Start date at Springer

[MtnRider1981]

Does anyone have suggestions for a start date for a thru hike? I will begin my day-by-day journey in '10. Setting a date now rather than later will enable me to better plan for finances and fitness. Whats the word?

[bloodmountainman]

April 15. Pay tax....go for a hike!

[kayak karl]

Does anyone have suggestions for a start date for a thru hike? I will begin my day-by-day journey in '10. Setting a date now rather than later will enable me to better plan for finances and fitness. Whats the word?

March 15th is the only day to start

[Ox97GaMe]

anytime between March 1 and April 15 will work. There will be LOTS of hikers out during that window. The real question is whether to start on a weekend and contend with crowded shelters the first couple nights or start during the week and have a bit more solitude.

[downes911]

starting my thru on Mar 11 or 12 2010.
see ya out there

[Blissful]

First week in March, like early in the week.

[Lone Wolf]

Does anyone have suggestions for a start date for a thru hike? I will begin my day-by-day journey in '10. Setting a date now rather than later will enable me to better plan for finances and fitness. Whats the word?

April 5th.....

[kayak karl]

April 5th.....

jack said 3/15

[Lone Wolf]

jack said 3/15

jack who and it means what?

[ShelterLeopard]

I'm starting February 25, after a nice night's sleep at the Hiker Hostel! (I might possibly start a week or a couple days earlier- I LOVE the cold)

[snowhoe]

March 15th is the only day to start

I agree totally. That is the day if you dont start then you will miss the???????????????????

[Montana]

March 20. First day of Spring.

[Panzer1]

every start date has advantages and disadvantages.

Panzer

[stranger]

The big start dates are:
- March 1
- March 15
- March 21
- April 1
- April 15

I left April 9 last year and the trail was fairly crowded, next year I will be leaving towards the end of April. I left March 2nd years ago and the trail was fairly crowded as well, as mentioned, anytime between 1 March and 15 April will be busy.

Starting mid-week won't mean much, you end up running into so many hikers doing short days, taking zeros, etc... Just accept shelters and hostels will be full until Virginia in some cases. So what happens is that you are hiking with one group of people and end up pulling a 20 to get ahead, then do a 23 into town the following day and town is full of hikers who are taking days off (who were 2 days ahead just a few days before). Kinda hard to avoid hikers in the beginning.

And watch the Trail Days bottleneck, that crowd can be worse than the starting crowds - it's better to be 100 miles (or more) on either side of Damascus during trail days, you can hitch easily if you want to go.

[slugger]

What about May 1st? Why is that less common of a time to start?

[ShelterLeopard]

It's a lot less common- because you have to beast it to get to Katahdin by October 15. I'm starting February 23 so I can take it nice and slow- I'm sure the March 1 crowd will catch up with me, but I'll have a pretty solitary week 1!!!

[ShelterLeopard]

On second thought, you'd have five months to get to Katahdin by early October! (It's still more common for people to start in March/April and try in vain to avoid the mid Atlantic states heat)

[jersey joe]

March 17th...and I'm not even Irish!

[Plodderman]

Middle of March is best.

[r1butler]

if i wanted to be finished by mid august, so i can be back before school, when would be a good start date?