WHEN AND WHERE TO START
The majority of thru-hikers—about 70 percent—choose to start on Springer Mountain in Georgia and hike toward Katahdin in Maine. Another 20 percent start on Katahdin and head south, and the remaining 10 percent flip-flop or leap-frog. In the past several years, ATC has received approximately nine northbound “2,000-miler” completion reports for every one southbound report.
WEATHER
When using weather as a determinant in when and where to begin your hike, there are a number of things to keep in mind. The time of year, elevation, and latitude are the most important variables to consider. The most frequently overlooked one is elevation. For example, Blood Mountain, Georgia at 4,461 feet has colder temperatures and more snow than Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, which has an elevation of about 250 feet and is nearly a thousand trail miles to the north.
Because the Trail is often at high elevations, the potential for snow lasts into April and even early May in Georgia, the mid-Atlantic states, and much of New England, and until early June in New Hampshire and Maine.
The first snows of autumn usually occur in late September in Maine and New Hampshire and in October through the rest of New England. And though not as common, you can even find snow on the highest mountains of the South in the fall. In November any part of the Trail can receive snow.
In June, weather that is uncomfortably hot and humid for backpacking reaches from Georgia through Virginia, and into the mid-Atlantic states. July and August can be too hot for comfortable backpacking in much of the mid-Atlantic and South, although at elevations above 5,000 to 6,000 feet (North Carolina and Tennessee) the temperatures are often pleasant. High temperatures can linger sporadically into September in all areas along the A.T.
Be sure of your reasons for doing the Trail. Write them down somewhere, and check them occasionally to see if they are still valid.
Take breaks every so often in hostels, trail towns, or even on the trail. These days of rest and pampering yourself are very important both physically and mentally.
The entire A.T. is too long to set as a single goal. Split it up into sections or states, and celebrate each goal accomplished.
HIKING NORTH
For those who are considering hiking north along the A.T., most thru-hikers begin in mid-March to mid-April. It can take anywhere from five to seven months to complete the Trail, depending on your pace and how much time you take off along the way. Typically, though, if you start in March and finish in September, you can expect to start hiking with a lot more people––sometimes as many as 30 a day.
When beginning in March or April, you will experience some cold weather in the first two to three months. Snow and ice are not uncommon in Georgia and northward to Virginia. By the first of May, you should be seeing the first real signs of spring. Be prepared for deep snow in the high elevations of North Carolina, Tennessee, and as far north as the Mount Rogers area of Virginia.
Once you reach the mid-Atlantic states, you will begin to experience hot and humid weather during the summer months and by the time you reach New England, you will find the most enjoyable temperatures of the trip. But, if you are on the slow track, you can hit colder weather again in New Hampshire and Maine in the fall. The best thing about hiking northward is Katahdin. Climbing Katahdin at the end of your thru-hike makes for a very meaningful ending.
Northbounders must plan to reach Katahdin no later than mid-October, since Baxter State Park in Maine closes on October 15. If you are hiking north and you reach Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, after July 15, you should consider a “leapfrog” or a “flip-flop” hike (both discussed), unless you have covered the first thousand miles in two months or less. From Harpers Ferry, you still have almost 1,200 miles to go, and, once you reach the White Mountains, your daily mileage from there north through most of Maine will drop by a third. If you continue northward from Harpers Ferry after July 15, you may have to hike faster than you’d like, or face having to finish your hike another year.
Hikers who want to hike at a more relaxed pace or who find themselves falling behind schedule should plan on a flip-flop schedule.
Looking north from atop Katahdin
HIKING SOUTH
Some potential thru-hikers consider a southbound trip because they have to begin at a later date or because they are looking for solitude. Starting southward from Katahdin is more difficult but not impossible. Maine and New Hampshire are two of the toughest states on the Trail and starting in the north will give you a tougher breaking in period. Resupply points are farther apart so you have to carry a bit more food as well. According to the ATC, fewer than 400 people have reported finishing a southbound hike.
If you want to start from the north, Baxter State Park recommends that you begin no earlier than July 1. If you start before that time, you will add fierce black flies, possible snow, blowdowns, higher water at stream crossings, and muddy trail to your miseries. Your impact on the Trail will be a lot more damaging as well, as it is particularly fragile during the spring melt season.
Starting at Katahdin in July and ending at Springer in December, you will find that you hike mostly alone. As with northbound hikers, you will experience the humidty and heat of the mid-Atlantic but can look forward to fall foliage in Virginia.
Unfortunately, with fall foliage comes hunting season, and you will have to take the necessary precautions from Virginia southward. Finally, you might experience some cold weather, especially in higher elevations during November and December, and there is even the possibility of some snow.
ALTERNATE APPROACHES
Future thru-hikers who want to avoid crowded conditions the first few months of their hike may want to consider the different alternatives to starting in Georgia during thru-hiker season. There are advantages to an alternative hike, including starting on easier stretches of the A.T., during better weather conditions, or starting at times or places to avoid the crowds.
The easiest terrain on the A.T. is not at either end of the Trail, where thru-hikers normally start, but in the middle of the Trail (from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia north through southern Pennsylvania). In both directions, the Trail gradually gets more difficult as you head north or south. If you want to break in your body more gently to the rigors of long-distance backpacking, avoid starting south of Virginia or in New Hampshire and Maine, the two most difficult states on the Trail.
