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About_Time
08-28-2012, 22:29
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120824/NEWS/308240133/Local-hiker-sets-sights-recording-trail-first?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7C s

Just ran across the above article. It talks about a hiker planning on a "Winter" hike of the AT that started on 8/24 in Maine. The goal is to be the "youngest" hiker to hike the trail in the winter.

Captain Blue
08-28-2012, 23:31
From the article it sounds like the ATC defines a winter hike as "hiking during winter conditions for three months or more". I guess it is a similar to recognizing a flip-flop hike like yours as a "through hike". Your flip flop hike was not exactly a single continuous journey but the ATC recognizes it as such. The same goes for a winter through hike. No problem with me. Good luck Vince!

neighbor dave
08-29-2012, 06:34
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120824/NEWS/308240133/Local-hiker-sets-sights-recording-trail-first?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7C s

Just ran across the above article. It talks about a hiker planning on a "Winter" hike of the AT that started on 8/24 in Maine. The goal is to be the "youngest" hiker to hike the trail in the winter.

if he moves along at a reasonable pace he can finish before winter begins.

Chaco Taco
08-29-2012, 06:50
if he moves along at a reasonable pace he can finish before winter begins.
Yea for a winter hike to start that early...Start in November and finish in April. That gives you a true winter hike, IMO

moldy
08-29-2012, 08:56
He won't make it. His only hope is that he goes very fast and Winter is late and mild in the South.

Seatbelt
08-29-2012, 09:51
I don't know if this counts as "youngest" or not but, according to the Barefoot Sisters' book "Southbound", there was a family that thru-hiked with them for quite a considerable distance right thru the winter. They reportedly had young children including one who was still nursing.

louisb
08-29-2012, 11:15
The Family from the North.

--louis

moytoy
08-29-2012, 11:31
The Family from the North.

--louis

coffee through my nose!

Feral Bill
08-29-2012, 12:48
if he moves along at a reasonable pace he can finish before winter begins. With that start date you would not have long daylight hours. A reasonable pace for many would be six months or more. That would go through most of winter.

kayak karl
08-29-2012, 12:53
hope he makes it :) youngest or not, i'm rooting for him.
he will see the south in the winter probably jan and feb.

Feral Bill
08-29-2012, 14:09
Yea for a winter hike to start that early...Start in November and finish in April. That gives you a true winter hike, IMO Start southbound in November? Are you sure you are in New Hampshire? I've been high in the Presidential Range in mid-winter. It's not "just walking". Hitting winter in the Mid-Atlantic states makes more sense.

neighbor dave
08-29-2012, 14:18
With that start date you would not have long daylight hours. A reasonable pace for many would be six months or more. That would go through most of winter.

and for many a "reasonable pace" would be 4, maybe 5 months at most.

december in georgia still brings you 10 hours of daylight at 2.5 mph = 25 miles per day
http://www.sunrisesunset.com/calendar.asp

scree
08-29-2012, 15:07
He won't make it. His only hope is that he goes very fast and Winter is late and mild in the South.

My bones are telling me this is going to be a particularly severe winter. Not the year for it.

Captain Blue
08-29-2012, 15:11
december in georgia still brings you 10 hours of daylight at 2.5 mph = 25 miles per day

Maybe you can hike with him in December and show him how to do 25 mile days regardless of the weather? Easily said when you are sitting at your computer.

neighbor dave
08-29-2012, 15:39
Maybe you can hike with him in December and show him how to do 25 mile days regardless of the weather? Easily said when you are sitting at your computer.

2,175 miles divided by 15 miles per day = 145 days = 4 months and 25 days a very reasonable pace.

15 miles in a 10 hour day = 1.5 miles per hour a very reasonable pace

Datto
08-29-2012, 15:43
I don't know if this counts as "youngest" or not but, according to the Barefoot Sisters' book "Southbound", there was a family that thru-hiked with them for quite a considerable distance right thru the winter. They reportedly had young children including one who was still nursing.

