Why You May Want To Reconsider an Early Start

[rafe]

You deal with cold, or you deal with hot. Or both. Or section hike, and always do you sections in the best season... like August-September. Works for me.

[hammock engineer]

So... as a guy who used to hike a bit ( though no super star) I'm getting back into it. I've never been a winter hiker, and have really not enjoyed most of the last couple of months of hiking, just in the NY area. If I do this next year, I'll invest in crampons (gosh, should I as a sobo starting in june?)!

I'm planning on starting in ME on june 1 and realize that I'm not going to have too much fun in the cold to begin with. Probably even less fun in the cold to end with! In any case, I can understand Mr. Happy for bailing in the short term on the cold. I can also understand Just Jim for being frustrated that folks don't prepare for the cold.


As one that does prepare for the cold (though not for ice or snow travel!) ( and I think mr. happy probably didn't miss full prep by much ), I still don't enjoy it. I'm really starting to doubt my own chances for a all-at-once-thru just because I don't want to deal with too much cold at the beginning or end of the trip.

As prepared as I can be, I just don't enjoy it as much as spring time temps through out I'll give it a good try, and then consider sectioning if I realy can't stand it.

So.. I can understand the original post... sometimes it may be best to find a good temperature (start date) to start at, but keep in mind that cold will still be a factor at some point, unless you are quick all the way through and nature plays friendly the whole way. Keep in mind, I'm speaking as a potential sobo... nobos may be able to go all the way without severe cold... I really haven't done too much research into that... gosh really of track now!

Plan and test the best you can. After that all that is left is to wing it and roll with the punches. Of course I am one of those people who choose to do day hikes in the cold, rain, snow, hot, sunny, cloudy, night, day, or basically any time I can. Usually the worse the weather the bigger the smile on my face. Funny this is when I would see other people on those day (all be it few and far between) they were usually enjoying it too.

Too me if you can prepare right, any weather conditions can be fun. I choose to go out on all the bad days or sleep in the backyard on the sub zero days or rain storms. But now I know I can handle anything thrown my way.

BTW I am shooting for June 1st too. Hopefully I'll see you out there.

[hammock engineer]

Forgot to add, I have a pair of crampons that I can have sent to me if I need them. Found a good pair that weighs in at just over a pound. Haven't used them yet though. Not much use for them in Ohio.

[MrHappy]

In terms of gear, I was pretty well prepared for the cold weather. I had a ten-degree bag and I usually sleep very warm (I like to use a 0* even on -20 new england winter nights), a fairly decent tent, nalgenes to use as hot water bottles, and plenty of fleece. Later I added a silk liner to my sleeping bag. The only thing I was really missing was a down jacket or vest.

What I wasn't prepared for was how physically exhausted I would be after day after day of mile after mile, and how much more difficult that made it to deal with the cold, as well as my emotions.

Just by taking two weeks off as I did, it made all of the difference in the world. By the time I got back to the trail I was with other people - great people - and the temperatures were more like 20* at night instead of 0*. I was actually sweating inside my sleeping bag most nights.

Also, just because I couldn't handle it (or at least, didn't want to), doesn't mean others couldn't. G.H.O.S.T and a few others who started BEFORE me are now in PA or NJ I think.

[Marta]

Going SOBO or starting early NOBO, there's the cold, but there's also the dark. The long dark hours are pretty hard to deal with, night after night. Not impossible, but hard.

None of the obstacles of winter hiking are insurmountable--the cold, the dark, the loneliness. But they do make most hikers wonder what the heck they're doing out there. Whether it's worth it or not is up to the individual.

I vastly prefer hiking in shallow snow to hiking in the rain. I think snow is beautiful and fun. But the long nights on the wrong side of the equinoxes...that's a challenge.

Marta/Five-Leaf

[MrHappy]

Going SOBO or starting early NOBO, there's the cold, but there's also the dark. The long dark hours are pretty hard to deal with, night after night. Not impossible, but hard.

None of the obstacles of winter hiking are insurmountable--the cold, the dark, the loneliness. But they do make most hikers wonder what the heck they're doing out there. Whether it's worth it or not is up to the individual.

I vastly prefer hiking in shallow snow to hiking in the rain. I think snow is beautiful and fun. But the long nights on the wrong side of the equinoxes...that's a challenge.

Marta/Five-Leaf

I personally couldn't agree more with just about everything you've said here. I love snow, hate rain, and the darkness was very mentally challenging.

[minnesotasmith]

My last day as I headed north out of the Park saw 5 miles of 11" of snow. 'Nuff said.

[Johnny Swank]

Going SOBO or starting early NOBO, there's the cold, but there's also the dark. The long dark hours are pretty hard to deal with, night after night. Not impossible, but hard.

None of the obstacles of winter hiking are insurmountable--the cold, the dark, the loneliness. But they do make most hikers wonder what the heck they're doing out there. Whether it's worth it or not is up to the individual.

I vastly prefer hiking in shallow snow to hiking in the rain. I think snow is beautiful and fun. But the long nights on the wrong side of the equinoxes...that's a challenge.

Marta/Five-Leaf

Amen. I'm positive that I night-hiked at least 150-200 miles on my SOBO. I love to hike at dusk (and dawn if I can drag myself up) though. YMMV

[hammock engineer]

Amen. I'm positive that I night-hiked at least 150-200 miles on my SOBO. I love to hike at dusk (and dawn if I can drag myself up) though. YMMV

Good thing I invested in a good headlamp.

Think the hammock will help in making site selection easier too.