View Full Version : Is April a better month to start?
kfreynol
12-12-2012, 22:57
I want to avoid the crowds but still be able to get to know people along the trail. I like being alone but I don't want to be alone all of time, is what I guess I'm saying!
In early 2011 there were 40 people staying at the Hawk Mnt shelter (day 2) one night in early april. Is that alone enough for you?
kfreynol
12-12-2012, 23:04
Thanks for being nice about it? I was just asking a question...
yellowsirocco
12-12-2012, 23:10
You won't lose the crowds until late April and then you are cutting into your time at the end. Unless you can hike long miles every day and are very disciplined it is not a good idea. Better to start in February if you want less people. Also when you start in April you still have to wade through the party crowd as you pass them.
Lone Wolf
12-12-2012, 23:10
I want to avoid the crowds but still be able to get to know people along the trail. I like being alone but I don't want to be alone all of time, is what I guess I'm saying!
start april 15th
SouthMark
12-12-2012, 23:14
start april 15th
LW, didn't april 15 used to be the average start date years ago?
HikerMom58
12-12-2012, 23:16
Agree... that's about a perfect time to start and not be completely alone.
Lone Wolf
12-12-2012, 23:25
LW, didn't april 15 used to be the average start date years ago?
yeah in the 80s and early 90s. folks took 5 months to walk it
Thanks for being nice about it? I was just asking a question...
No offense meant at all.. Maybe this will help, a post by map man.
04-28-2011, 00:44
In the study I did of northbound thru-hikers in my "Hiking Rates" article here at WB I've looked at the classes of 2001 through 2010 so far (240 thru-hikes in total). Here's how their departure dates broke down by month of departure:
Jan. - Feb.: 13%
March: 60%
April: 24%
May or later: 3%
These numbers are a pretty good match for Mountain Squid's numbers. I can't comment on how that has changed since earlier eras because I don't have access to a large number of hiking journals from earlier times.
I think that March start dates have become somewhat self-perpetuating because so many hikers value the social aspect of the thru-hike experience. Some worry that if they start outside of the six week window from, say, Feb. 25 through April 7, that there won't be enough other thru-hikers around that are good hiking-partner matches in terms of hiking speed and temperament. With 30 people a day leaving Springer for much of March it's easier to find a pod to hike in.
I'm with Spirit Walker. If I ever did a NOBO thru-hike I would start in late April. The social aspect of hiking is not as important to me and the avoiding-bad-weather aspect is more important.
Slo-go'en
12-12-2012, 23:43
Historically, a start during the first 2 weeks of April works out well weather wise.
As for the "crowds", unless you start real early or real late, they are impossible to avoid for the first couple of weeks. Starting on a weekday typically reduces the number of hikers who start the same day you do.
One just has to resign one's self to the fact that you'll be in a tent most of the time. Which is not a bad thing. Just remember its not the trail which is crowded, it's the campsites and shelters which are.
By the time you get to the Smokies, the crowd will have thinned out significantly due to the natural variations in peoples hiking speeds which tend to spread everyone out and by people droping off the trail. (What the heck was I thinking that this was gonna be fun...)
kfreynol
12-13-2012, 00:00
This was really helpful. I'm definitely considering a mid-April start now.
Lone Wolf
12-13-2012, 00:19
This was really helpful. I'm definitely considering a mid-April start now.
you won't regret it. you'll thank me :)
garlic08
12-13-2012, 00:29
I started early April. If I were to go again, I'd start April 15.
SCRUB HIKER
12-13-2012, 02:57
TS Eliot got it wrong, April is not the cruelest month. I think mid-April is a good time to do it. April 15 gives you a better chance to avoid gross stuff like the snowstorm Garlic had to deal with in the Smokies (that's why he recommends mid-April :)).
You have some measure of control over your alone time, and people will respect it if you need to camp/hike alone every so often. I operate the same way--I enjoy being a social hiker, but after awhile the social juice runs out and I go alone for a bit. I camped alone my first night (Sunday, April 3, 2011) and there were apparently 50 other people who left Springer that day declaring a thru-hike. The woods are big. Don't sweat the crowd factor so much and think more about the weather.
Hairbear
12-13-2012, 05:55
yeah in the 80s and early 90s. folks took 5 months to walk iti would have thought that withthe new equipment today it would take less time ,ultra light and all,but the average is higher today hummm.any input as to why?
Lone Wolf, I was in Damascus a couple years back and you and I had a conversation about the AT before I became a WB member. You gave me 2 pieces of advice I have not forgotten. They were simple but insightful. They were don't start before the middle of April because you are less likely to be driven from the trail by bad weather and the other was have fun out there. Thanks.
rusty bumper
12-13-2012, 09:42
I started on April 1 in 2011 and I'd do the same again. Yes, there were lots of hikers on the trail, but I almost always hiked alone with no problem. I stealth camped in my tent just about every night, so crowded shelters were a non issue for me.
