Late July/Early Aug SOBO - Checking in

[jdkell]

Hey everyone, brand new here and leaving for my thru hike sometime between July 15th and Aug 1st. Anyone else planning to leave around this time, or have done near these dates in the past with words of wisdom?

[Chomp09]

Hey there JDKell, hope your planning and prep is going well. We hiked south in 2009 and began on July 23. Except for a day or two of heavy rain in the 100 mile wilderness the weather in New England was perfect. Once you get past the northbound bubble, which will likely be by the time you reach southern VT or Mass. ish the amount of traffic on the trail and at shelters will decrease significantly.

The only change we would make if we had it to do over again would be to leave 2-3 wks earlier. We spent a total of 5 months on the trail which meant we had some cold, snowy, wet days during our last month on the trail. Based on your goals and hiking speed this may or may not be a concern for you.

Have an amazing hike and don't forget to enjoy those early days on the trail while you do have amazing weather. It's absolutely a once in a lifetime experience that you will never forget!

[jdkell]

Thanks Chomp, I was a little worried I was leaving too late in the season, but I'm glad to hear that the weather shouldn't be too bad. Is there usually food in any of the hiker boxes that late in the season?

[k2basecamp]

Thanks Chomp, I was a little worried I was leaving too late in the season, but I'm glad to hear that the weather shouldn't be too bad. Is there usually food in any of the hiker boxes that late in the season?

Food in hiker boxes?

[jdkell]

I had heard tales of these magical boxes filled with food and useful trinkets at the shelters. I'm going to go ahead and assume they'll be picked clean after the northbound rush?

[Chomp09]

I wouldn't plan on finding too much trail magic heading southbound or any food in the shelters that isn't mice ridden and/or rotten. Trail magic is for northbounders...

[jdkell]

aww shucks.