I met up with The Family in Vermont on my AT thru-hike. Hope, the nine year old girl in The Family, said this when a northbound thru-hiker asked her how she got up the mountains:


You gotta look forward to it. You can't think about the hills. You gotta think about something else. Next thing you know you're at the top of the hill!

Ha, we all could have taken a hint back in Georgia from her.


Datto

Pedaling Fool
08-29-2012, 15:52
I guess it is a similar to recognizing a flip-flop hike like yours as a "through hike". Your flip flop hike was not exactly a single continuous journey but the ATC recognizes it as such. The same goes for a winter through hike. No problem with me. Good luck Vince!The ATC does not recognize thru-hikes; they only recognize people that completed the entire trail, regardless of time, direction, support, etc..., i.e. it's a 2,000 miler certificate, not a thru-hiker certificate.

Feral Bill
08-29-2012, 16:54
2,175 miles divided by 15 miles per day = 145 days = 4 months and 25 days a very reasonable pace.

15 miles in a 10 hour day = 1.5 miles per hour a very reasonable pace No zeros or short days for resupply, rest, bad weather, or trail conditions. I think not.

Wolf - 23000
08-29-2012, 17:02
Well I won't call Aug, Sept, Oct or Nov as "winter". There is a big differents wants you get into Dec, Jan and Feb. On some parts of the trail, winter hiking is a butt kicker.

Hope he has fun.

Wolf

kayak karl
08-29-2012, 17:04
2,175 miles divided by 15 miles per day = 145 days = 4 months and 25 days a very reasonable pace.

15 miles in a 10 hour day = 1.5 miles per hour a very reasonable pace
when you winter hiked in the south how many miles a day did you do??

takethisbread
08-29-2012, 17:27
Winter thru IMO means leaving Maine in say November and finishing in Georgia in march.

Anything short of that is not a winter thru IMO . As for 25 mile days in Georgia as I have read here, pretty much out of the question in winter, and virtually impossible in warm months. That's a tough stretch to consistently do 25's . This kid is attempting to do what thousands have done before him. The pursuit qualifies as not a winter hike nor even an unusual hike. Dozens will leave Maine after he does.

Wolf - 23000
08-29-2012, 19:17
Winter thru IMO means leaving Maine in say November and finishing in Georgia in march.

Anything short of that is not a winter thru IMO . As for 25 mile days in Georgia as I have read here, pretty much out of the question in winter, and virtually impossible in warm months. That's a tough stretch to consistently do 25's . This kid is attempting to do what thousands have done before him. The pursuit qualifies as not a winter hike nor even an unusual hike. Dozens will leave Maine after he does.

takethisbread,

I would go a little farther on what is winter sense winter doesn't start until 21-Dec. Hiking Maine or New England is no joke but Aug time frame is not hard. Years ago

As for 25 miles in Georgia is not that hard. For years, every winter I would do a southbound hike from PA down south. A couple times to Georgia or VA/Tenn. Once you get going, you can make some good time in the southern portion.

Wolf

neighbor dave
08-29-2012, 19:30
i'm not going to explain how easy it is to average 15 mile days, most folks that hike can easily figure that out.

25 mile days in the last 500 miles of a 2200 mile hike really isn't that difficult.

really? there's no winter in the south, heck 25 miles days in winter up here in the whites come pretty easy, and that's not at the end of a 2200 mile hike where they would come alot easier. up here one of the differences is we need snowshoes and a bit heavier boot that adds around 4 lbs per leg.
anybody else?

silverscuba22
08-29-2012, 20:03
The first day of winter is dec 21st.... he says he wants to be done around feb 20th..... thats 2 months of winter MAX...... how is this considered a "winter " hike ???.......... if he started dec 21st i could see it, but this is just kind of dumb ........... MOST of people hiking SOBO leave from katahdin in july and aug... are they winter hikers too ????

kayak karl
08-29-2012, 20:36
25 mile days with snowshoes and the south has no winter. who can respond to that? :)

takethisbread
08-29-2012, 20:51
i'm not going to explain how easy it is to average 15 mile days, most folks that hike can easily figure that out.

