doing it in winter: Deer ticks (the Lyme disease carrier) are inactive below 35F. Imagine hiking through Connecticut without having to check yourself for ticks.\!:rolleyes:
I wouldn't want to hike through any of the northern 3 states in Jan/Feb/Mar.
Too many extreme variable conditions, plus you might run into me out there and that would be very scary.
Dec. and April can be dicey too
One slip and fall here and you'd be history, could have ice skated on this stuff, pretty major ice storm couple years back. This is just one example of the winter extremes :
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9452&stc=1&d=1290353267
mikeyboy
11-21-2010, 17:30
Dec. and April can be dicey too
One slip and fall here and you'd be history, could have ice skated on this stuff, pretty major ice storm couple years back. This is just one example of the winter extremes :
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9452&stc=1&d=1290353267
That is an absolutely beautiful picture...of course no picture is worth breaking a leg for but someone has to be out there risking it otherwise there would be no pictures like this...right?
canoehead
11-21-2010, 18:01
The right gear & skills will get ya there.
looks like a nice day..We were with out power here in western ma for 10 days a couple of years ago because of the ice.. We lost 21/2 acres of red pines (500ish trees) at my place. It was like a sakting ring here, just like the picture. I used my crampons to get around and had to cut through 26"inches of ice to get the water up from the pond. Life gets back to basics.......Life is good...
That is an absolutely beautiful picture...of course no picture is worth breaking a leg for but someone has to be out there risking it otherwise there would be no pictures like this...right?
Thats right ! :sun
kayak karl
11-21-2010, 19:19
web screwed up my post, but this is the winter.
http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/44939/2936793170104593866S500x500Q85.jpg
Dec. and April can be dicey too
One slip and fall here and you'd be history, could have ice skated on this stuff, pretty major ice storm couple years back. This is just one example of the winter extremes :
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9452&stc=1&d=1290353267
pics
http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/40887/2366818440104593866S500x500Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/6318/2168700400104593866S500x500Q85.jpghttp://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/15686/2037646770104593866S500x500Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/46178/2711216940104593866S500x500Q85.jpghttp://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/37731/2452925780104593866S500x500Q85.jpg