View Full Version : is a may 1st date for sobo too early?
greywolf1974
04-09-2012, 15:37
im leaving may first just havent decided to do a nobo or sobo -
im 50/50 anyadvice will help
Kind of young to be out in the woods by yourself aren't you ?
Kind of young to be out in the woods by yourself aren't you ?
You sound like a crusty old fart.:) But probably are right. I forget my youth too.
May1 is too early for Maine.
HiKen2011
04-09-2012, 19:02
You sound like a crusty old fart.:) But probably are right. I forget my youth too.
May1 is too early for Maine.
Hey Mudhead how about May 2nd?;)
[QUOTE=mudhead;1276058]You sound like a crusty old fart.:)
Hey, I resemble that remark !
Wonder if his mommy and daddy know what hes up to.............
greywolf1974, the earliest the staff at Baxter State Park open the trails to the top of Katahdin has traditionally been May 15 and some years it's not until early June. That's why May 1 won't work for the start of a SOBO thru-hike. So a May 1 start calls for a NOBO hike or some kind of flip-flop.
I'm sorry your question has met so much sarcasm up until now. Since you mention that any advice will help, my best advice is to start by reading some of the articles in the articles section that catch your eye. The links for those are on the left-hand side of the home page. And welcome to Whiteblaze:welcome
greywolf1974
04-10-2012, 00:04
i screwed up my age when signing up im really 38 years old not sure how i did that
LeeAllure
04-10-2012, 00:12
When I talked with the nice woman at Baster State Park Today, she said they still had over 30" of snow on the ground,
that the rangers wouldn't be there til May 1st to set up the campgrounds, that the campgrounds wouldn't open until the 15th, and that the day of the mountain opening would be decided by the rangers based on how safe it was to climb up,
from the 15th on. May 31st is a more likely date, but call them the week before you're interested in beginning, and they
will let you know whether Katahdin is open to climb or not.
A man in Rangely Maine put it to me like thisn here: (and I quote).
"In Maine there isnt but two seasons.... winter and the forth of July.
He may have exaggerated a bit, but I just thrued last year, and mister it aint no way i would want to be clawing my way in, under, and around Mahoosuc Notch if there's a late snow.... and May.... the whole tootin month.... aint late for snow in Maine.
flip-flop, buddy. Getch started down south. Hike north until July. Bus up to Bangor. You will be good enough at hitchin by then to het from bangor to baxter. Say hello to jellybean at the gate.... and take lots and lots of pictures bot nobo and sobo.... you might could hit vermont just in time for fall foliage extravaganza...
homeboy... 13 is too young to be rustlin mooses up in and around Spalding mountain shelter.... you bringing yer ma wicha?
singing wind
04-10-2012, 00:59
Howdy - IMHO May 1 is a rather nice time to be in the mid-Atlantic area. Well before it gets hot and muggy and early enough to enjoy the spring flowers. The way things are going this year who knows, the mountain laurel may come in early too. And welcome to WB. Lots of good stuff on this site. Ultimately you'll know what's best for you - Good luck with your hike.
Hey Mudhead how about May 2nd?;)
Pre bugs at least.
[QUOTE=checker;1276200]
"In Maine there isnt but two seasons.... winter and the forth of July.
He may have exaggerated a bit,
He forgot mud, bugs, tourist, and getting ready for Winter. Or to really make it simple Winter, and getting ready for Winter. Some years we have 3-5 days of Summer, but can't count on those.
So sorry for the unintended sarcastic tone. Back to my hole...
i screwed up my age when signing up im really 38 years old not sure how i did that
Oh, in that case you are probably old enough :D
What others have said is true, May can be a tough time here given that it can rain alot making for a cold,wet muddy miserable slog. That and the Kennebec ferry doesn't start up till May 20 , before that you would need to pre-arrange a crossing with Dave conditions permitting. Doubt you would want to attempt a ford this time of year in high ice cold water. People in years past have been caught in June unable to ford many other rivers and streams as well.
