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  1. #21
    Clueless Weekender
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oppenheimer View Post
    No weather truly bothers me, just thought I'd ask the question in case it was like the PCT and the snow gets so bad making it improbable to go any other time than April through to October. I can get winter gear no problem, crampons/micro spikes and ice axe I presume among other things?
    Many, many other things. Here's ADK's checklist for a winter day trip, and for a winter section hike. The student handbook has a lot more details.

    You can see the size of packs that my buddy Chris and I were carrying for a winter day trip. Yes, a day trip. Oh, by the way, it's hard to see in the picture, but this is about a four- or five-foot snowpack. Up above, the wind blasted the ridge clear and it was all ice. We switched to crampons on the ledge in the next picture.


    Falling off this, or getting pinned down by weather up here, would really have been dangerous. (It's been about five years since a hiker last died on that particular mountain, but it happens. Here we're getting ready to change out to ice axes and crampons for the final push to the summit.


    You need that level of preparation - including the level of training provided by ADK Winter School, or the similar programs that AMC and a few other clibs offer - to be safe on the Northeast 4000ers in winter. A few hikers die there every winter. Do not be one of them.

    Incidentally, Katahdin doesn't close - but support to AT hikers ceases no later than October 15 and weather-related closings become much more likely. The mountain is open for winter climbing. It used to be that the rangers would want to see your climbing résumé and check your gear before issuing a permit. I don't know the current rules.
    I always know where I am. I'm right here.

  2. #22

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    Winter is the best time heading north. We left on 12/30 in 2014 for our thru. We went for weeks without seeing another person on the trail. It wasn't until around Shenandoah that some speedy hikers caught up to us. We had about 400 miles of snow to hike in, and several nights that were below zero. Best piece of advise is to ALWAYS make sure you have dry cloths for camp. I don't care what people on here say about saving weight, and all that crap. There's nothing worse than hiking in snow/sleet all day, and have to wear wet clothing at camp.
    AT15
    OT15

  3. #23
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    I don't do much camping in winter but when I do my pack is 35+ lbs., compared to 25 lbs. in summer. For winter day trips in the White Mountains, probably 20+ lbs., just for spares, traction devices and overnight survival gear. You'd need snow shoes, crampons and micro-spikes. Yes, all three. Be prepared to change between traction devices frequently (as my hiking partner and I did, just two days ago.) Long distance hiking in winter is seriously tough stuff, particularly on the northern part of the AT. But blizzards and whiteouts can and do happen on the high peaks of the south as well.

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oppenheimer View Post
    Hey all. The title pretty much explains itself

    Many thanks!

    <3
    Quote Originally Posted by Oppenheimer View Post
    No weather truly bothers me, just thought I'd ask the question in case it was like the PCT and the snow gets so bad making it improbable to go any other time than April through to October. I can get winter gear no problem, crampons/micro spikes and ice axe I presume among other things?
    Quote Originally Posted by Oppenheimer View Post
    So essentially if I wanted to start in September I'd have to go Northbound or if I went Southbound I would not make Katahdin?
    Quote Originally Posted by Oppenheimer View Post
    I was thinking of doing the entire thing, Springer to Katahdin.

    * A typical thru hike takes 5 or 6 months.
    * Northbound thru hikers typically start in Spring, though a few start in winter.
    * Northbound thru hikers might get a bit of snow at either end of their hike.
    * Southbound hikers typically start mid-summer, in June or July.
    * Southbound hikers are likely to see winter at the end. Obviously more likely to do si if they start late.
    * Southbound hikers are likely to see nasty insects and high streams if they start before June.
    * Katahdin doesn't exactly "close" in winter but access is restricted (even more than in summer)
    * After October 15, access to Katahdin gets tricky.
    * In a typical winter, long-distance hiking in New England between, say, November and May is most likely much harder than you imagine.
    * You can break up a thru hike into multiple segments done in different directions, etc. Many variations are possible.
    * If you must be on the trail in the dead of winter, at least be on the southern or central part, not NH or ME.


    These are all general guidelines, not rules. But as they say, you gotta know how to play the game before you can break the rules. Read a few reference works or trail journals to learn about the weather obstacles that thru hikers contend with. There are movies and videos as well. There are sound reasons for completing the trail northbound between spring and fall (probably >90% of successful thru hikes.) The next step up in ruggedness is the sobo hike between, say, July and December. And learn about flip-flop (hybrid) approaches, to avoid crowds.

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