From Yorktown Mid June

[darclabed]

Leaving from Yorktown June 15, 2009. I'd like to get an earlier start but work won't allow. Will heat be an issue mid june in Virginia? Any chance of finishing in Florence by Sept. 1st?

[staehpj1]

Sept 1st should be doable, we did it in a bit less and it wasn't a death march.  You will be likely to have hot weather most of the way with a June 15th departure.  We went west to east and left June 11th finishing up August 22nd.

It should be doable, but will be hot.  It will be hot with a w-e trip and the same departure date too though.  Ideally if starting in the east I would start earlier, but if you need to start that late I wouldn't worry about it too much.  Just get as many of your miles in early in the day as you can.

[staehpj1]

I forgot to mention.  I would advise taking it a bit easy the first days and building the effort as you go.  People often work too hard on the early days of a tour.  Better to do the longer days after you are in the groove for a while.

Don't kill you self in the Appalachians, they are the toughest part of the trip.  Save the really long days for later.