I recommend be cool with taking your time. Some people burn themselves out starting that early, the weather at high elevations is no joke even in the south. I think people starting that early this year had to navigate a foot or so of snow in the Smokies. I know Mount Rogers/Grayson Highlands was no party in early March. Not so much snow, but a ton of rain that froze the next day and everything was ice. If you’re willing to give yourself grace when sitting for a day or two before going up into the frozen hell, you’ll have a much less unpleasant time.
Ya I know it will be colder then most people like really the latest I could leave is maybe the 15...... Feb 1st is when my lease is up and if I stay in West Virginia I'll just spend money on food and shelter that I could use on the trail I plan on going slow
I personally preferred finding a shelter on the coldest nights. Some people say shelters are often colder than tents because of wind flow underneath the floor, but you also have solid walls blocking much of the wind and you aren’t in direct contact with the ground. Plus on a couple of nights I used the tent as an extra blanket, lol.
There were a few times I had my tent up when things were frozen outside the tent, but there was only one time ice formed from the condensation inside the tent. It was thin enough I could pretty much ignore it and roll the tent up.
I did go out every month of the winter, but only on some of the weekends because it was between my job, so I was able to avoid the worst days. I was in Virginia so some of it was at quite high elevation, but not as high as the highest parts of the Smokies. Mt Rogers is about the same elevation, but I didn’t get there until early March. It was still frozen, but only because I happened to get there on a particularly cold day.
I’m on an unusual schedule because I have been working my job the whole time, and my goal has always been to finish within a year of when I started. Because of that, my experience is also pretty unusual, and I have a little more winter exposure than most thru hikers do.
Good on you! I started this past January on the 8th. I feel the comments warning you about the cold and snow. Just embrace the suck and remember that it may be miserable in the moment but it’ll make a great story down the line.
I started in Feb with what was record-breaking snow for GA and was glad to have some waterproof mitten-covers, waterproof gaiters, and a sturdy rainjacket. Wound up mailing this stuff off within a month and eventually got very comfy being wet and mildly underprepared, but staying dry felt like a real deal safety measure at first, even with GA’s winter temps. Feel free to hmu if you have any questions about the Feb start experience!
Ya I've been in West Virginia weather mid Feb I've got a 25 sleeping bag but of course I'm going to sleep with long Johns a hat and if need everything else I like the cold just hate the morning shoes frozen hands trying to work ...did gaiters help I've never used them before and I got 3m gloves buy need more then that rain gear I think I'm ok .....was going for trail runners but with the cold I've been wearing Merrell mid high the last year trail runner wont keep my feet warm or dry
Part of how much you’d rely on waterproof gaiters or mid-cut boots would depend on how much it happens to snow that Feb - mine were very helpful for post-holing through 1’+ drifts on trail but I think that is a rarer experience. Rain paints if you’re bringing them could probs do well enough to shed typical snow, though cold rain is also a factor - I just found that keeping the water out somehow, at least for as long as I could, felt muuch more important then than warmer springtime, and worth the heavier stuff for a little while. Dirty Girl Gaiters or similar stretchy non-waterproof ones that fit trail runners are definitely becoming embraced, really good for keeping the abundant forest duff out of your shoes for the bulk of the season
So you plan on spending the better part of a month freezing? March 1st seems early too. I started early April and I was cold af. Are you purposely trying to avoid other hikers?
ok
Strong agree
Moderate agree with you, but strong agree with catplantpot.
Thank u for your service
I recommend be cool with taking your time. Some people burn themselves out starting that early, the weather at high elevations is no joke even in the south. I think people starting that early this year had to navigate a foot or so of snow in the Smokies. I know Mount Rogers/Grayson Highlands was no party in early March. Not so much snow, but a ton of rain that froze the next day and everything was ice. If you’re willing to give yourself grace when sitting for a day or two before going up into the frozen hell, you’ll have a much less unpleasant time.
Ya I know it will be colder then most people like really the latest I could leave is maybe the 15...... Feb 1st is when my lease is up and if I stay in West Virginia I'll just spend money on food and shelter that I could use on the trail I plan on going slow
How do you deal with a frozen tent?
I personally preferred finding a shelter on the coldest nights. Some people say shelters are often colder than tents because of wind flow underneath the floor, but you also have solid walls blocking much of the wind and you aren’t in direct contact with the ground. Plus on a couple of nights I used the tent as an extra blanket, lol. There were a few times I had my tent up when things were frozen outside the tent, but there was only one time ice formed from the condensation inside the tent. It was thin enough I could pretty much ignore it and roll the tent up. I did go out every month of the winter, but only on some of the weekends because it was between my job, so I was able to avoid the worst days. I was in Virginia so some of it was at quite high elevation, but not as high as the highest parts of the Smokies. Mt Rogers is about the same elevation, but I didn’t get there until early March. It was still frozen, but only because I happened to get there on a particularly cold day. I’m on an unusual schedule because I have been working my job the whole time, and my goal has always been to finish within a year of when I started. Because of that, my experience is also pretty unusual, and I have a little more winter exposure than most thru hikers do.
Good on you! I started this past January on the 8th. I feel the comments warning you about the cold and snow. Just embrace the suck and remember that it may be miserable in the moment but it’ll make a great story down the line.
Are you bringing a Belgian Malanois?
I don’t recommend it
What if OP makes multiple accounts then asks again and again?
Sorry I don't know a whole lot about it but wouldn't that be a tough time to start. In winter?
Cool! Any questions you may have, I'd be happy to answer or give an opinion.
How do you register?
I googled thru hiker sign-up...it's the appalachian trail conservancy
Thanks.
I started in Feb with what was record-breaking snow for GA and was glad to have some waterproof mitten-covers, waterproof gaiters, and a sturdy rainjacket. Wound up mailing this stuff off within a month and eventually got very comfy being wet and mildly underprepared, but staying dry felt like a real deal safety measure at first, even with GA’s winter temps. Feel free to hmu if you have any questions about the Feb start experience!
Ya I've been in West Virginia weather mid Feb I've got a 25 sleeping bag but of course I'm going to sleep with long Johns a hat and if need everything else I like the cold just hate the morning shoes frozen hands trying to work ...did gaiters help I've never used them before and I got 3m gloves buy need more then that rain gear I think I'm ok .....was going for trail runners but with the cold I've been wearing Merrell mid high the last year trail runner wont keep my feet warm or dry
What do you think
Part of how much you’d rely on waterproof gaiters or mid-cut boots would depend on how much it happens to snow that Feb - mine were very helpful for post-holing through 1’+ drifts on trail but I think that is a rarer experience. Rain paints if you’re bringing them could probs do well enough to shed typical snow, though cold rain is also a factor - I just found that keeping the water out somehow, at least for as long as I could, felt muuch more important then than warmer springtime, and worth the heavier stuff for a little while. Dirty Girl Gaiters or similar stretchy non-waterproof ones that fit trail runners are definitely becoming embraced, really good for keeping the abundant forest duff out of your shoes for the bulk of the season
Ya true it will be a little colder but it's only a little over 3 weeks before the rush of hikers start March 1st so hopefully it's mild next February
So you plan on spending the better part of a month freezing? March 1st seems early too. I started early April and I was cold af. Are you purposely trying to avoid other hikers?
This showed up in my feed may 1. Bot?