Cold weather thru hike?

[thisguyaj]

I am considering beginning a SOBO thru hike in late September/early October of this year. I know it will be cold, I have been doing almanac research for the entire trail in my realistic timeline, and I'll steadily be in 30-40 degree weather for a majority of the hike. I've taken plenty of freezing temp. backpacking trips, and have no problem with the cold. I hiked NOBO the first 400 or so miles beginning back in Feb. of 2007.

I am aware of the difficulties facing me, but I was wondering if anyone out there has had any experience with the northern parts of the trail from October to February, or has thru hiked SOBO beginning around the same Time as I want to. Am I completely daft to think I can do it? Thanks people!

[4eyedbuzzard]

Maybe not completely daft, but you'll need to average 15 mpd to hit southern VT by mid November. And you definitely want to be south of the New England mountains when winter storms start blowing. It all depends on the weather, which you just can't predict based on almanac reports. The data included in those 30 - 40 degree averages have outliers that are 0 and colder with heavy snows and ice and winds that can literally blow you off the mountains. This year would have been a really good year to SOBO starting Oct 1. You would have been south of Glencliff and the higher elevations in the Whites when the Haloween storm hit. You just never know. You could plan all you want but the weather determines what you can do in So. ME and the Whites. An early September start would be a lot more predictable and you'ld hike through the best of foliage season

[Papa D]

A lot depends on when the winter weather blows in - you will be chilly in New England for sure and will need to book it through snow and bad weather at times - the mid Atlantic States might be fine but no guarantee - probably the hardest thing you'll hit will be December and January in TN and NC - winter can be icy cold, wet snowy and not a walk in the park. I think that this can be done - I've certainly heard of crazier plans - you'll need to be in good shape, not mind being lonely at times, and not mind getting off the trail at more hostels / hotels than most seasonal thru-hikers would because at times, you'll probably net more miles by stopping and waiting out some piece of weather than just trudging through. Enjoy.

[Feral Bill]

I've been thinking about a early-mid September southbound (eventually). I figure thats enough time for a slowpoke like me to get into the mid Atlantic states before severe weather is likely. At my snail like pace, I figure it would be spring when I reached the higher mountains in the South. I have done plenty of winter trips, and would be most concerned with clearing the Whites early. It gets wild there in winter, to say the least. Another concern would be resupply, especially white gas (IMO the best cold weather option).

[hikerboy57]

i have to give you credit just for thinking about it. i get tired of being out in the cold after 3 or 4 days. maybe im just gettting old, but the idea of spending 6 months out in the worst weather of the year doesnt have too much appeal for me, with the chance of getting warm every 5 or six days, maybe its enough to keep motivated, keep going, but you'll need to get thru VT as early as possible.

[BlackJack1]

After 3-5 days in cold with the high of 32 F, I start looking for Hostels. I only managed 3 - 4 miles a day because I didn't want to leave the fire.

[Papa D]

I just did 42 miles last weekend in 3 days (in the snow) in TN/NC - you can do it - you just have to want it bad enough - when the weather is really rough at home, think about me - I'm probably outside on the trail

[Slo-go'en]

Yea gotta remember that hiking for a few days to a week in cold weather is one thing, dealing with it for months on end is quite another. Throw in a rain/sleet/ice/snow storm about once a week and it can become he11 (a frozen one!).

The general trend seems to be for longer and milder fall weather, but every year is different and recently radically different. I would start no later then Sept 1st to ensure getting far enough south before real winter settles in (like right now) to have any chance of even getting close to completeing a thru-hike. Even then, your chances are slim.

Take a look at my avitor - that's what Mt Madison and Adams looked like in Mid October this year!

[fiddlehead]

Did a SOBO in 2001/2002 starting Oct 14th.

You're biggest problem is the long nights.
Make sure your sleeping bag is a great one, you'll be spending a LOT of time in it.

Our trip was van supported so, we always ate in the dark (breakfast and evening dinner)
We saw almost no one on the trail after the first 2 weeks except some day hikers on weekends and some hunters of course.
We followed deer season all the way down to Georgia so, beware of hunters and wear some orange in the front (We always saw hunters from the front, not the back, so, keep that in mind)

We were worried a bit about getting over Mt Washington, but, it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the tops of the mountains to ourselves. But, even the "dungeon" door was frozen shut with almost a foot of ice over the door!

We had some great weather. Even 70 deg temps in NJ. But, of course you never know.
You can read about it and see pics here: http://triplecrownoneyear.tripod.com/index.htm

[VTATHiker]

If you can't start earlier, I hope you still go for it. I'm planning to start SOBO in mid/late August but if I had to hold off until September I'd still be ready to go...

[Barbarella]

I'm thinking of leaving August 1rst but was worried that would be too late. I want to be home by the end of the year. I should have great weather til I hit NC. Just how bad will it be?

[Papa D]

Yea gotta remember that hiking for a few days to a week in cold weather is one thing, dealing with it for months on end is quite another. Throw in a rain/sleet/ice/snow storm about once a week and it can become he11 (a frozen one!).

