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May to Oct hike
> Will there be any reasonable chance of finishing a traditional GA -> ME
> thru hike if we start around 5/5? If so, will it have to be rushed to a
> marathon pace?
I know several people who started around May 1 in various years and all of them
made it to the 'Big K' before the park closed. One woman I know started May 1
at Springer (actually Amicolola Falls) and finished September 30th. She could
have climbed Katahdin on the 28th, but she was waiting for a friend so they
could climb it together. South to north, starting in May, you should have
some company along the way. Many colleges have terms that finish the 1st week
in May so you will have a high percentage of college-age folks out there.
You could start at Kathadin and go south. Apparently, that is a whole other
ballgame from conversations with friends who were Southbounders through the
years. It is certainly worth considering, but I'm glad I finished at Katahdin
after 6 years of section hiking. Didn't seem to bother those southbounders I
know to finish at Springer. I think they were just glad to finish.
You can always decide to flipflop somewhere along the trail if you go with the
traditional S-N hike. John Newman