sending winter stuff home, where / when ?
When & /or where to send winter stuff home ? and pick up when farther north ?
Depends on when you start and how fast you hike. So "when" is a better answer than "where." On my thru, everyone told me "Pearisburg." Well, I hiked too fast and got there in early May. After a couple of very cold nights just north of there, I heard better advice--the Trail Days weekend (mid-May), no matter where you are. That would have been Waynesboro for me. On the north end, I can't help you--again, I hiked fast and got done in mid-July so it wasn't needed in my case.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
Send it home when it starts to get warm. In my opinion, you can't plan for it.
I sent my stuff home in Waynesboro, VA and never picked it up again. I had a few cold nights in Maine, but I just took my Tyvec ground sheet and wrapped myself in it.
You'll figure it out, what's right for you. You DO NOT need to know everything to do a happy safe hike. There is no right or wrong or correct blanket answer. Embrace a certain amount of uncertainty. Don't fight it. Don't fear it. You'll need to figure things out as you go to some degree.
IMHO, this is as close to as a right answer you can get: "Send it home when it starts to get warm. In my opinion, you can't plan for it."
"send it home when it starts to get warm" - but make sure it's gonna stay warm! 3-4 really hot summer like days does NOT mean its gonna stay that way - I learned that the hard way... (sent some extra clothes home, only to have it get chilly again and rain nearly everyday for the next month!)
Late May is usually a good bet, for those who start around the 1st of April, that is typically around Pearisburg, VA.
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At the time I hiked in 2002 the conventional wisdom was don't send home your winter gear until after April 15th and after you pass Roan mountain. So I sent my warm clothing home from Elk Park, NC and then on May 21st woke up to snow just outside of Pearisburg. So there really isn't a good answer to this question. Cold weather can happen anytime anywhere.
Ran into folks who sent stuff home in Damascus and wish they had not the next day on top of Mt Rogers
This past season hikers sent there stuff home Memorial Day weekend in Waynesboro and frozein Shenandoah. The weather is unpredictable.
Usually mothers day weekend is when the threat of frost has passed...at least in the NY/NJ/CT area...probably around that time
I waited a little later than this. It actually snowed on me in VA on Mother's Day on my Thru this year. Didn't stick. But it was cool. I didn't send stuff back until Waynesboro, VA (started AT on 3/21 & finished 8/19 for reference).Originally Posted by A.T.Lt
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