June vs. July ?

[Megapixel]

If you were hiking SOBO, and had June 1 - July 1 as your starting dates available in 2011, what would you choose and why? My impatient person says Go ASAP, but my logical side says less winter perhaps, provided i make it that far, and of course more time to finish if needed. So what are your reasons for a date in that range? What am I not thinking of?

thanks all!

[Wrangler88]

Go July 1. Less bugs hopefully. (although there will still probably be a ton) Less muddy. Plenty of good people starting out to hike with.



Stay positive. Have a great hike.

[jwalden]

June 7 or 8.

General reasons: more daylight, fewer people in the long run (or the ability to choose to see more by temporarily slowing down, if you change your mind), less winter at the end, more southern-half places that are still open when you pass through, hitting lots of wild apples in Virginia during prime wild apple season, having slightly better chances at water in Pennsylvania (if still a bit dismal), getting by with a lighter sleeping bag with more comfort for longer, and reducing chance of initial delay from lingering bad weather at Katahdin. But do bring a head net for Maine. :-)

Specific reason for those dates: you should get to Monson around the right time to go to a Friday night bluegrass session at the Monson General Store, should that interest you. (I ended up not going, partly from lack of energy and partly from inertia and laziness, but everyone else who did thought it was cool. I don't regret taking it easy -- I try to look forward rather than back for most decisions -- but I'd make an effort to attend if I ever do another southbound thru-hike.) Do note the library's closed on Saturday and Sunday, if you expect you'd want to visit it to send email, upload pictures, etc.

[fiddlehead]

Weather is better in July (and so are the bugs) but, why prolong the anxiety.
Go and have fun when you are ready.

[modiyooch]

I wait until after July 4th to hike in the NE due to black flies.

[Lone Wolf]

If you were hiking SOBO, and had June 1 - July 1 as your starting dates available in 2011, what would you choose and why? My impatient person says Go ASAP, but my logical side says less winter perhaps, provided i make it that far, and of course more time to finish if needed. So what are your reasons for a date in that range? What am I not thinking of?

thanks all!

july. less bugs and high water

[DLANOIE]

If I do another SOBO I would start July 1. I started June 1 back in 2006. The bugs were relentless and the river crossings were waist deep or higher. Just my two cents though.

[Lilred]

Hike July 1st. The mountains in the south don't get any real snow accumulation till after Dec. Still plenty of time to finish. Avoid the bugs. Do the hot months up north.

[Buzz2001]

If you are doing a southbound hike to avoid crowds and people then I would listen to everyone else's advice about bugs and high water. My husband and I left July 6 and the trail was very quiet into Virginia. We found the social part of the trail to be morale boosting and I think we would have had more of that had we started earlier. The bugs were still bad in Maine in July.