Fwd: [at-l] How to help a newbie: Part III WAS: crampons

[spiriteagle99@hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

Shane wrote:
>
>>February 1 starts add enormous complications to a thru hike and
>>there are no easy ways to avoid them. It is not something I would 
>>recommend to an inexperienced person.
>
>Me either, but his mind is made up.  Even having snow and ice experience, 
>at this phase of my life I personally would wait until March 1, or later.


Shane -
Seems there's a lot of agreement (including me) that a Feb 1 start at 
Springer isn't a real good idea.  In fact, if he'd started this year, it 
might have worked out nicely cause the weather has been cold, but there's 
been little precipitation (i.e. - the snow isn't up to your armpits).  But 
somehow those things never seem to fit with our schedule, do they?  We 
started the CDT in what I believe was one of the highest snow years in a 
long time (20 years?).  In any case, Bob might want to think about the fact 
that these things end to balance in the long run - and that next year (2003) 
"could" be the year that we get all the snow that we've missed this year  
:-))

If memory serves, Bob's problem is that he doesn't want to start with the 
March/April crowds in Georgia.  I understand that - I wouldn't do it that 
way now either.  Until recently Ginny and I thought our next AT thruhike 
would be southbound from Katahdin in order to avoid the crowds, but we 
talked about it last week and found a better way to avoid the crowds without 
going through the 6000 ft southern mountains at the worst possible time of 
year - and still finish at Katahdin.

What we'll do is to leave Harpers Ferry about March 1 headed south, which, 
for us would put us at Springer about mid-May.  We'd then return to Harpers 
Ferry and head north to Katahdin.

Advantages - we'd be starting at 3000 ft elevations instead of 4000 to 6000 
ft. That means the weather wouldn't be as miserable (or cold). And that we'd 
reduce the probability of being snowed out of the Smokies.  Bob could well 
run into sub-zero temps and deep snow in the Smokies (and/or southern 
Appalachians) in Feb and March and be forced off the Trail.

We'd be starting early enough to finish about Labor Day.  And do some more 
hiking in other places before the snow flies again. Or have the option to 
take a lot longer to finish the AT.  We'd also be starting late enough that 
a lot of the hostels and other services would be open by the time we got to 
them.

Hiking south would also give us the opportunity to meet a diminished subset 
of the Class of ?? (whatever year we go), without having to compete with 
them for resources along the way.  As the wave of thruhikers moves north, 
attrition will take its toll - and we'll meet only those who survive to 
reach wherever we meet them.  Some of them will even finish at Katahdin.

After we've turned around, we'd be hiking either with or ahead of most of 
them, but there'd be a LOT fewer of them so it would no longer be "crowded" 
on the Trail.  And we'd still finish at Katahdin - with the Class of ??.

And we won't be carrying snowshoes, crampons or skiis.  Or need Sorels. 
They're not necessary in Virginia even in Feb/Mar.  By the time we get to 
the 6000 ft peaks in NC/TN we'd be past all but the very slightest 
probability of massive snowfall.  And past the coldest weather.

One of the things a lot of people ignore is that the ATC encourages what 
they call "alternative" hikes.  Meaning doing the Trail a "different" way in 
order to miss the main "thruhiker season" in the south and relieve some of 
the pressure on the southern facilities.  See 
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hike/thru_hike/itin.html

What I'm talking about here is an "alternative" way to do the Trail.  It's 
probably pretty much what we'll do - and if Bob is willing to consider it 
(or something like it), we may be able to help him along the way in 03.  
Sorry, but the present plan is that we won't be here in 06.  Of course, that 
could change.

There are those who think this wouldn't be a thruhike because it's not a 
one-way trip from Springer to Katahdin or vice-versa.  Generally those 
people haven't done a thruhike before.  I tend to get fairly sarcstic about 
that attitude, because it shows an inflexibility that may be somewhat 
acceptable on the AT, but could kill them in other places in the world.  But 
they ARE free to hold their own opinions.  And if they're headed for an AT 
thruhike, there's the hope that they'll learn some flexibility.

Walk softly,
Jim



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