Dogwood,
I whole heartedly agree. But. She’s still in TN or barely in VA. And it’s still snowing on the AT and PCT for sure. 8’ on the PCT at Tahoe in the last week. Sounds like similar amounts in New England. It’s way too early to know what to do and where to go.
Make it up as she goes.
Snowshoes: Given the cell coverage on the AT and numerous towns up the trail, it seems simple enough to my simple brain to have a pair of light running snowshoes waiting at a town.
Or not.
Wayne