25 mile days in the last 500 miles of a 2200 mile hike really isn't that difficult.

really? there's no winter in the south, heck 25 miles days in winter up here in the whites come pretty easy, and that's not at the end of a 2200 mile hike where they would come alot easier. up here one of the differences is we need snowshoes and a bit heavier boot that adds around 4 lbs per leg.
anybody else?

No winter in the south? The smokies get triple the snow of Boston. Blood Mtn probably the same as Boston. 25 mile days never come easy (if they did people would be hiking the thing in 90 days, whereas most do it in 5-6 months) on a thru hike on the at, except a few pockets of the trail. They happen I guess in Georgia but by a minuscule percentage of thru hikers and I have never met a thru hiker banging out 25's in the whites.
To be honest I hike the at in the winter quite regularly and honestly the conditions from roan south are much more dicey than say Harpers Ferry to Bennington


Maybe I'm a pussycat.

This kid is def a pussycat calling this a winter hike.

Leaving jan 1 from Springer would be much harder cuz you'd get to NH with snow levels still significant in spots (may)

Heald
08-29-2012, 21:35
Here's an old picture of "the family from the north" from when we were leaving Partnership shelter just a couple days after Christmas 01'. The Sisters are pictured as well. The sisters and I, along with 4 other thru hikers reached Springer on march 4th. About 4 days before the Family did. It took us that long due to heavy snow thru winter. 17231

Water Rat
08-29-2012, 21:40
Here's an old picture of "the family from the north" from when we were leaving Partnership shelter just a couple days after Christmas 01'. The Sisters are pictured as well. The sisters and I, along with 4 other thru hikers reached Springer on march 4th. About 4 days before the Family did. It took us that long due to heavy snow thru winter. 17231

Heald - Thanks for posting the photo! The family has huge grins - Just how I pictured them when I was reading Southbound!

Malto
08-29-2012, 21:51
I have done many 30+ mile days in ga and nc in jan and feb so 25 miles for a thru hiker would be very straightforward for an in shape dedicated hiker. Can there be snow that an slow you down, sure. Is it commonplace, no, at least from my seven yrs that I hiked the ga AT when I lived there. And even in a ft or less of snow you can make big miles.

Starting in Aug is not a winter hike. He won't hit winter until he is well south and that is only if he s taking his time. There is a calendar year thru hike attempter that has finish the PCT and well on his his way on the CDT. He will hit the AT in Oct and has a much higher likely of hitting some crappy wether up north. The Cincinnati hiker is frankly a yawner of a story. I do hope he makes it thru and Hausa great time.

Captain Blue
08-29-2012, 22:52
The ATC does not recognize thru-hikes;

John they sure do. The 2,000 Miler application asks if you hiked the AT as a thru hike or section hike. Look here:

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/docs/default-document-library/2012-a-t-2000-miler-application-.pdf

The ATC also maintains statistics on thru hikes versus section hikes. Look here:

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/about-the-trail/2000-milers

They sure make thru hiker and section hiker recognition and distinction in the Noteworthy 2,000-Milers section.

Feral Bill
08-29-2012, 23:58
25 mile days with snowshoes and the south has no winter. who can respond to that? :) I'm too polite.

neighbor dave
08-30-2012, 05:41
no winter
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/30533

Winter
Mid-November through February: Winter in the Smokies is generally moderate, but extremes in weather do occur, especially with an increase in elevation. It is not unusual to have warm temperatures in the low elevations and snow in the higher areas. About half the days in the winter have high temperatures of 50 degrees or more. Highs occasionally even reach the 70s. Most nights have lows at or below freezing. But lows of -20°F. are possible at high elevations. In the low elevations, snows of 1" or more occur 1-5 times a year. Snow falls more frequently in the higher mountains and up to two feet can fall during a storm. January and February are the months when one is most likely to find snow in the mountains.

