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Hi there. I'm leaving in a couple of days from pawling NY and planning to hike north on the AT for about 30 days, I'm not sure how far I'll get but I'm assuming north VT or NH at least. Has anyone done this section around mid july-mid august in the past? as far as insects is a head net necessary this time of yr ? What's the coldest it can get at nights ? Any advice would be appreciated! Thx
SCRUB HIKER
07-13-2012, 00:51
Head net not necessary unless you're really sensitive. I found the bugs to be a little annoying, especially in some parts of Vermont, but I wouldn't spend extra money or weight on trying to combat them. Just not that big of a deal, for me at least. Is your sleeping system (tent/tarp, bivy, hammock, etc.) bug-proof? If so, then you should be okay.
Coldest it can get at night is an impossible question to answer. If you get to the Whites in mid-August you COULD perish in an ice storm. It's unlikely, but it's happened around that time of year in the past. Normally, expect anything from 45-80 for nighttime lows over the range of dates and locales you describe.
Snowleopard
07-13-2012, 08:57
Mosquitoes could be a problem and probably will be somewhere in that month. Black flies will probably be gone but deer flies are getting annoying. I'd bring a head net and a small bottle of DEET, a total of a couple ounces.
Sleeping bag: a bag good to 40F will be fine (you won't be sleeping on mountain tops), but bring warm clothes and rain gear good for 35F with heavy rain and wind. You could see snow or ice going over the presidential range, but probably won't.
The mosquitoes in southern MA around then can be brutal, but again a head net really isn't necessary. Just be sure to bring bug spray.
i was hiking in southern Vt this past weekend and deer flies were everywhere. they spent all day dive-bombing my hair. annoying, but they werent too bad. at least they werent black flies!
WingedMonkey
07-13-2012, 11:27
Always carry a head net. The weather and the need of one will change every day. Bugs don't know what date it is.
brian039
07-13-2012, 11:52
The bugs will be bad until Vermont. Not only mosquitoes and deer flies, but also throw in those damn gnats that's only purpose in life is to kamikazee your eyeball. The head net is a judgement call on your part, it wouldn't be a terrible idea to bring one. You'll definitely want to sleep in a tent at night and carry bug spray, also it will help to camp away from water sources. There were some spots in CT and Mass that I literally ran through because I was being swarmed. I wore headphones and sunglasses to keep the gnats out of my ears and eyes and occasionally wore long sleeves to cut down on the number of mosquito bites.
A 30 degree bad should be fine, I carried a 40 degree bag until Hanover, NH then switched to a 20. If you make it to the White's you'll need at least a 20.
It's all part of the New England Experience.
I wear a hat to keep the deerflies out of my hair. You can put some double stick tape on the back and top to collect some of the ones that insist on orbiting your head for what seems like miles. They were pretty bad in VT last July, one guy had pulled the wings off of a dozen or so and left them on the picnic table at Stony Brook Shelter.
DEET for skeeters when I'm not moving around much. Not much sense in putting it on while I'm hiking, it just sweats off in a few minutes.
Cosmo
Don't fail to take into consideration ticks. Seriously. My daughter just came down with Lyme Disease. Early dectection and antibiotics seem to promise good outcome. This year is a banner year for ticks...The states you will be passing through are the epicenter of the Lyme contagion. REally take precautions. Check threads already on this site. This is nothing to be ignorant of. Lyme disease can ruin your health or seriously impair your health for life. And the vector is the tiny...poppy seed sized deer tick. Hikers on the AT every year come down with this malady. Learn about it before you take to the woods.
hikerboy57
07-14-2012, 11:45
30'bag will be fine for the whites too.
PeterACarey
07-17-2012, 05:23
Beware or bugs and insects during your journey. Take proper precaution and medication for all that as there has been some really severe mite cases in that area. Be safe.