Overcrowding puts undue pressure on, and inflicts damage to, the finite number of shelters and campsites, and on the springs and streams and local wildlife in and around the finite number of A.T. shelters and campsites. After years of weekend hiking in the Ohio and Tennessee valley regions, Joe (aka "Triton") hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in 2011. Close. My greatest problem during cold weather hiking is keeping my hands and feet warm (really my hands, but would like suggestions regarding feet too). One trick I learned about sleeping in the cold is to eat a chunk of cheese (or any fatty food) before sleep, so that the slow burning fat will provide fuel for your body all through the night. Emerging from a frozen wilderness with windburn and a ravenous, bearlike hunger, it is only inevitable that a hiker will spend more time (and money) in town when the weather gets cold or snowy. Thanks for your support! You can avoid crowded conditions almost completely and make an even more positive impact by selecting an alternate start location. Starting my thru hike at the end of February! My plan includes 18 estimated zero/nero days which gives me 220 days to hike the full distance of the trail. Great timely post as I’m also hike the AT in the Spring but haven’t made up my mind, where or when to start. Month after month and year after year, thousands of volunteers return to the Appalachian Trail to protect and preserve its legacy. Do have fun. Voluntary registration allows you to know in advance when overcrowding will exist and to adjust your thru-hike start date or type of thru-hike to your advantage. taking into account terrain, resupply points, shelters, and other factors. Not surprisingly, he didn’t have much to say with the southern terminus fewer than forty miles away. Night hiking on frozen trail is not advisable. Snow, if it is high, makes the trail impassible for most hikers who lack snow shoes. A Western Kentucky University dropout, he holds degrees from the University of Louisville and Spalding University. I was happy to see that there are already quite a few people voluntarily signing up. This site has an awesome, automated planner that will “dynamically create a plan based on your hiking style, terrain and other important factors”. In the past, there have been storms that have waylaid early hikers on the AT, so carrying an extra day of food or two in between resupplies isn't a bad idea either, at least for the first few weeks. I know a lot of people that started in Feb that had to quit/get off trail due to conditions. Speaking of comfort, there is the “problem” of towns. I am currently in my mid-life, maybe a mid-life crisis, maybe a mid-life rebirth. But in recent years, the northbound A.T. thru-hike experience has been ​​spoiled by severe overcrowding at the southern end of the Trail. Taking 4 days off in harpers ferry. North Georgia in February can be warm and sunny– or a cold, hard land. You can help break this damaging use pattern! FYI it will be cold every morning you get up. If you have any other helpful tips feel free to email me. Our CFC number: 12230. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media and analytics partners. I’m planning my NOBO hike Mid Feb 2018. These no-cost classes are designed with thru-hikers in mind, but any hiker can attend. I am currently a pretty slow hiker, which means that all those folks starting on March 1st will certainly pass me up. His writing has appeared in print or online in River Styx, The Louisville Review, the Prose Poem Project. The problem most February starters discover immediately is the lack of sunlight for hiking. A warm bed next to a hot motel heater with a large pizza for one person makes for the memories of a lifetime. So far, I am one of 3 people registered to start on February 18th. This seems ok, until I think of snow and ice. I am more concerned about entering the Smoky Mountains so early though. Day hiking recently on Georgia’s Blood Mountain, I spotted a SOBO (southbound) thru hiker. When too many people are crammed together at A.T. overnight sites, vegetation is trampled, trash accumulates, wildlife may become habituated to human food and unsanitary conditions can ruin the traditional natural A.T. experience. A February start is recommended only for those with experience backpacking in winter conditions in steep, mountainous terrain. Starting an Appalachian Trail NOBO Thru-Hike in February Day hiking recently on Georgia’s Blood Mountain, I spotted a SOBO (southbound) thru hiker. If you start in the cold weather, you’ll piss your money away on town comforts. It sounds like you are doing lots of research and prep. My advice is to be prepared to knee deep snow a couple of times along your trek starting this early. Starting earlier in February means hiking in colder temperatures longer and hiking in deeper snow, with far fewer hikers around. Lost count of those! Thanks for your support! You have definitely done your research! Nutella may freeze solid, but hard boiled eggs and cheese make great trail food. I am a wife, mother, sister, daughter. Also check out the National Park Service information for the Smokys. I was hiking for over a week in the winter sun thinking, “Gee, this isn’t so bad.” Then the elevation picked up in North Carolina, and the wet stuff happened. To learn more, please visit the About This Site page. Sometimes it was scary (the weather–snow) and sometimes it was magnificent. To learn more, please visit the About This Site page. The web sites you mentioned will be a great help.I have kicked around the idea of starting the Jan 1st and bring snowshoes. My current plan estimates me arriving in Damascus on May 16th. I have picked my start date! Awesome info. Archived. These no-cost classes are designed with thru-hikers in mind, but any hiker can … National Park Service information for the Smokys, [Book Review] The Trail is the Teacher: Living and Learning on the Appalachian Trail, I Need Some Space: Hiking with Partners, Solo, and with Trail Families, The Appalachian Trail State by State Overview: Highlights, Hiker Tips, Maps, and More, Appalachian Trail State Profile: Maryland, Appalachian Trail State Profile: West Virginia, Five Things I Wish I'd Known Before Hiking the Triple Crown, Power to Petites: Thru-Hiking Tips for Small Women, Southbound Thru-Hikers: The Appalachian Trail Hiker Survey, This Artist's Illustrations Highlight Challenges Faced by BIPOC Thru-Hikers, Help Wanted: Beer Drinking Appalachian Trail Hiker. 