Hosaphone
12-13-2012, 13:41
i would have thought that withthe new equipment today it would take less time ,ultra light and all,but the average is higher today hummm.any input as to why?
Probably because "hiking the AT" wasn't as much of a thing back then. The people who did it were probably generally more experienced, in better shape and had a better idea of what they were getting into.
HikerMom58
12-13-2012, 14:05
Probably because "hiking the AT" wasn't as much of a thing back then. The people who did it were probably generally more experienced, in better shape and had a better idea of what they were getting into.
I agree with Hosaphone...I think that a lot of people start out without much thought as to what it will take to finish strong. They are just out there "wingin it". There was a group hiking in 2010 named the "break crew" They took their time. Some of the group finished- some of them didn't. They all had fun though :)
Let me just add some thoughts to what gg-man has already quoted me as saying.:D
People tend to cluster around weekends to start and also around the 1st and 15th of the month, for some reason. If you actually start on April 15 you might be in quite a crowd, so it's probably best to miss that day by at least a couple days before or after. I'd think that anytime more toward the middle of the week between April 10th and 25th, while avoiding the 15th, might just hit the sweet spot for you when it comes to missing big crowds but not being completely alone, at least for the early days of your hike.
IrishHiker
12-15-2012, 00:40
Just remember its not the trail which is crowded, it's the campsites and shelters which are.
Great point! ty
Stir Fry
12-15-2012, 01:57
I'm still waiting to do a thru hike. Retire Feb 2014. I have done Springer to Fontana 2 times one time started 15 March, other 14 April. both time crowds were about the same, but by the time you pass Neel gap you are pretty spred out.
MuddyWaters
12-15-2012, 14:31
i would have thought that withthe new equipment today it would take less time ,ultra light and all,but the average is higher today hummm.any input as to why?
In a book Im reading about 2 guys that hiked the trail in the 1970s. The didnt bring sleeping pads, just used their extra clothes for padding in spots. They didnt even carry water, just drank their fill at sources. Their packs weighed 18lbs without food, and they carried very little food as well, maybe 1 lb per day. They walked 20-30 mile days.
Smart long distance hikers have always been as light as possible, it is nothing new.
Possibly what is new, is the preponderence of cheap imported gear and doo-dads that is foisted on inexperienced persons by large stores like REI. You actually need very little.
Katiepecbvda
12-15-2012, 20:19
This was really helpful. I'm definitely considering a mid-April start now.
Thats around when I'm going to start. I'm pretty sure it won't be crowded at all after a couple weeks. I'm going solo as well so I'm actually looking forward to meeting new people to hike with
StylinLP38
12-27-2012, 16:15
Im startign sometime early april after my contract ends. Hey, do you think someone could hike the AT on unemployment checks and food stamps? lol
In a book Im reading about 2 guys that hiked the trail in the 1970s. The didnt bring sleeping pads, just used their extra clothes for padding in spots. They didnt even carry water, just drank their fill at sources. Their packs weighed 18lbs without food, and they carried very little food as well, maybe 1 lb per day. They walked 20-30 mile days.
Smart long distance hikers have always been as light as possible, it is nothing new.
MuddyWaters,
Just curious, what book is it? Sounds interesting.
Stir Fry
12-27-2012, 23:09
Ya but you would be scum for doing it that way, if you do then you need to be quit about it becouse I woud be one that would turn you in.
Camel2012
12-27-2012, 23:32
Im startign sometime early april after my contract ends. Hey, do you think someone could hike the AT on unemployment checks and food stamps? lol
You wouldn't be the first.
Pendragon
12-27-2012, 23:35
I'm starting my section hike on April 1st because I'm budgeted with about 8 weeks to get from Springer to Damascus in time for Trail Days & have time for a short visit with my ride back home. I've never hiked 460 miles thru mountains before, and I'm 57 and not in that great of shape so yes, I think I'll be lucky to get to the end in that time frame. I just hope I don't get nailed by the big one for starting when I do.
Stir Fry
12-28-2012, 10:20
Pendragon you will fing that you are on the young side of the older crowd. If I could give you advice it is start SLOW. Do not be concerned with distance. Start with 4 to 5 hours a day and increase the time you walk. I have done Springer to Domascus two times. When you start 4 to 5 hours and you are spent. By the time you get thrugh the Smokies you will be doing 10 hours and still fill good. Good luck and have fun.
Pendragon
12-28-2012, 15:20
Thanks Mr. Fry!
No matter when you start, you can fill up with water at a shelter, then hike on to a nice peaceful spot to camp if you are in the mood for quiet. Since you will probably be tenting at the shelters anyway, it's not a problem. As said above, it's not the trail that is so crowded, it's the shelters.