Begineer AT - Need Advice

[TennTech]

I'm planning on starting at the beginning of the trail in Georgia near the start of December, then hiking around 200-230 miles up the trail within 18 days. That'll pretty much be the end of my hike till I'm able to resume again in May. I'm not really familiar with the snow fall in the mountains near Georgia. How much snow could I expect to see if any? What other precautions should I be taking considering that I'm leaving in December? I haven't been able to find a whole lot of information for the Winter months on the Appalachian Trail.
Thanks!

P.S. I'm set on leaving in December, please do not try to deter me.

[RockDoc]

How much snow could I expect to see if any?
Potentially several feet in a bad year. Depends on weather, um, I mean luck.
Precautions? NOAA weather radio would be first on my list...

[TennTech]

How much snow could I expect to see if any?
Potentially several feet in a bad year. Depends on weather, um, I mean luck.
Precautions? NOAA weather radio would be first on my list...

Awesome, I will definitely be investing in the radio. Do you believe there's enough snow to need Winter boots for the hike? If so could you suggest a pair fit for the terrain?

[MuddyWaters]

You could have great weather and conditions.
You could see conditions that threaten your continued existence.
How are you at handling 33F and rain, followed by a temp drop into 20s, when you and gear is all wet ?

[theoilman]

If you get blowing and heavy snow you may see days of being holed up in a shelter or motel.
Blowing snow is probably the only condition you will need a Garmin or other good hikers GPS - the blazes may be plastered over with snow and totally invisible.
If you get a bad snow you may see days you can only make a few miles.

[Slo-go'en]

With the El Nino setting up in the Pacific, the south is expected to have a wetter then usual fall/winter. It will also be somewhat warmer since the west-east jet stream will keep the really cold air locked up in New England (Great, I can't wait).

So, I wouldn't worry too much about snow, which typically shows up much later in the season, Feb/March in NC/VA. However, cold or freezing rain causing icy trails is a real possibility and is actually much, much worse then snow. That kind of wet, damp cold cuts to the bone and makes hiking treacherous.

But the real problem with hiking is December is the limited number of hours of daylight and any inclement weather cuts into that. It's really tough to get out of a warm sleeping bag and put on wet, nearly frozen clothes on in the morning and start hiking. That cuts into your day. Your going to be spending a lot of time in your sleeping bag. That can get really boring after a few days.

[Goatgas]

Having lived in Minnesota and worked as a Firefighter and done plenty of snow camping I can tell you what cold is. And if your wet... its dangerous and just plain sucks. Big issue then is hypothermia, and if no one is around to help you, it could turn into a survival Hike instead. I would suggest getting the best sleeping bag you can afford, as it will be the most important Item for warmth and may save your life.

[Trailweaver]

You need to go to Trailjournals.com, look for people who started hiking the AT in Jan, and read their accounts. You need to think about the time in your life when you have been colder than you have ever been, multiply that times 2-3, think wet clothes to boot, and being hungry. You need to be able to rescue yourself, because there won't be anyone else out there that time of year who can/will rescue you. It's gonna not be what you think it is now.

[futureatwalker]

Welcome TennTech,

I guess one question is whether you have any experience in winter backpacking. It is a different animal than regular backpacking, and even this is far more physically challenging than many new to the pursuit imagine. By necessity, your pack in the winter will be heavier than it would be in other seasons. Also, the trail in Georgia is tough.

Look at Tipi Walter's posts and trip accounts for a flavour of late season backpacking .

Things I would be thinking of would be a reasonable tent, a 10 degree bag, a good insulating mat like a neo-air xtherm. Then you need a waterproof jacket and trousers, hats, a few pairs of gloves, and a good insulating (down most likely) jacket for camp in the evening.

The big challenge is to control moisture. If you are dry, you are warm.

[saltysack]

Have fun be careful...with good gear and knowledge it can be fun..(tipi)not sure 3 weeks worth..I enjoy winter weekend trips but not sure if more than 5-6 days would be fun....get a good down bag and be ready for the worst....a few winter AT trip pix from Feb roan mtn tripusually Dec not as bad as jab-feb....micro spikes a must if icy...I've learned the hard way...




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[Moosling]

I ran into a lot of Ice on the trail throughout the Roan Mountain Highlands, thats a little further north of where you will be hiking but I imagine it could still pose a problem I fell on my butt at least once.

[nsherry61]

. . . P.S. I'm set on leaving in December, please do not try to deter me. . .
I will definitely be investing in the radio. Do you believe there's enough snow to need Winter boots for the hike?

Winter is beautiful and tumultuous. I would never dream of dissuading you so long as you are prepared and at least somewhat practiced.

It's the "somewhat practiced" part that concerns me a bit if you are asking about needing "winter boots".
You should certainly practice hiking in a range of winter conditions that you might see on the trail before going.

You can do it in boots or shoes or whatever works for you. You just need to make sure your system is, at least mostly, dialed and working for you before you go.

Have fun. Take pictures. Share the stories!

