Starting Thru-Hike in ME headed SOBO starting March 1st....Good/Bad idea? comments?

[Mountain Tech]

A little concerned about the cold temps/snow up in ME beginning Mar 1. Never been to ME so I'm sure its very cold.

Just wondering whether its at all feasible to camp/hike in this area at this time of year considering snow/ice/trails and how this would affect miles/day, trail pace, health conditions, food/water etc. . . .

any comments really appreciated especially if anyone has ever done it !

[Doc Mike]

why march in ME?

[johnnybgood]

Baxter State Park in Maine doesn't open till June .

[mountain squid]

Personally, I wouldn't it even consider it and it might not even be possible (you probably won't be able to climb Katahdin anyway). Check out Baxter State Park website for more info. I also think you should be VERY concerned about the "cold temps/snow".

If you are already extremely familiar with cold weather camping/hiking you might be OK and might enjoy it but some thoughts other than the weather:

probably no other hikers
short days
low mileage days (trudging thru snow will not be easy)
hostels closed
other establishments closed
Kennebec River crossing
100 Mile Wilderness (if you get stuck/injured, it might not be possible for rescue or at least very difficult)
The Whites
just in general very dangerous

See you on the trail,
mt squid

how to hike

[Blissful]

No way Jose.

[Just a Hiker]

Not advisable for the reasons already mentioned. Just to put it into a little perspective....March is still Winter time in Maine, and the ski resorts on Saddleback and Sugarloaf will still be making snow.

[mountain squid]

A couple more thoughts:

route finding (if the trail is snow covered it will be very easy to get lost since you won't see the footpath)
blaze finding (blazes are white and difficult to see on a snow covered tree)

(Per the BSP website the park has winter activities.)

See you on the trail,
mt squid

[weary]

A little concerned about the cold temps/snow up in ME beginning Mar 1. Never been to ME so I'm sure its very cold.

Just wondering whether its at all feasible to camp/hike in this area at this time of year considering snow/ice/trails and how this would affect miles/day, trail pace, health conditions, food/water etc. . . .

any comments really appreciated especially if anyone has ever done it !

This is virtually impossible for someone who does not have extensive winter backpacking experience in a northern state. Aside from the fact that Baxter is closed all winter to all who don't have winter alpine experience and is hiking with a group of four, you can expect at least 3 feet of snow, and perhaps more, through the mountains of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

You would need wear snowshoes, and carry crampons and an ice axe, and know how to use them.

It certainly is feasible to camp and hike in this area at that time of year. I did it two or three trips a year for 25 years. But I always watched the weather forecasts and backed off when conditions got dangerous. Under winter conditions, I rarely planned to walk more than 4 or 5 miles a day, especially when we had to break trail in deep snow.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Starting Thru-Hike in ME headed SOBO starting March 1st....Good/Bad idea?

Really bad idea. If you have the window of opportunity to hike at that time go NOBO. Don't even think of SOBO until mid-June, and July 1 is better.

[Toolshed]

I'd listen well to Weary's advice (although we never seem to agree on anything else ). Having spent a lot of winters in the DAKs, snowshoeing, peakbagging and BC Skiing, it can be very brutal. At elevation, you will likely find the trail-blazes at knee level or lower (If you can find them at all), Due to the high levels of accumulation. You will need to spend a lot of time melting snow/ixe for water, unless you can chop through a covered stream with your ice axe - sometimes 4-6 feet deep, so that you can just barely hear the running water underneath the icepack.
Then there is resupply, if you survive, that is. With many backroads/tote roads/Logging Roads closed in late winter/early spring, you would be hard-pressed to get into a town unless you were lucky enough to hitch a ride on a snowmobile.... I'd certainly wait....

[bigcranky]

I suppose you want to "walk home" to Georgia? Understandable. But starting March 1 on a thru-hike from Katahdin is just not going to work. Start in mid-June; you'll be a happier camper.

If you want to start March 1, go to Springer and start walking north. It'll be plenty cold there.

[Slo-go'en]

To give you an idea, when I left for Springer the first week of April this last spring, there was still 3 feet of snow in my yard in the valley and 12 feet of snow up at the higher elevations.

Snow depths are at thier peak in mid March to early April. Once it starts to melt in mid April, thats the start of mud season and you really, really don't want to be on these trails during mud season!

