Is starting May 5th too late?

[Venchka]

The good part of starting early May is you'll miss all the cold, rainy weather. The bad part of starting early May is you miss all the cold, rainy weather.

Last year, 2013, it rained the month of May along the NC-TN border. June was almost as wet. Slightly warmer than April. Every year is different. Sort of.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[CarlZ993]

The good part of starting early May is you'll miss all the cold, rainy weather. The bad part of starting early May is you miss all the cold, rainy weather.

You may miss some of the cold, rainy weather. I'll doubt if you'll miss all of it. The last day it snowed on my last year was May 13th @ Thunderhill Shelter in VA. But, I was told that 2013 was an unusual weather year (colder & wetter than normal).

[lemon b]

No it is not too late HYOH. Have fun.

[Prime Time]

I think it's a perfect time to start. Less crowds, beautiful flowers from the get go, great time to be in New England, and you can flip if you are running out of time. If you start May 5 at Springer, your chances of cold weather or snow in the far south are almost nil. NH and Maine in late September or October could be another matter, but you'll be tough as nails by then and so close to finishing that nothing will stop you. Besides, you'll be dazzled by the fall color!

[sadlowskiadam]

I started my thru last year on April 28 and finished on Oct. 12. I missed most, but not all, of the bad spring weather. The weather last year in September and October in New England was absolutely perfect. No snow, no cold, and beautiful fall foliage. Of course, each year is different and it may be colder this year. You will be able to do bigger mileage than early starters because of longer days and better weather, so finishing in 5 months time should not be a problem. If I ever thru again, I would start no earlier than May 1.

[jeffmeh]

As mentioned, if you begin to fear that you won't make it to Katahdin before the window closes, you can always flip and head up there early to start hiking southbound.

[FinnMelanson]

I will be starting on May 5th. I think it is the perfect time to start.

[Kc Fiedler]

I'll also be a May start. I should see you out there. Plan to start the 10th-14th ish.