[BobTheBuilder]

I did Springer to Neel Gap one year in December. The biggest problem I had was the long nights. It's dark for 13+ hours in Georgia that time of year. I could sleep for 7 or 8 of those hours, but 5 hours of laying in a sleeping bag wide awake is a lot tougher than it sounds.

[Malto]

Snow storms in December are possible but not as likely as later in the year. (Another's have said watch the forecast especially for GSMNP) Ice is a possibility and cold rain as well. These are what I would concentrate on, not snow. I have hiked the entire section you are looking at, much of it multiple times in December. Days will be short but it can be a great time of year, views are better and there are few people.

Dont let this be you.
http://gsmnpmountainhiker.blogspot.c...hurricane.html

[Berserker]

From your profile you live in middle TN, so you should have a good idea of what winter is like in the SE. The only difference up in the mountains is that a lot of times when it gets close to freezing where it's raining at the lower elevations it's usually icing or snowing up in the mountains. The main thing with hiking in the SE in the winter is that as others have stated you're likely to run into a lot of cold rain, which totally sucks in my opinion. You never know though, this could end up being a mild winter. the other thing to be aware of is that walking in snow...even a small amount...requires a lot of extra energy. So just be mentally prepared for that.

[Gambit McCrae]

"Beginner on AT"- Starting in December- makes sense lol

[hikernutcasey]

Starting in December you shouldn't run into huge amounts of snow except the possible exception of the Smokies. However, there is nothing definite about that statement. On average the heaviest snow falls of the southern Appalachians occur in Jan, Feb and March but it wouldn't be a total shocker to get one at elevation anytime in December. I stayed overnight at Grandfather Mtn which is close to Roan Mtn the day after Thanksgiving last year and slept in a foot of snow and temps in the teens.

As others have said, my biggest concern if I were you wouldn't be snow, it would be cold rain. It's miserable and deadly if you aren't prepared to deal with it.

As far as gear, you need at a minimum a four season tent, 0 degree bag, heavy weight underwear, a stove suitable for cooking in colder conditions and boots. Microspikes would be good as well. You probably won't need them but as stated above you never know when that freak early storm might hit.

Good luck is all I can say. Winter camping is fun but for me only for a night or two. After that I'm ready to get somewhere and get warmed up.

[saltysack]

Forgot.....don't plan on canister stove working...bring a Nalgene to sleep with hot water....can always bring some sheet metal screws to stud your shoes if don't have spikes


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[Moosling]

If there is any snow on the ground your feet will get soakedThat being said also make sure you bring a pair of dry socks to wear sleeping in your bag. Like I mentioned in my previous post I was hiking Carvers gap-19E in mid December last year didn't have a bag rated lower than 30 and my socks are the only thing that saved my toes (I'll be more prepared next time) temps were down below 30 at night. Also be prepared as others have said for a lot of wind.

[nsherry61]

. . . As far as gear, you need at a minimum a four season tent, 0 degree bag, heavy weight underwear, a stove suitable for cooking in colder conditions and boots. Microspikes would be good as well . . .

Wow. I so, disagree. Aside from, if 4-season is a minimum, what would I get that is better. . . maybe a five season? ;-)

I realize that winter tarping isn't for everyone, but done right, it works in non-mountaineering winter conditions well. And heck, no bugs to worry about in winter. Any semi-wind stable 3-season tent should be fine unless you are expecting large snow loads or are camping in wide open, unprotected areas (where a pyramid tarp would work well), which I understand are largely avoidable when camping along the AT even if you aren't using the shelters. A tarp may actually be more useful than a tent in that you could also rig it more easily as a windbreak inside shelters.

I regularly use my 20*F degree bag as my winter bag, knowing full well that I will, at times, wear some extra cloths inside or on top of my bag if it gets below 20*F and I will take an extra quilt for over the top if I expect it to be below about 10*F. Even regularly doing week long winter ski trips, I never use my expedition down bag, it's just way more than I ever need.

I find canister stoves work fairly well down to about freezing. So, if you don't expect to be much below freezing regularly, you can probably get buy with a canister stove, they just get frustratingly slow. Some people use alcohol even in winter. I have never tried that as a primary stove because I expect it is too slow for my taste melting snow for drinking. Inverted canister stoves work very well down to below 0*F as do liquid fuel. There are lots of tricks to get upright canister stoves to work in the winter if you already have one and don't mind the fiddle factor . . . probably not best for a novice.

I love my Kattula microspikes and highly recommend them any time you expect to be walking extensively on snow and/or ice especially in exposed areas where a slip could be catastrophic.

I never use boots any more, except on my skis. For winter, I generally hike/snowshoe in my Merrell Moab Ventilators (light trail shoes without waterproofing) with a thin liner sock, a vapor barrier liner, a thicker insulating sock, and then a waterproof sock cover and gators. Bread bags work for VBL and WP cover if nothing else. Shoes are so much faster and lighter and plenty warm for non-arctic hiking rigged as noted above.

Again, as suggested above, absolutely do your winter adventure, but absolutely do not head out on it without some practice winter overnights to tune your skills and gear!