Month: March 2025

Appalachian Trail five years ago

Our Triplex
Our tags. Over a thousand tags issued before mid-March
Win on Springer Mountain
Ron’s shuttle
Bear box
Into the woods

It was such a hopeful start. But Covid derailed it all. So we would go home. Met others later who local police had run off the trail.

And of course later on the PCT we hit hostels that were closed because Covid closed them and we caught it near Mammoth.

I keep aging but I’m hoping to finish all three trails this year before I hit 70.

CDT SOBO

2024

Going Southbound the survey for 2024 says:

June 20
Average starting date
M = June 20


June 26
Average starting date of hikers who said they would like to have started earlier

June 18 June 18
Average starting date of hikers who said they would like to have started later

https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/continental-divide-trail/continental-divide-trail-hiker-survey-2024/

2023

Looking at 2023 the data was similar:

June 22
Average starting date
M = June 22


June 24
Average starting date of hikers who said they would like to have started earlier

For 2022

June 25
Average starting date
M= June 24

June 16
Average starting date of hikers who said they would like to have started later

July 4
Average starting date of hikers who said they would like to have started earlier

For 2021

June 25
Average starting date


June 10
Average starting date of hikers who said they would like to have started later


June 29
Average starting date of hikers who said they would like to have started earlier

Conclusions

Obviously the snow has been different every year but the significant data is that starting around June 10 is too soon and starting in July is too late.

This year’s snow so far—remembering that last May had a real surprise.

Gear: Bear /Food Sacks

I started with a silnylon dry sack for hanging my food on the AT. It was a vivid pink/purple color and was easy to spot and tell apart.

I bought the same color and brand replacement bag for my 2020 start on the Appalachian Trail. I think it was our second night, camped out and it rained. My food was soaked.

The brand was no longer waterproof.

So I switched to a LightAF bag made of Dyneema. As long as I was an early adopter it was great.

Just the right size. Waterproof. I bought one for Happy6 too.

But.

After a while the light blue/light green sacks became ubiquitous. Which made it hard to tell which was which.

So we got Ecopak sacks from Hilltop.

And

The problem is that the Ecopak delaminates. Hilltop will replace at no charge but …. So I got the Piñata custom from them in Dyneema for Happy6 and a dark blue for myself. I was happy to pay for those.

I used the LiteAF as a clothes bag and a pillow so it wasn’t a waste. 4-5 thousand miles later I had left the inflatable pillow in a hiker box and finally wore that sack out in 2024.

So this year I’ve added the Zpacks clothes sack (zipper, Dyneema with a soft pillow case side on one side) and a Mountain Laurel Designs flat bottom sack for food. The dark blue sack may end up in the gear box.

I’ve also updated my bear hang cable with https://www.lawsonequipment.com/products/ultraglide-bear-line. May well end up just using my old rock sack & line from my LiteAF (light as a feather) kit but 🤷‍♂️.

We expect to mostly use our bear canisters going south from “the Bob” but will have food sacks for New Mexico portions we haven’t done.

Notes:

  • I see most brands as pretty much the same these days. Shop price and availability.
  • Hilltop custom bags are worth the extra cost to get a custom design for use on the AT and PCT in order to spot your food sack.
  • Dyneema is worth it for reliable waterproofing and longer lasting sacks.
  • Ecopak is fine if you aren’t thru-hiking but really doesn’t work for long term / over a hundred nights use.
  • A spare food bag with clothes in it (or my base layer if I’m sleeping in my clothes) makes a good pillow. I’m hoping the Zpacks one works well. That was an impulse purchase.

At the Doyle

We stopped twice at the Doyle.

https://www.doylehotelpa.com/

It was never open and had no food available.

While it is a quintessential Appalachian Trail experience we always ended up missing out.

Luckily some friends of ours had a “winter warmer” on March 1 at the Doyle.

So we finally had our chance.

Really kind of neat. Only change from the traditional experience is that it is clean.

Can’t say I object to missing the dirt.

The Doyle.

Built in 1905 … “In 1903, an 18th century hotel was razed to the ground. Two years later, a new hotel, called the “Johnston Hotel”, came up in its place.”

It was part of a chain built by Anheuser-Busch. One of three still standing and the only one still in operation.