May thru hike anyone?

[theflash1327]

Hello, I have mostly been sneaking around the forums, but I just can't find anyone starting a thru hike in May. I am going NOBO. I want to start earlier, but I need to graduate high school first. This puts me departing sometime in mid May. Is this a bad time to go? Is anyone else going around this time? Will I meet other thru hikers, or will I be the only thru hiker around that time? And also, what do I do differently? What will the weather be like compared to earlier departure times? Should I carry any different equipment than I would for an earlier thru hike? Thank you for your help!

[Slo-go'en]

There well could be some other late starters at that time. It wouldn't be nearly as busy as it would have been a month earlier, which can be a good thing. The bad news is the weather will be starting to get hot and muggy. The good news is since it's hot and muggy, you can carry a lot less gear in the way of clothes and sleeping bag to start with and maybe even forgo a cooking stove. Bascially, you can start out ultra light without many of the compermises doing that earlier in the season intail.

Starting mid May still gives you 5 months to finish, which should be pleanty of time.

[theflash1327]

Thanks for you info! This is very helpful!

[flemdawg1]

Lots of folks start in May for the same reason as you. I hiked the last of TN into VA last month and there were still a fair amount of thrus. And all of them started in May. The main advantage is you could probably get by with a 40 deg sleeping bag and sometimes supplement it with extra clothing on nights its cold (ie Smokies).

[theflash1327]

Thank you! I wasn't sure if May was an okay time, but it doesn't seem so impossible.

[10-K]

May is perfect. Definitely if I were starting a NOBO I would start in May.

[bigcranky]

May is a great month to start at Springer. You won't need any real cold weather gear (but bring a fleece and a hat anyway), and you'll have plenty of daylight and nice weather. Enjoy it.

[map man]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the possibility of going SOBO. Sly, an active member here, posted a few weeks back the dates the Hunt Trail up Katahdin has been opened for hiking the past dozen years or so, and it seems it has opened as early as May 15 and as late as June 5 (if memory serves) with the average about half-way in between in late May. It seems like that is close to your time availability. Granted, the early SOBOs have to deal with more than their share of mosquitoes and black flies in a typical year, but hey, someone with the user name "the flash" should have no trouble staying ahead of those little critters.

[theflash1327]

Thanks for all the help! I have considered a SOBO hike. I will look into it some more, but I didn't know a NOBO would be great in May. Both seem like good ideas now. Thanks!

[Spirit Walker]

Another option would be to start at Damascus or Harpers Ferry and hike north and then flip at Katahdin and hike south to Springer with the SOBOs.

If you start at Springer in May you will have to push a bit to reach Katahdin. It's doable, but you will not be able to have a leisurely hike or much time off trail.

[theflash1327]

That is true. 5 months won't leave me really any time to play around..

[Marta]

If you wait a few weeks and go SOBO you should be starting with lots of other recent graduates. Among the hikers who started the first week of July 2006, there were three under 21. One fellow didn't turn 18 until about a week before he reached Springer.

[Sugarfoot]

When I get to thru-hike, maybe 2013, I plan to leave Amicolola in early May. My job makes it impossible to leave earlier. Rather than face the pressure of having to be in Maine before the snows, I plan to flip-flop from Harpers Ferry, jumping up to Katahdin and hiking south to end in Harpers Ferry. Over years of section hiking, I've finally learned that I hate having a schedule that invariably leaves me feeling that I'm behind it. When I finally get to do a thru-hike, I don't want to feel rushed. Also, I never want to hike the mid-Atlantic states in July or August again, although the temperatures in Maine currently are not much better.

[theflash1327]

Very true. I haven't hiked any of the AT so I don't know what my pace will be yet, and I don't want to feel behind schedule when I could be enjoying the trail.

[Blissful]

May is a good time to do a flip flop. Harpers Ferry to Katahdin. Harpers Ferry to Springer. That's when they all start. Good company, not as many as NOBO of course but I saw quite a few then. You'd have to be well disciplined to finish on time with a mid May start down south at Springer, and at your age, you might want to reconsider so you can take your time and have fun at it. And it will be hot and humid going with such a late start by the time you get to the mid Atlantic (VA).

[theflash1327]

That is true. A flip flop does seem like a good option. Would it be faster at all to do a flip flop? Or just better weather?

[DavidNH]

That is true. A flip flop does seem like a good option. Would it be faster at all to do a flip flop? Or just better weather?

Ok, you plan to start a NOBO thru in Mid May. Right off the top you limit your self to five months. That's your max time. As Winter can hit Katahdin early some years you may find the timing rather dicey. Conditions in Baxter State Park can go south in a hurry from early October on. October 15th is the last day you can legally over night camp anywhere in Baxter State Park.


Here's my recommendation to you. Do a flip flop. Example.. hike from Springer to Harper's Ferry. Then flip and go up to Baxter, climb Katahdin and hike south to Harper's Ferry. Now you could flip at any point but advantage of harpers Ferry is it is close to DC, easy to get out of, and it's the half way point. You could just as well flip flop from say Delaware Water Gap or other location.

What the flip flop does for you is take the pressure off. You won't be racing to meet some deadline. The AT should be an enjoyable experience not a contest. By flip flopping you could end hike in November or December if need be.

DavidNH

[Deadeye]

There's no bad time to start. The best time to go hiking/fishing/canoeing/whatever-ing is whenever you can. If you're running late and won't make it to K before it closes, flip-flop. Whatever, just go, go, go.

[theflash1327]

Great advice! I do think a flip flop would be great now. I didn't want to take away from the experience of a thru hike by changing it too much, but I will still see all the trail, and it is true that I can enjoy every part more and relax a bit this way. Thanks for all the help! I will start looking for more info on flip flopping. This seems like my best bet. so far.

[bikerhiker10]

I'm in the same boat as you. I graduate college on May 12, and will start soon after that, probably a week later down at Springer. I have no worries about finishing by October 15. Honestly, I expect I will finish closer to early September in 3.5 months since I do a lot of endurance sports like running and cycling.

There is a mentality that needs to be set. For me, I enjoy hiking all day and sitting in camp for me is pretty boring, so I will hike all day and end up setting camp close to the time to go to bed, which gets 20-30+ mi/day. If you are one of those types, finishing by October is no problem, but if you want to 'experience' all of the towns and camps the flip-flop may be for you.

One other consideration is money. Since you are in high school, I expect you have a lighter budget like I do and time in towns will suck down those limited funds too fast. Most people take a long time because of all the time they spend in towns lightening their wallets!