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[at-l] Re: Last practical start date

hopeful wrote:
>I have been wondering how late in the year a GA>ME hiker could start
>without getting into weather problems. I'm mostly thinking of winter
>weather up on the north end. 

it all depends on your speed.

figure a strong likelihood of winter-type weather any time after early
sept, though not often sustained, and there's a chance katahdin could be
closed by oct 1 (rare, tho they may close the peak on a day-to-day basis
before permanently closing it for the winter).

then start counting backwards, based on what kind of avereage mileage you
think you can do.  my hike took exactly 5 months - march 13 to aug 12.
that comes out to about 14.5 miles a day average.  this, of course,
includes all days off, about a total of two weeks.

with the trail now at 2160 miles, an average of 18 miles a day is exactly
120 days - 4 months on the dot.  if you're willing to end oct 1, you could
start as late as june 1 with an 18 mile a day average.  (that is Curious
George speed, certainly not unheard of, but uncommon none the less).

me, i could never start that late because of the heat.  i suppose i'd get
used to it, but i'd rather get used to the cold.

if you don't think you'd do well in winter weather, you should be thinking
about finishing before mid september (and you're still not guaranteed
snowless passage).

then there's the flip-flop.  start june 1, hike to aug 1 - somewhere
between damascus and shenandoah - go to katahdin, and start hiking south.
that probably gives you till mid-november in the terrain you'll be covering
before you'd be as likely to see the kind of weather you'd see at katahdin
in late sept.  (is this about right, mid-atlantic dwellers?).  that's 5 1/2
months - a much more reasonable time frame.

happy planning...

mike
ke kaahawe
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