[peakbagger]

Seriously consider a flip flop hike starting south of New England. March in Me and northern NH is not time to be on the trail. Unlike the south, civilization of any kind may be 2 or 3 days walking. Finding the trail in spots will be a nightmare and your daily mileage may be in the 6 to 8 mile range. There really isnt a option for ultralightgear in winter, so plan on a baseweight thats triple of what a NOBO gets away with. Plan on carrying a lot more food as resupply is a lot more rare.

In general a real bad idea.

[DapperD]

A little concerned about the cold temps/snow up in ME beginning Mar 1. Never been to ME so I'm sure its very cold.

Just wondering whether its at all feasible to camp/hike in this area at this time of year considering snow/ice/trails and how this would affect miles/day, trail pace, health conditions, food/water etc. . . .

any comments really appreciated especially if anyone has ever done it !

Here's an old thread about someone wanting to begin a Southbound thru-hike in October that you may find interesting:http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...y-October-2010

[hikerboy57]

try a traverse of the presidentials in december as a prep hike.it'll give you some idea of what you'd have in store for march.
or you could try a winter ascent of denali.

[sixhusbands]

Many folks will give you advice ( most of it is good) as to why not take on a trek like this under adverse conditions. Yes , you are not allowed in Baxter until June, but you can start the trail there and come back some day and climb the last few miles. Yes the Kennebec river will pose as a problem crossing but it always does even in summer. ( so you are going to get wet.. have the planning to get warm and dry when you cross). There will be lots of snow and cold ( have the cold weather gear and go slow). You will be alone most of the time , that is a given! You will be carrying a heavier pack ( more clothes, food and gear). You will need to keep your water from freezing ( surprisingly you loose a lot during the cold weather).

That being said , if it is your dream to do this hike in the winter and you are well prepared , then DO IT! and come back and tell us all about it.

good luck

[Snowleopard]

This is one of those questions where, if you have to ask it, you don't know enough to do it safely.
Winter hiking in the north can be tough. To hike any distance in mid winter you would have to get experience first. AMC and ADK.org have winter hiking/camping/climbing courses that I'd recommend.

But, once the snow starts melting, conditions can become very very dangerous and difficult. Just think about hiking in 10' of slushy snow with the occasional stream flowing underneath it. I'd think you'd run into these conditions someplace in northern New England with a March start.

If you're set on starting in March, start in Springer NOBO. Starting SOBO from Katahdin in June is OK, but the black flies can be fierce.

[weary]

Many folks will give you advice ( most of it is good) as to why not take on a trek like this under adverse conditions. Yes , you are not allowed in Baxter until June, but you can start the trail there and come back some day and climb the last few miles. Yes the Kennebec river will pose as a problem crossing but it always does even in summer. ( so you are going to get wet.. have the planning to get warm and dry when you cross). There will be lots of snow and cold ( have the cold weather gear and go slow). You will be alone most of the time , that is a given! You will be carrying a heavier pack ( more clothes, food and gear). You will need to keep your water from freezing ( surprisingly you loose a lot during the cold weather).

That being said , if it is your dream to do this hike in the winter and you are well prepared , then DO IT! and come back and tell us all about it.

good luck

There's a great deal of difference between crossing the Kennebec in August and crossing it in March -- possibly's a life's difference. If you don't believe it, wade through any winter stream in the north on a 10 degree day and see how cold your feet will get while you sit and change your socks. Then imagine how it will feel should you trip and fall while wading the Kennebec dodging floating ice cakes.

Remember you'll have about 10 minutes before deadly hypothermia sets in. I've known several people who have attempted to traverse Maine in winter. One very experienced couple have been doing in a few days at a time over several years. (They crossed the Kennebec in a hired canoe.) A solo hiker was forced to skip great sections. Resupply in winter was just too difficult, since he was averaging only 3 or 4 miles a day, breaking a path in deep snow by himself.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Snowleopard pretty much nailed it with, "If you have to ask. . ."

Seriously, this is an extremely dangerous undertaking, and even more so solo. Conditions here in ME and NH can be as bad as an Arctic or Himalayan expedition, even in March - as in "lose a glove, lose a hand". Inexperienced, overambitious, arrogant type people DIE here, and that ain't no bull.

Can it be done? Absolutely. But unlike a NOBO hike, the skills required to hike ME and NH in winter simply can't be safely learned as you go.

[RITBlake]

A little concerned about the cold temps/snow up in ME beginning Mar 1. Never been to ME so I'm sure its very cold.

Just wondering whether its at all feasible to camp/hike in this area at this time of year considering snow/ice/trails and how this would affect miles/day, trail pace, health conditions, food/water etc. . . .

any comments really appreciated especially if anyone has ever done it !

With all due respect this is a very bad idea.