Head-start thru-hike from HF, VA beginning in April rather than May

[Just Bill]

Conure-
If you wanted to stay cooler, as mentioned, a bit later start would be better if you are going NOBO first. I agree that May/June is a bit early to hit the Northwoods. Not impossible by any means, but certainly not ideal. You will see very few folks. May, June, July would put you in better shape heading through VT, NH, Maine. You'd likely run into the southbounders starting, but no biggie. You'd get to VT near the end of the worst mud and likely only flirt with black fly season. But then you've got a hot stretch heading south from Harpers Aug, Sept, and if you're lucky fall colors to finish in Oct. but you'd likely miss them to be honest. You'd also likely miss the summer wildflower bloom in many areas.
I'm a bigger fan of going SOBO from Harpers and leaving earlier. April (or even march if you wanted), May, June to Springer, then Harpers on North for July Aug Sept. (Or June, July, Aug if you start in March and wanted to avoid PA in July) Northwoods in the late summer and fall has to be one of the prettiest around. You have to spend July somewhere, I'd pick PA over VA anyday. The best flowers on the trail are generally springtime down south, the best colors are hands down up north. Speaking seasonal beauty you can't go wrong. You will pass the bubble heading south, but not fight them for space much as most drop in the first month or so before you'll see them. You may find yourself with some NOBO's on the back end, but the herd will be seriously thinned, and three months in you may appreciate the relatively limited company. Finish at big K is a nice bonus, as is scooting over to the Long trail if your feet are still itching or you finish a bit too early for the fall colors.
All of the above assumes a six month pace- however, starting in the middle of the trail, in the easier terrain, makes building your trail legs easier and faster; so if you want them- bigger days will come faster than a traditional NOBO or SOBO hike.
In addition, southern services can thin out or even close up as the season is long over. If you aren't doing maildrops you could find yourself struggling a bit to find stove fuel and other common items as the folks down there tend not to reorder supplies late in the season. Some hostels and other services are limited as well. Going south first assures you that you'll be travelling in both areas when all services are available.
I would seriously consider HFGA HFMA, not sure what the ATC calls it but I call it Having Fun to Georgia, Having Fun to Maine- and it's the best hike in my not so humble opinion.
best of luck

[Lauriep]

Hi Conure,

Many of the Harpers Ferry Head Start thru-hikers I've talked to who started in May really liked that choice and felt it had many advantages in terms of terrain, weather, crowd avoidance, and other conditions. This version puts you into the stream of early northbounders. There's no way you can keep up with them, and you absolutely shouldn't try when you start out. But, in time, you'll get your trail legs and will be able to keep up with them. Either way, at least you'll have companionship in the shelters at night with fellow long-distance hikers if you feel like it. Many hikers think they want solitude, but most find true solitude lonely, boring, and uninspiring after days or weeks on end. You will encounter day-hikers on weekends if you start from Harpers Ferry in April, but that won’t give you the same connection you would feel with other long-distance hikers.

If you began a Head Start thru-hike in April, especially the first half of the month, it would be a very lonely hike, and the landscape is still rather desolate. Most years you would end up chasing winter's tail most of the way north. And you should plan on reaching the Green Mountain National Forest (the Vermont border) not before the beginning of June to avoid the worst of mud season.

This year, we saw only about 30 northbound thru-hikers in Harpers Ferry by April, and all but six were in the last 10 days of the month. We ended the northbound season with 1130.
Recently I talked to a 2013 Head Start thru-hiker here in Harpers Ferry who was getting ready to begin the second leg of his hike. He had done the first half of his hike from Harpers Ferry in May, and actually felt he started too early. He wished he had started the beginning of June or further south, because he had too much solitude. He wanted to be close to the middle of the bubble after having hiked alone so much. This year, even though we did end up with a record number of northbounders reaching Harpers Ferry, we were behind as much as 30% early in the season over last year due to the snow down South in March and April). He did like the weather and everything else about the first half of the hike except the somewhat strange experience of being on Katahdin with all the northbounders when they were finishing and celebrating, and he still had a thousand miles to go.

The idea of starting by hiking south from Harpers Ferry seems to have a natural appeal, but in reality it is the least popular option by those who have attempted it. (The drop-out rate seems high, too). We've gotten negative feedback from some who’ve done or attempted it. It's a very lonely hike, because very few people are walking long distances southbound at that time of year. You meet all the northbound thru-hikers, but in the form of a wave or nod as you pass on the Trail, or a single night in a shelter or in town. It seems to work best for couples.

Also, you can encounter snow in Shenandoah well into April. Ice storms are common in March, even into the beginning of April. In winter and early spring, the park (which in summer has one of the highest concentrations of services on the entire A.T.) is one of the more remote places on the Trail when Skyline Drive is shut down due to snow. Services aren't in full swing well into May.

That's not to say that a thru-hike starting in Harpers Ferry and going south might not be perfect for some--there is obvious enthusiasm in this thread for it.

If you'd like to talk to some people who have completed alternative thru-hikes, email me at [email protected] and I can send you some names and contact info.

Good luck, and we look forward to seeing you in Harpers Ferry on your thru-hike!

Laurie P.
ATC

[fou]

ATC suggests Wrap-arounds starting either May in HF or April in Damascus heading north. Any ideas on starting at Bland in mid-April? We'd like to start in April, but Damascus is not as easy to get to via bus (Bluefield WV - then shuttle). We'd be coming back to Bland and heading south to finish.

Biggest concerns are: weather, bug season in NE. We want to avoid crowded shelters and snow as much as possible.

[Slo-go'en]

ATC suggests Wrap-arounds starting either May in HF or April in Damascus heading north. Any ideas on starting at Bland in mid-April? We'd like to start in April, but Damascus is not as easy to get to via bus (Bluefield WV - then shuttle). We'd be coming back to Bland and heading south to finish.

Biggest concerns are: weather, bug season in NE. We want to avoid crowded shelters and snow as much as possible.

Trial days is middle of May in Damascus, so you don't want to start then, there A good place to start is Marion, VA as there is a bus station there and it easy to get to the trail from there. Marion is about 30 trail miles north of Damacus and not too far south of Bland, and due to the proximity of the bus station, is more practical then Damascus or Bland.

I think April is too early to start hiking in VA, but you don't want to run into the Trail days crowd, so starting the first week of May would keep you ahead of the big bubble for at least a little while. But even with Trail days, there are way fewer thru hikers out since many of them never made it that far or are spread out.

[fou]

Thanks. Wouldn't starting at Marion put me at Mt. Rogers? I know we don't want to be there early in the season.

[fou]

Trial days is middle of May in Damascus, so you don't want to start then, there A good place to start is Marion, VA as there is a bus station there and it easy to get to the trail from there. Marion is about 30 trail miles north of Damacus and not too far south of Bland, and due to the proximity of the bus station, is more practical then Damascus or Bland.

I think April is too early to start hiking in VA, but you don't want to run into the Trail days crowd, so starting the first week of May would keep you ahead of the big bubble for at least a little while. But even with Trail days, there are way fewer thru hikers out since many of them never made it that far or are spread out.

Wow. That is a great starting point! Thanks!!!!