2020 events have underlined the importance of the Cooperative Management System in achieving the vision of a protected Appalachian Trail for everyone. Our site relies heavily on Javascript. The tool automatically updates and even gives you warnings (see red numbers spreadsheet column) if your resupply is over 7 days. Take care. How do I describe who I am? It also gives a slower (often older) person more time to get to Maine. Hi Cindy, In this mid-life chapter, I am reevaluating what's important and who I am. The average snowfall in April is 5”. I completely lucked out there. Crowding intensifies because prospective thru-hikers have tended to start in Georgia around specific dates, such as March 1, March 17, and especially April 1 and weekends. I’m serious. Make sure you do a lot of research on what all … You will see snow. Read everything you can about hypothermia and prevent yourself from being killed by it. I am a Criminologist, researcher, and PhD. Please enable it for the best experience. Starting a hike Georgia after April 15 and then planning to “flip” mid-trail also offers the benefits of avoiding crowds and hiking in milder weather. Starting NOBO in February, you’ll have your solitude, but you may bond tightly with the people you’ll meet. It is probably foolish to plan a February start (though I’ve done it twice) because winter weather is always unpredictable, but if you can be flexible and work around the weather, you can pull it off. Classes will be held throughout the day as hikers arrive. Do your research. We’ll have great party and snowball fight. It can be really magical. However depending on how much snow is on the ground I’m going to give myself a two week window. There are so many ways to describe myself, but not one that encompasses the many layers of my life. For many, the thru-hike is an adventure of a lifetime. I estimate entering the Smoky Mountains at Fontana Dam around March 21st. Winter hiking provides an extended meditation on the mammalian body. You can enter the date you think you want to start, use a slider tool to estimate your speed from “record pace” to “very relaxed,” and the planner will estimate the number of miles per day, zero days, etc. Don’t take my word for it. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy— in partnership with the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club and the U.S. Forest Service—will be holding daily classes every day from mid-February through April at Amicalola Falls State Park, the beginning of the approach trail to the A.T. and the most popular place to begin a northbound thru-hike. One of the hardest things for me starting so early was (did not expect this) the no green anywhere. My son and I are planning a Spring 2017 thru-hike and we have been discussing a mid-Feb. start time for the reason of missing the huge crowd start out and allowing us to see the woods in winter time. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy— in partnership with the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club and the U.S. Forest Service—will be holding daily classes every day from mid-February through April at Amicalola Falls State Park, the beginning of the approach trail to the A.T. and the most popular place to begin a northbound thru-hike. I don't have any advice for your car, but if you are planning a February start date, make sure you are prepared for extremely cold temps. Leaving so early in the season, I’m concerned about being ready for cold temperatures. Those considering a thru-hike know the A.T. is one of the world’s most popular long-distance hiking destinations. [Book Review] The Trail is the Teacher: Living and Learning on the Appalachian Trail, I Need Some Space: Hiking with Partners, Solo, and with Trail Families, The Appalachian Trail State by State Overview: Highlights, Hiker Tips, Maps, and More, Appalachian Trail State Profile: Maryland, Appalachian Trail State Profile: West Virginia, Five Things I Wish I'd Known Before Hiking the Triple Crown, Power to Petites: Thru-Hiking Tips for Small Women, Southbound Thru-Hikers: The Appalachian Trail Hiker Survey, This Artist's Illustrations Highlight Challenges Faced by BIPOC Thru-Hikers, Help Wanted: Beer Drinking Appalachian Trail Hiker. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Short days and long nights means extended time in the sleeping bag. A hiker should always be prepared, but a February NOBO start requires extra precaution in deference to the cold. When you register, you can see how many other people have registered and what day they plan to begin. Keep yourself safe. All of your life you’ve been looking for the big answer, and here you have it. I have picked my start date! Meanwhile, 2016’s NOBO hikers are planning and dreaming. Hiking NOBO in 2011, my first eleven days were sunny or without precipitation. That is a pretty significant difference.