Youngest "Winter" Thru Hiker?

[About_Time]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2...CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

Just ran across the above article. It talks about a hiker planning on a "Winter" hike of the AT that started on 8/24 in Maine. The goal is to be the "youngest" hiker to hike the trail in the winter.

[Captain Blue]

From the article it sounds like the ATC defines a winter hike as "hiking during winter conditions for three months or more". I guess it is a similar to recognizing a flip-flop hike like yours as a "through hike". Your flip flop hike was not exactly a single continuous journey but the ATC recognizes it as such. The same goes for a winter through hike. No problem with me. Good luck Vince!

[neighbor dave]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2...CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

Just ran across the above article. It talks about a hiker planning on a "Winter" hike of the AT that started on 8/24 in Maine. The goal is to be the "youngest" hiker to hike the trail in the winter.

if he moves along at a reasonable pace he can finish before winter begins.

[Chaco Taco]

if he moves along at a reasonable pace he can finish before winter begins.

Yea for a winter hike to start that early...Start in November and finish in April. That gives you a true winter hike, IMO

[moldy]

He won't make it. His only hope is that he goes very fast and Winter is late and mild in the South.

[Seatbelt]

I don't know if this counts as "youngest" or not but, according to the Barefoot Sisters' book "Southbound", there was a family that thru-hiked with them for quite a considerable distance right thru the winter. They reportedly had young children including one who was still nursing.

[louisb]

The Family from the North.

--louis

[moytoy]

The Family from the North.

--louis

coffee through my nose!

[Feral Bill]

if he moves along at a reasonable pace he can finish before winter begins.

With that start date you would not have long daylight hours. A reasonable pace for many would be six months or more. That would go through most of winter.

[kayak karl]

hope he makes it youngest or not, i'm rooting for him.
he will see the south in the winter probably jan and feb.

[Feral Bill]

Yea for a winter hike to start that early...Start in November and finish in April. That gives you a true winter hike, IMO

Start southbound in November? Are you sure you are in New Hampshire? I've been high in the Presidential Range in mid-winter. It's not "just walking". Hitting winter in the Mid-Atlantic states makes more sense.

[neighbor dave]

With that start date you would not have long daylight hours. A reasonable pace for many would be six months or more. That would go through most of winter.

and for many a "reasonable pace" would be 4, maybe 5 months at most.

december in georgia still brings you 10 hours of daylight at 2.5 mph = 25 miles per day
http://www.sunrisesunset.com/calendar.asp

[scree]

He won't make it. His only hope is that he goes very fast and Winter is late and mild in the South.

My bones are telling me this is going to be a particularly severe winter. Not the year for it.

[Captain Blue]

december in georgia still brings you 10 hours of daylight at 2.5 mph = 25 miles per day

Maybe you can hike with him in December and show him how to do 25 mile days regardless of the weather? Easily said when you are sitting at your computer.

[neighbor dave]

Maybe you can hike with him in December and show him how to do 25 mile days regardless of the weather? Easily said when you are sitting at your computer.

2,175 miles divided by 15 miles per day = 145 days = 4 months and 25 days a very reasonable pace.

15 miles in a 10 hour day = 1.5 miles per hour a very reasonable pace

[Datto]

I don't know if this counts as "youngest" or not but, according to the Barefoot Sisters' book "Southbound", there was a family that thru-hiked with them for quite a considerable distance right thru the winter. They reportedly had young children including one who was still nursing.

I met up with The Family in Vermont on my AT thru-hike. Hope, the nine year old girl in The Family, said this when a northbound thru-hiker asked her how she got up the mountains:

You gotta look forward to it. You can't think about the hills. You gotta think about something else. Next thing you know you're at the top of the hill!

Ha, we all could have taken a hint back in Georgia from her.


Datto

[Pedaling Fool]

I guess it is a similar to recognizing a flip-flop hike like yours as a "through hike". Your flip flop hike was not exactly a single continuous journey but the ATC recognizes it as such. The same goes for a winter through hike. No problem with me. Good luck Vince!

The ATC does not recognize thru-hikes; they only recognize people that completed the entire trail, regardless of time, direction, support, etc..., i.e. it's a 2,000 miler certificate, not a thru-hiker certificate.

[Feral Bill]

2,175 miles divided by 15 miles per day = 145 days = 4 months and 25 days a very reasonable pace.

15 miles in a 10 hour day = 1.5 miles per hour a very reasonable pace

No zeros or short days for resupply, rest, bad weather, or trail conditions. I think not.

[Wolf - 23000]

Well I won't call Aug, Sept, Oct or Nov as "winter". There is a big differents wants you get into Dec, Jan and Feb. On some parts of the trail, winter hiking is a butt kicker.

Hope he has fun.

Wolf

[kayak karl]

2,175 miles divided by 15 miles per day = 145 days = 4 months and 25 days a very reasonable pace.

15 miles in a 10 hour day = 1.5 miles per hour a very reasonable pace

when you winter hiked in the south how many miles a day did you do??