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View Full Version : thinking of starting Northbound thru mid march 2006..good time to start?



DavidNH
06-08-2005, 22:11
Hello I am planning to northbound the AT starting mid march 2006 from Springer. I am wondering..Is mid march the best time to start?

I want to avoid winter conditions as much as possible and also want to avoid the main thrust of crowds. So when is the main crowd leaving Springer? is it all of March? would an early mid or late march start make much difference? Seems from what I read that winter can linger in the smokies till May...but I am not waiting THAT long.. want the time to enjoy the experience.

When would you start? and how early is too early or maybe the answer is simply it depends?? (gee I hate those type answers..:) )

what do you think?

NHHIKER

A-Train
06-09-2005, 00:26
Honestly, it doesn't matter when you start in March. Inevitably and unfortunately you'll hit crowds and bad weather whether you start 1 march or 30 march. If you are really worried about either or both, start May 1st and you won't have to deal with those issues.

Generally March 1st and 15th are the most popular start dates and weekends too. But so many hikers get clustered together, it really doesn't matter. Also starting the 4th week of march may not save you from snow storms as there are usually a couple big snow storms in the south in april (its kind of wacky).

So if you must start in march, realize you'll deal with both, but if you can push it back to late april or may, do so.

Jaybird
06-09-2005, 08:40
the main pack of THRU-HIKERS apparently start mid-March til mid-April


the Smokies make their own forecasts...unfortunately for hikers...snow is often forecasted thru the end of APril & sometimes as late as early May.

good luck with yer hike! :D

Ender
06-09-2005, 08:52
I want to avoid winter conditions as much as possible and also want to avoid the main thrust of crowds. NHHIKER

Unfortunatly, those two things are pretty contradictory. Most northers start March and April. And you can get winter weather at pretty much any point through then, though obviously later is usually warmer. The crowds do dissipate pretty quickly, but the first week it's like a gravy train. One way to avoid the worst of the crowds would be to aim for campsites instead of shelter areas. More people use the shelter areas, even if they are just going to tent, than the plain old campsites.

If you shoot for March 15th-30th start, you will have colder weather (I started on the 20th and got snowed on for two nights... it melted come morning though) but fewer people than if you wait till April. Hope this helps.

Peaks
06-10-2005, 16:38
If you want to avoid crowds, and avoid cold weather, then start after April 15. Still plenty of time to get to Maine provided that you hike at an average pace.

PROFILE
06-11-2005, 12:22
The later in March you start the better you will be as far as cold weather. To "help" with the crowd leave late March and on a tuesday. Our experiance shows tuesday and wedendays have a lot fewer people starrting. Maybe look at march 21 or March 28. I would not go past the 28 because April 1 is one of the biggest start dates. FYI my dates are from Springer not the Park. If you are starting from the park I would only start on a Tues.

minnesotasmith
06-11-2005, 13:32
I'd say the odds are you'll roast for weeks in the mid-Atlantic states during the inevitable summer heat waves. If I NOBOed, I'd leave in February. (I'm probably going to SOBO, leaving Katahdin in July next year.)

Moon Monster
06-11-2005, 23:07
Our experiance shows tuesday and wedendays have a lot fewer people starrting.

Very cool point. I understand that getting to Springer via friends/family or even cheaper airfare can be best on weekends, but I'm still fascinated that so many hikers who have budgeted 6 months away from schedules to hike the AT still all wind up gravitating to predictable days of the week and dates like March 1, March 15, Vernal Equinox, April 1, and April 15. When these dates fall on a weekend, it'll likely be extra crowded.

Spirit Walker
06-12-2005, 11:46
Doing it again, I would start April 5-10. You're past most of the crowds, and you only have a month or so of uncertain weather. Lots of wildflowers. Starting in March you are very likely to have ice storms and snow. Past hikes I started March 28 and April 1. Still had snow on both hikes. I finished both hikes in mid-September, quite easily. The advantage of an earlier start is that you have views off the ridges because of no leaves on the trees. Downside to that is it is winter conditions, no green and no flowers, for the first two months. You don't really feel like you are "walking with spring" until May.