The general trend seems to be for longer and milder fall weather, but every year is different and recently radically different. I would start no later then Sept 1st to ensure getting far enough south before real winter settles in (like right now) to have any chance of even getting close to completeing a thru-hike. Even then, your chances are slim.

Take a look at my avitor - that's what Mt Madison and Adams looked like in Mid October this year!

Yep - this is true - the longest winter hike I've done is about 2 weeks in the snow and Ice - Wind Rivers Range - but if you plan your trip with enough breaks such that you can have a warm place 2x per week, you will most likely be fine - there is nothing better to re-charge your winter hiker than a hot shower, an indoor meal, and clean laundry - you can do it!

[fiddlehead]

Another thing to be aware of here, (and there have been similar threads on this subject that you should search for and check out) is the fact that many places that are normally open during regular hiking months will be closed this time of year.
Hostels, hotels, even some state parks are closed in winter. Shenendoah NP shuts down at dusk (no cars, but hiking's ok)
So, that warm bed and hot shower is not always a given.
I could count the no. of AT hostels that were open between November and Feb on one hand when we did our winter hike 10 years ago. (arrived Springer on Feb 14)

[JAK]

I think it would be an awesome challenge. You would have to expect delays, but those delays would be part of the fun and the challenge, as long as you were prepared for them. You would have to carry extra food even when the weather conditions and outlook is good, because it can always turn for the worst, so the extra weight will slow you down even on the good days, and there might be many occassions when you have to resupply even when you have enough for the next resupply point, just in case the weather turns bad. It would be easier if you had good first hand knowledge of all the access points, and hiking speed for different ground conditions, but you should accept that in bad weather many of the access points might not be accessible, and you might not be able to get reliable information on how fast you might expect to travel on diffent trail sections under different conditions.

Lots of unknowns, which I think should provide some of the appeal, as long as you are prepared for the worst. When you are prepared for the worst you will be carrying alot of unneccessary weight most of the time. You might make just as good time travelling lighter and dashing from town to town only in ideal conditions. It depends on what you want. Both are legitimate. In full winter up here I like to use skis and travel light, and by river so I can always jump off just about anywhere, and get picked up on the road if the weather turns nasty. If I want to travel heavy I like to go on foot, and be prepared for the worst. Usually for those trips I wait for the worst so I am not disappointed, and I don't go that far either. Better to be slowed on the way in than on the way out.

[JAK]

I think if I were to do that I would travel heavy and slow and not depend too much on towns but for food. Once I knew the trail better, even in the worst conditions, or at least some fairly bad conditions, then I might be in a better position to see if I could do it faster and lighter the same time of year, by trying to dodge the worst of it, or at least avoid being in the worst places during the worst of it. Lots of ways to go here. Alot depends on how late you leave it, and how light and fast you can travel, and what sort of winter it ends up being.

It might definitely make sense in this case to plan only one month at a time, starting off as fast and light as the month and region permits, and reprovisioning as you go depending on how far south how fast, and how bad the season is. Its not so much the temperature, but the snow and ice conditions. Highly variable, even more so than temperature.

[Tinker]

http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Siste.../dp/0811735303

This would be a good book to read while considering a late SOBO.

One thing I think I would do on an extended winter trip is to use a vapor barrier liner in my sleeping bag to keep frost from forming in the down on extremely cold nights.

The blaze orange suggestion is a winner, too. I've met hunters on the trail many times, and have seen a broadhead stuck into a tree at about knee height on my last hike in Pa. so you can't count on hunters hunting away from the trail, and they are allowed to use it to access game lands. Some folks extend the season on their own terms, too - rare, but it only takes one incident to ruin your day (or life).

[JAK]

I went for a hike on the Fundy Footpath a year or two ago in early March, just to see what the trail conditions were like in March. It ended being like May conditions weather wise, without much snow on the ground. There was still ice across the trail in many places though, and the Fundy Footpath is mostly along a southern slope, so its freeze by might and thaw by day with thick hard ice right on the trail, often in places you can't skirt arounf because of the steepness of the slope, especially with deadfalls here and there, which are plentiful on the trail as trail maintenance is only done once a year in early summer. So long story short I had to turn back even though it was like summer conditions speed wise, 99% of the time, but very sketchy if not impassable the other 1%. Looking into some rudementary ice and rocky climbing skills and gear for that 1%, but as of now, I ain't got either other then what most folks deal with in a winter storm on stairs and sidewalks.

[JAK]

Sounds like a prelude to the Occupy Winter Trail movement.
Unfortunately, when it comes to ice climbing, I am the 99%. lol

[boarstone]

Don't forget the Kennebec canoe shuttle across this river will be shut down for the season when you arrive to need it.

[Mike2012]

The days are much shorter and the little puddles and seeps that turn into ice will keep you alert all the way south. You might see some hunters, hope they see you too.