Obviously, there are lots of options when it comes to hiking the Trail if you are not set on hiking it in one continuous hike. Hikes can be set up to take advantage of weather conditions, to find more solitude, to work around previous engagements, or to enjoy the different wildflower seasons.
FLIP-FLOPPING
Flip-flopping is essentially doing the Trail in two major sections. One of the most common ways to flip-flop is to hike north from the Southern A.T. terminus of Springer Mountain in Georgia to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Once there, the hiker would travel north to Katahdin, the northern terminus in Maine and hike south to Harpers Ferry.
For example, you might start at Springer during the second half of April and hike north, reaching Harpers Ferry in the middle of July; then flip to Katahdin. There you would hike south to Harpers Ferry and end your hike during the first half of November. Among the benefits of this type of hike would be starting at Springer without the crowds of hikers. You would minimize the chance of encountering snow during your entire hike and avoid the heat of the mid-Atlantic, as well. You also would not have to worry about reaching Katahdin before it closes on October 15. A flip-flop isn’t necessarily a completely lonely experience either. There are northbounders who begin a later hike that you could travel with to Harpers Ferry, and southbounders to hike with as you head south to Harpers Ferry, but in much lesser numbers. You would also run into those same northbounders again as you hiked south. Finally, you have the opportunity to see the fall foliage of the mid-Atlantic as you finish up your hike.
Another option is to hike northward from Harpers Ferry to Katahdin and then flip back to Harpers Ferry and hike southward to Springer. Flip-flopping leaves a number of options, as you can see.
Some hikers set out to flip-flop the Trail because they feel it gives them more time, or because they cannot begin their hike until mid-summer and do not wish to hike entirely southbound. Beginning mid-summer around Harpers Ferry would allow you to hike with a good many of that year’s northbounders. Harpers Ferry is often a beginning or ending place because it is near the halfway point on the A.T.; it is also the location of the ATC headquarters.
LEAPFROG
This type of hike would have you hike from Springer Mountain north to Harpers Ferry, southern New England north to Katahdin, and southern New England south to Harpers Ferry.
For example, the hike could begin at Springer during the second half of April. You would then hike north, reaching Harpers Ferry in the middle of July. From there, you would “leapfrog” to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where you would hike north to Katahdin, finishing there in September. From Katahdin, you would return to Great Barrington and hike south to Harpers Ferry. The advantages to this type of hike would mean that you could start at Springer but still avoid the crowds. As in the flip-flop, you would have a minimal chance of snow or severe cold and also avoid the worst heat of the mid-Atlantic. You would hike in New England before the severe cold sets in but get to enjoy the fall colors there and in the mid-Atlantic. Finally, there would be no time pressure to reach Katahdin.
The major drawback to this type of hike is the additional logistics involved in getting you to different sections of the Trail.
2,000-MILERS (SECTION HIKING)
An alternative to thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail is to become a 2,000-miler. It is distinguished equally with thru-hiking by the ATC and is defined as anyone who completes the entire Appalachian Trail over a period of two or more years.
If you are unable to take five to seven months off for one long hike, you can break the Trail up into smaller sections to be hiked over the years. The ATC does not make a distinction between 2,000-milers and thru-hikers, and the completion of the Trail over many years is just as meaningful as hiking it in one long hike.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES TO ALTERNATE APPROACHES
If you leave Springer Mountain in March or early April, you will find viewpoints, shelters, and campsites crowded. The opportunities for privacy and solitude are limited by the number of people attempting a thru-hike. An average of more than 35 thru-hikers a day leave Springer between March 1 and April 1. Northbound thru-hikers create a large, moving group of people, the majority of whom are concentrated over a 300–400 mile stretch of the Trail.
Georgia is always the most crowded, but most of the hikers who quit their hike drop off the Trail in Georgia, usually during the first week or so. Also in the South, you will run into spring-break hikers. There are a number of colleges/universities and outdoors groups that feature hikes along the A.T. during the spring holidays. The treks are usually centered along the southern end of the Trail in March and April. Because of this, crowded conditions continue well into Virginia.
The main disadvantages of an alternative hike include psychological factors as well as problems with logistics (that is, getting to and from starting and ending points). While overcrowding on the Trail may detract from your experience, so can loneliness. Most people find they enjoy their hiking experience more if they have other hikers around with whom they can share both the hardships and the joys of backpacking. It can help, as well, to have other thru-hikers around who can encourage you to stick it out when you get bored or discouraged and feel like quitting.
It is worth noting here that family and friends at home can get you through the lonely times by offering their support through phone calls or surprise packages at maildrops. There weren’t many times we wanted to quit, but it was often our family who helped pull us through. A box from my sister containing an Easter basket brightened an otherwise gloomy and wet day in Virginia, for example.
In most variations of the alternate thru-hike you will be ending at a point other than Katahdin, the northern terminus of the A.T. in Maine. Katahdin is a mile-high mountain, a monadnock that is hard to beat for a dramatic finish to a thru-hike. On a northbound hike, it can be a powerful draw to spur you on. But, climbing Katahdin is an awesome event whether it is hiked first, last, or in between. And, if you climb Katahdin earlier in your journey, you won’t have to race the weather or rush to make Baxter State Park’s October 15 deadline.