DavidNH
06-12-2005, 11:58
There is one other thing I did not mention in my original post..My apartment lease runs out end of March 06.



So from posts so far it appears one should 1) avoid starting on weekends and 2) avoid april 1 or march 21.

I guess I am shooting for 3rd week of March mid week. First half of March I guess guarentees winter conditions and can be especially bad up here in NH.


NHHIKER

Panzer1
06-12-2005, 12:59
This year, I think that the first 3 weeks of March had bad weather and the last week was good. "March goes in like a lion and out like a lamb."

Panzer

justusryans
06-19-2005, 08:20
Laura and I were supposed to leave on March 1, but found out our lease runs out in April, instead of March so we will be leaving April 2nd instead. I just can't see leaving on April fools day! :datz We are not in any hurry, not planning on sleeping in shelters, ect... We are just going to turn years of planning and hoping into reality. We used to sit around and just figure that we just couldn,t afford to go until after. You know after we bought and paid off our house, after we retired, after Caitlin grows up. Then it dawned on us that there would always be a excuse to wait until after! It was only when we decided to consider exactly what it would take to do it NOW that it became a reality. See you on the trail April, 06 :banana

lilmountaingirl
06-22-2005, 23:21
I was originally planning a mid-March 2006 start, but I've decided to push into April instead. I don't mind winter backpacking but I'm not up for the possibility of 2 months of it either. I'm starting on my birthday, April 16, which happens to be on a weekend. Though I suspect since it's a bit later, there won't be huge crowds herding their way up the Approach Trail. :)

The Solemates
06-23-2005, 17:36
When would you start? and how early is too early or maybe the answer is simply it depends?? (gee I hate those type answers..:) )

what do you think?

NHHIKER

we started feb 1. if i did it again i would either start feb 1 or may 15.

Footslogger
06-23-2005, 18:00
NHhiker ....I'd ask you this: When do you want to finish and what is your typical hiking pace ??

As has already been said, anytime in March is fine. The later in March you start the better the chance (notice I said "chance") that you won't get snow in the Smokies. I started 3/29 in 2003 and had snow the first night out and cold (sub freezing) temps at night for about 3 weeks or so. Weather is different every year but you're less likely to have the extreme cold/snowy weather in the Smokies if you leave later in March

You're gonna hit some crowding in the beginning, regardless of when in March you start. Just a lot of hikers out there at that time. But after a month or so it will start to thin out.

'Slogger

wacocelt
06-23-2005, 18:12
Starting anytime in Mid-March you will be guaranteed to see freezing temperatures and probably some snow at some point. It snowed this year all over the Southern AT as late as April 23rd. You will also see quite a few people between Mid-March and Mid-April beginning Thru-Hikes.
My suggestion for 'avoiding' the crowds during that time period would be to hike when the weather is bad, because all too often hikers will bunch up in towns and end up in larger pods due to trying to avoid getting wet/cold.

Hope a bit of that helps...

max patch
06-23-2005, 18:15
I'm starting on my birthday, April 16, which happens to be on a weekend.

Good choice.

If I had to pick a "best date" to start it would be April 15. Minimize the chance of bad weather at the start AND get to finish in New England in the Fall. Best of both worlds.

lilmountaingirl
06-23-2005, 20:08
Good choice.

If I had to pick a "best date" to start it would be April 15. Minimize the chance of bad weather at the start AND get to finish in New England in the Fall. Best of both worlds.
Yeah, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I actually will start on the 15th, just doing the Approach Trail so I officially hit the AT on the 16th. In reading trailjournals and various forums, I haven't found anyone else starting at that time yet. I'm a little surprised, honestly.

weary
06-23-2005, 21:38
If you want to avoid crowds, and avoid cold weather, then start after April 15. Still plenty of time to get to Maine provided that you hike at an average pace.
Almost true, at least for 1993. I left Springer on the 15th of April, or there abouts, the shelters were full most nights. I did make it to Katahdin, though not without enough blue and yellow blazes to convince me not to apply for a 2000-mile patch.

