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Aero777
01-07-2011, 07:44
Hello Everybody!

I’m planning to hike the AT in 2012 from south to north. For this trip I’ve 3 months to spare. My goal is to hike the whole period of time. It doesn’t matter how far I get.

My question is now, when is the best starting time for this trip? :-?

Thanks for any help!
Dennis

Jack Tarlin
01-07-2011, 12:58
Aero:

Keep in mind that most folks take 24 to 27 weeks to hike the Trail in its entirety, so hiking the whole thing in 3 months would be unrealistic for most folks.

If you wanted great company, you could hike North from Georgia in mid-to late March, or better yet, start around the first week in April. You'd certainly be able to hike a good thousand miles in 3 months and finish in Harpers Ferry.

If you wanted to start later in the year, I'd leave Harpers Ferry in mid to late June. Again, you'd have fine company as you headed North; it'd be hot and dry thru the mid-Atlantic states, but you'd have a great time in New England, hiking Vermont and New Hampshire in August, and finishing up in Maine in mid-to-late September, the best time of the year to be up there. Also, finishing in New England, it'd be very easy to get to Boston or New York to return home.

swjohnsey
01-07-2011, 16:04
If you only have three months why not start fairly late, like April 1 - 15 or so. You won't have to carry as much cold weather gear and might miss some of the early traffic.

Luddite
01-07-2011, 16:14
What swjohnsey said.

DapperD
01-08-2011, 00:02
If you only have three months why not start fairly late, like April 1 - 15 or so. You won't have to carry as much cold weather gear and might miss some of the early traffic.


What swjohnsey said.I would also agree with this.

mweinstone
01-08-2011, 00:14
feb 18th sleep the night in amacalola shelter. walk up the approch on the 19th. puts you in an orbital window for the most matthewskiloved times and places of the hike. you will see such sights as, matthewskis most loved times and places on the trail and nothing else.

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Aero777
01-08-2011, 13:52
Thanks everybody!

I know that it’s impossible (at least for me) to hike the entire AT within 3 months. I never even thought about a thru-hike. The covered distance is not so important for me.

To start around the 1st or 2nd week in April from Georgia sounds pretty good to me. I think I’ll do it like this!

Tinker
01-08-2011, 14:31
Thanks everybody!

I know that it’s impossible (at least for me) to hike the entire AT within 3 months. I never even thought about a thru-hike. The covered distance is not so important for me.

To start around the 1st or 2nd week in April from Georgia sounds pretty good to me. I think I’ll do it like this!

I might start even later than that if I only had 3 mos. to hike and it didn't matter how far I got. There have been some good snow storms in the mountains of NC and Tenn. in May. Personally, if I were given your time constraints I would probably start off the third or last week in April.
Of course you might be hiking through tornadoes instead of snowstorms by then ;). We even had a tornado watch in Hiawassee in March of '06 when I did a zero there.

Serial 07
01-08-2011, 15:52
april 15, 2012...see you then...still plenty of thru hikers for the experience and hopefully, avoid too much foul weather...