neighbor dave
08-30-2012, 05:44
no winter;
For Clingmans Dome (high elevation)



Month

High

Low

Monthly Precipitation

Monthly Snowfall

Days of Precipitation


Jan

35

19

7.0"

18"

12



Feb


35

18

8.2"

20"


12



March

39

24

8.2"

26"

12



April

49

34

6.5"

5"

10



May

57

43

6.0"

T

10



June

63

49

6.9"


11



July

65

53

8.3"


13



Aug

64

52

6.8"


12



Sept

60

47

5.1"

T

8



Oct

53

38

5.4"

2"

8



Nov

42

28

6.4"

5"

9



Dec

37

21

7.3"

8"

10

neighbor dave
08-30-2012, 05:48
yes winter;
http://www.rssweather.com/climate/New%20Hampshire/Mt.%20Washington/

heck it's 39 degrees on the summit of the rock pile this morning;
Thursday, August 30, 2012
5:06 AM
Conditions at 5:06 AM
Weather: Mostly clear
Temperature: 39°F
Wind: NW 40 mph
Visibility: 100 miles
Relative Humidity: 86%
Station Pressure: 23.86" falling
Ground Conditions: Dry

moldy
08-30-2012, 08:24
You guys are like the Monte Python bit about how much weight a pigeon could carry. This kid will be lucky if he makes it out of Maine.

Pedaling Fool
08-30-2012, 08:52
John they sure do. The 2,000 Miler application asks if you hiked the AT as a thru hike or section hike. Look here:

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/docs/default-document-library/2012-a-t-2000-miler-application-.pdf

The ATC also maintains statistics on thru hikes versus section hikes. Look here:

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/about-the-trail/2000-milers

They sure make thru hiker and section hiker recognition and distinction in the Noteworthy 2,000-Milers section.
I know they use the term, "thru-hiker", but only in a very loose way, they don't use it in strict terms as some do here; instead they use the term 2,000 miler. as an all encompassing term.

Something is wrong with my computer and I can't open pdf doc now, which you linked above, so I couldn't read you first link. And I admit I've never seen a 2,000 miler certificate; I'm just going off their website, which they say they recognize all completed hikes with a 2,000 miler certificate. There is no thru-hiker certificate -- is there?

So my question, does the ATC have two separate certificates, i.e. one for thru-hikers and the other for everyone else?

As far as them asking how you completed the AT, I believe that is for their records/statistics that they maintain and what you linked in you second link.

Captain Blue
08-30-2012, 09:59
John - You are correct. The 2,000 Miler certificate does not mention thru hiker or section hiker. I have three of them.

Seatbelt
08-30-2012, 12:26
Here's an old picture of "the family from the north" from when we were leaving Partnership shelter just a couple days after Christmas 01'. The Sisters are pictured as well. The sisters and I, along with 4 other thru hikers reached Springer on march 4th. About 4 days before the Family did. It took us that long due to heavy snow thru winter. 17231

Heald, I know this is off thread topic, but can you identify who is who in the picture for those of us who haven't seen any pics of these folks before? Much appreciated if you can.
Thanks,Seatbelt.

kayak karl
08-30-2012, 15:56
if was how much weight a "sparrow" can carry, just saying :)

Pedaling Fool
08-30-2012, 16:54
I have three of them.You da man :D

neighbor dave
08-30-2012, 17:29
if was how much weight a "sparrow" can carry, just saying :)

no it wasn't.:-?
;)

Wolf - 23000
08-30-2012, 20:32
Neighbor Dave is right about the south and winter. As someone who has hiked the entire AT in the winter (Dec, Jan, Feb) the southern part of the AT is not all that hard winter wise. I've winter hike the southern portion three - four times (PA - GA). There are a few places such as the Smokies that might get hit with a good storm but on average most winter time

If this guy really wants to do a winter hike, he needs to do it over several years. What he is trying to do, I don't even know if he could be consider the young.

Wolf