sobo sept 26th
hey,
any winter hiking veterans with info,tips on clothing and trail location?? would love your help~!~
sobo in Sept
Think lots of water crossings and being wet a lot, cold nights and cool breezy days and rain.
Do one thing everyday...that makes you happy...
well, the wet cool and breezy doesnt concern me as much as a massive dump of snow and staying on the trail? has this been a problem for you?
A late SOBO start and Winter hiking on the AT will definately have it's challenges, but is certainly within anyone's abilities. If you start in late September, you are going to hit the White Mountains in late October or early November which means you are going to have ever changing weather on a daily basis when you are above tree-line.......which means you will need cold weather gear for sure.
When you get to Vermont, the ski resorts will already be making snow, so you'll definately have snow around Killington and Bromley; and you might hit some early snow in Massachusetts and Connecticut as well......this is New England afterall.
After That, the weather is a crapshoot........some Winters are mild the further south you hike, and sometimes the weather is more seasonal and you'll hit snow on occasion all the way down.
Weather is only part of hiking SOBO so late in the year.........you are going to have short days and long nights while hiking in the winter, so don't waste time in the mornings before you start hiking each day. I always bring a book when I'm hiking in the winter in order to combat the long nights that start around 4pm in the Winter.
When I hike long distances in the Winter, I tend to also spend more money. When I get to town to resupply in the Winter, I usually end up staying the night; and if the weather turns bad overnight, I usually spend another night in town which will eat up a hiker's money quickly.
Also, I am a fan of the alcohol stove; however, in the Winter, the alcohol stove isn't very efficient and can be downright slow and frustrating. As such, I would advise you to maybe get a canister stove which will allow you to boil water more quickly. Further. One thing I do in the Winter when I get to wherever I'm going to camp at night is make something hot to drink while I'm setting up my tent and doing my evening chores. This will keep you warm as you cool down from hiking and it will give you something to look forward to during that last hard mile of the day. It might sound odd, but I cook instant jello mix and drink it as I'm doing my evening chores before dinner.
Good Luck!
Its possible you will have some snow in the higher elevations, say above 3000' by mid october. Big dumps don't usually come before December in the northeast, excepting possibly the Whites..
However, as to staying on the trail, it can be tricky above treeline with even a few inches of untracked snow cover. Some exposed ridges have Cairns to follow in good visibility, and some don't.
Staying on trail in the woods is usually easier, but having to go around something as simple as a blowdown can leave scratching your head on the other side of it, especially in snow. Yup, been there.
Not much trail maint. late in the year up this end so you will be negotiating blowdowns.
As for clothing, you almost have to be prepared for anything, snow, sleet, freezing rain, etc. etc.
Good waterproof boots would be a priority if it were me.
A good tent would also be up there on my list of must haves.
expect Temps ranging anywhere from 20s overnight to 70s daytime in Sept/Oct.
WALK ON
If you really need to ask you should be thinking twice about your trip. The Whites in winter conditions are not "just walking" and not a Christmas card landscape.Originally Posted by stevecvick
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
hey,
thanks alot.. yeah.. i am thinking twice. i know its doable i just wanted advice from someone that has beeen through it on some bad days. i appreciate the information so far~! keep it coming. i believe i have a pretty capable co hiker.. that is a must.
to all that gave advice,
i APPRECIATE it.. research and your imput have made me decide to keep walking but spend time on cumberland island hiking in january.. and fishing.. and then get a VERY early start noboin 2010. its not what i wanted to do.. but i cannot wait another whole year to start a sobo. i just dont feel confident in extreme winter conditions on the at by myself or with someone i dont know. at this point my main desire was to thru hike with minimal town impact and experience autumn in new england but i missed this window of opportunity.
Don't worry about the big dumps. Snow is easy to walk on (assuming you're bringing snowshoes).
I'd be more concerned about the melting snow and the ice it becomes on those long stone slabs through most of Maine and the Whites.
I, personally, wouldn't do it alone (at my age that's probably wise).
I remember the first time I got turned back by weather - rain that turned into freezing rain in the Bigelows. Halfway up the Firewarden's trail I decided to turn back. Running in the dusk in crampons, shredding my rainpants below the knees - and I still didn't make it back to my car. I camped overnight in my sleeping bag (which I've been warm in down to -20) and freezing at 32 degrees due to being dehydrated. Waking up, packing in the freezing rain and hiking back to the car only to find it perched on top of a hill which was now glare ice. The road back curved at the bottom of the hill with a pond on the left. I walked to the first house, called a tow truck (4x4 with chains) and had him tow the car out.
If I had decided to push on I might not be typing this today.
As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11
Do a flip then. Start your trip Sobo and go as far as you feel comfortable with and then flip on down and pick up the trail and hike back to where you jumped off. I met a few folks doing a three legged flip this year. They did Bear Mt NY to Southern Va ( I forget exact location). they then came back up to Bear Mt and Went North to the end and will go from VA back down to the GA for the last leg in the winter.
If you don't want to wait you could think about something like this. It does take a bit more to get all the transport to and from in place but with a bunch of calls and a few stops this can normally be done without too much of a problem.
Starting NOBO next year is probably a good choice, stevecvick. SOBO starting that late could be brutal.
You could consider doing the Long Trail in Vermont SOBO around that date or maybe a little later and hit gorgeous foliage the whole way. The weather is usually great, chilly at night and not hot in the day. Best of all, no bugs!!! It runs from 270 miles Canada down the Green Mountains to the Mass. border. The south hundred miles or so the LT and AT are on the same trail.
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