So, better to head north this time of year, fall is probably the best , most comfortable season to hike here .
Odd Man Out
04-10-2012, 11:27
The "inside out" strategy has been mentioned for the this time frame. Start at Harpers Ferry and hike north with the spring. The faster NOBO's will catch up with you. Then get a bus/train from Katahdin back to HF and hike south with the SOBO's
turtle fast
04-10-2012, 12:02
A May 1 start date going NOBO from Springer will get you behind the thru hiker bubble and you would have nice weather. You would though probably have to flip north to Katahdin at some point to summit the mountain before it closes and hike southbound to finish the trail. I like Odd Man Out's flip too for the time frame, it has some nice points. It is probably better to wait and hike later in May to go SOBO with the others and not bother with the transportation aspect of a flip flop hike if you can wait.
bigcranky
04-10-2012, 12:17
I like the Harper's Ferry nobo to Katahdin, then sobo to Springer plan. Decent weather the whole way, easy start, and you get to "finish" twice.
greywolf1974
04-10-2012, 23:40
im thinking may 3rd springer - hitch to traildays to hang with RIFF-RAFF hitch back - come july heat head north and walk back hitch home
When I talked with the nice woman at Baster State Park Today, she said they still had over 30" of snow on the ground, ...
I guess this answers my question as to whether Baxter has seen the kind of mild winter/spring much of the rest of the country has seen, and whether that would suggest that an early June start would not be as bad this year as in normal years.
Slo-go'en
04-24-2012, 15:55
I guess this answers my question as to whether Baxter has seen the kind of mild winter/spring much of the rest of the country has seen, and whether that would suggest that an early June start would not be as bad this year as in normal years.
Dispite the the warmer then normal early spring and lack of snow, what happened the last couple of days just goes to show the weather can really do a 180 on ya this time of year. A last week of May start probably wouldn't get you in trouble this year, but it would still be prudent to wait a week or two to be on the safe side.
I like the Harper's Ferry nobo to Katahdin, then sobo to Springer plan. Decent weather the whole way, easy start, and you get to "finish" twice.
Yep, this would be my vote if I couldn't delay my start and just do a SOBO.
wookinpanub
04-30-2012, 14:04
Yep, this would be my vote if I couldn't delay my start and just do a SOBO.
I started my Southbound thru-hike on May 3rd on Katahdin. I asked permission from the rangers and got a flat "no". I had traveled from Florida and had every intention of starting at katahdin. I could see the mountain had no snow on the top, but the rangers had their rules and would not budge. I was dropped off at Abol Bridge Campground and hid my loaded pack in the woods. I had anticipated the situation and had an old book pack that I threw outerwear, water, and snacks into and head up the Abol Trail. That trail is nothing but a rock slide straight up the side of Katahdin. Knowing I could have been ARRESTED, I avoided people when I heard them, but there were none on the actual trail. The plateau was patchy snow, but mostly clear. I stuck a note in the Northern Terminus sign and headed down the AT. Snow was not a problem going down. I retrieved my big pack back at Abol Bridge and stealth camped just outside Baxter. North facing slopes in the 100-mile wilderness were snowy, Rainbow Lake and most others were still frozen over. Whitecap's snow was neck deep when I broke through the crust. It was by far the worst. After Whitecap, there were no other snow problems (other than the Whites). On the filp side, I didn't have to deal with blackflies.
The biggest issue with starting a southbound this early is LONELINESS. I didn't meet a soul on the trail until Grafton Notch, almost the entire state of Maine. Fact is, the whole 2000+ miles I only hiked with someone for 1/2 day. One plus to this is I never saw anyone quit, so I didn't know it was such a prevalent option. Also, no one around was griping or complaining and its no use for you to gripe and complain when there's no one to listen. Any southbound hike that early will totally miss out on the trail "community", but then again, that may be what you're looking for. It worked for me.
In the end, I don't know that I would recommend it. I was very lucky and very stupid!