I think early to mid April is ideal. Severe storms remain possible, but less likely. The cycle of spring is underway. The summits are still winter. The valleys are spring. Winter is waning. AT hiker wanna bes are diminishing.

Most importantly, all the spring flowers are emerging. Those interested in such things, and alert to realities, can see the beginnings of a new season.

Weary

DavidNH
06-30-2005, 21:37
NHhiker ....I'd ask you this: When do you want to finish and what is your typical hiking pace ??

As has already been said, anytime in March is fine. The later in March you start the better the chance (notice I said "chance") that you won't get snow in the Smokies. I started 3/29 in 2003 and had snow the first night out and cold (sub freezing) temps at night for about 3 weeks or so. Weather is different every year but you're less likely to have the extreme cold/snowy weather in the Smokies if you leave later in March

You're gonna hit some crowding in the beginning, regardless of when in March you start. Just a lot of hikers out there at that time. But after a month or so it will start to thin out.

'Slogger

Slogger..

I want to summit Katahdin at or just past peak fall color which I guess would be by late September. I am a 12-15 mile per day person unless the terrain is REALLY easy in which case I might get up around 20. My current thinking for a start date is late march...probably around March 22. Would it make any difference if I pushed back a week to march 28 or so? I am inclined to think it would not based on posts here.
nhhiker

Heater
06-30-2005, 22:34
Slogger..

I want to summit Katahdin at or just past peak fall color which I guess would be by late September. I am a 12-15 mile per day person unless the terrain is REALLY easy in which case I might get up around 20. My current thinking for a start date is late march...probably around March 22. Would it make any difference if I pushed back a week to march 28 or so? I am inclined to think it would not based on posts here.
nhhiker
Those are the dates I am looking at if I can make it work in '06. I'm leaving on the 21st. You miss the rush on the 15th and the following weekend. There should be a smaller crowd on the last weekend of march (25-26th) so a 28th start would be good there. I'll probably arrive in the area (I am in Texas) and start sometime in the time frame of the 21st - 28th. The 21st unless there is major bad weather because I want to have a nice start. :D

IOW... I'll be there on the 21st and head out on the first nice day! :sun

frieden
08-10-2005, 12:03
Well, I just wrote this larger than I want to try to retype reply, and the system went kaplooee! :(

Anyway, I'm leaving in mid-March, because I'd rather hike in cold (where you warm up while moving), than heat. You can't carry enough water to compensate for extreme heat, plus you are creating more heat while hiking. I'm just worried about ice....and teaching Ed to walk in boots!

I'll be hiking with my service dog, Ed, so you probably won't see us in shelters. We'll be going slow, though, so you'll probably pass us on the trail, or in towns.

See ya out there!

Frieden & Ed

docllamacoy
08-10-2005, 16:51
One way to avoid the worst of the crowds would be to aim for campsites instead of shelter areas. More people use the shelter areas, even if they are just going to tent, than the plain old campsites.

I'll ditto that. Doc and I camped alone most nights on the AT in 2003. We stayed in shelters 3 times the entire hike. Even in the beginning (and we started March 28), we had campsites all to ourselves. Sure, you're going to be around lots of people on the trail during the day and in town, but that's part of what make the AT so great.

yogi clyde
08-10-2005, 19:06
I started April 18th 2004.
No snow, actually it was very warm the first week, and some people got sunburned :sun since there were no leaves out yet. The shelters were crowded for the first few days only.

After having to get off the trail for a family funeral (for 5 days), felt like I was at the back of the pack of thru hikers. An ankle injury got me off the trail in VA. My friends had to push to finish by Oct 15th.

I'm thinking of another thru attempt next spring. :jump I plan on leaving this time in March. Although fall hiking in New England is great, I feel sorry for this year's late thru hiker's dealing with the Mid-Atlantic heat. Last year was not this hot.