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2024 North American Total Eclipse - April 8th

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    • 2024 North American Total Eclipse - April 8th

      Here's a link for the path of the April 8th 2024 total eclipse.

      xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/…E_2024_GoogleMapFull.html

      Based on the date, it looks like few (if any) AT hikers will experience the total eclipse - pretty early for Maine.

      My house is about 5 miles inside the totality zone. Looks like a good day (Monday) for a vacation day and a mid-day bonfire. It will also be pretty cool to drive a few miles east and be at the totality / partial interface.

      To avoid the 2017 solar glasses supply issue, I ordered mine last week. NASA has a list of reputable suppliers on their site to ensure that you're not buying cheap Chinese knockoffs that will leave you blind.

      Have fun!
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard

    • Glad you started a thread on this.

      My plan was to watch the eclipse either from Lake Champlain north of Burlington, VT, from Jay Peak, VT, or from the Mount Monadnock (not the famous one) fire tower in Lemington, VT.

      Of course April weather in New England is often bleak. I do not see a good backup plan for me if New England is blanketed in clouds.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • Might be worth a drive down to central OH for me, if the weather looks good. I was in a 95% eclipse in March 1970, but never a total eclipse. There's a 95% chance of clouds and rain in early April where I live. If we are on EDT, it would be starting just after 3 PM. That could be a day trip. The closest point for the maximum duration is SE of Findlay OH (3.5 hr drive). A very short total eclipse would be visible just past Toledo or Fort Wane (about 2.5 hrs away). This one will max out at 94% at my house.

      I was looking up eclipses I may have seen here.

      xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipsesGoogleMaps.html

      I was in a 95% eclipse on March 7, 1970. I recall the sky getting dim and the temperature dropping. The birds were chirping like it was dusk.
      We were at 84.5% on August 21, 2017. I don't recall it getting too dim at this level.
      There's a good one Aug 12, 2045. I might be alive for that one.
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_12,_2045
      Then there's the May 11, 2078 Eclipse if I live to be 119
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_May_11,_2078

      The post was edited 3 times, last by odd man out ().

    • IMScotty wrote:

      Glad you started a thread on this.

      My plan was to watch the eclipse either from Lake Champlain north of Burlington, VT, from Jay Peak, VT, or from the Mount Monadnock (not the famous one) fire tower in Lemington, VT.

      Of course April weather in New England is often bleak. I do not see a good backup plan for me if New England is blanketed in clouds.
      Yeah. I may have to drive west and south if my local forecast looks bleak. Early April is hit or miss in SW Ohio. Might get a day like this (April 1st) or might get rain.

      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard

    • We are now thirteen days out from the Solar Eclipse of 2024.
      The (unreliable) 14-day forecast puts all of Northern New England under cloud cover.
      Buffalo , NY might see some sun.
      That would be about an 8-hgour drive for me.
      We will see what happens as the day gets closer.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • it's been shown that forecasts beyond 10 days are no better than random guessing. So I will wait a few days before worrying about forecasts. The average weather is your best guess at this point, and that is definitely cloudy.

      The article about the 10 day forecast limit asked if it was ethical for web sites to post a 14 day forecast as it was giving the false impression that their forecasts were better than the pages that gave a more honest 10 day forecast. At least Scotty admits those 14 day forecast are not reliable.

    • Just read in the local paper that the Cobb County Schools are going to make April 8 a half day. They don't want the liability of a kid staring at the eclipse during school hours. Business as usual at the Marietta City Schools. They're afraid some kids will be at home without parental supervision if they release them early. Everybodys afraid of something. :)
      2,000 miler

    • Astro wrote:

      People here are warning stock up ahead like before a hurricane or Y2K. :rolleyes:
      Not sure where here is, but there have been some warnings here in NY State.

      Only due to a good chunk of the path going over the Adirondacks, which many in this type of hiking community are more familiar with, but many others may not be.

      I think the concern is that many coming to those areas will be coming from much more populous areas and could encounter problems if they are unprepared, perhaps not understanding that many roads are difficult, if not impassible, this time of year and that if one should get onto one and be stuck, that electronic box in your hand may be of little or no use with the lack of service found many places.

      Pretty much the way we often see people needing rescues from various mountains due to lack of preparation, but maybe even a bit worse in that these are people who may rarely, if ever, be "out in nature" so they don't have even the minimal knowledge that most hikers do.

      Hopefully not an issue, but I can see why those in these areas would be concerned. Even after all the years I've been up to Lake Placid (which is certainly not nearly as remote as some spots in the area), usually on either the MLK Weekend or President's Day Weekend which are likely busy times, I've never been able to figure out how they were able to handle all the people that had to get in & out of that area back in 1980, even with the Olympics being much smaller than they are today.

    • Norther NH is worried about the same thing. The eclipse crosses Coos County up near the Canada border. The

      roads are not built for traffic up there and this is 'Frost Heave' season. The roads and the motorists are likely to take a beating.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • LIhikers wrote:

      Just my 2 cents, which isn't worth even that much, but I think all this worrying is gonna be for naught. Just like the Y2K worry which turned out to be a waste of time and energy.
      But on the other side of Y2K there was many millions $ spent to prepare for it.
      All those COBOL programmers that had been laid off, got a good last laugh as they were brough back at a handsome rate to prepare for it. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • Astro wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Just my 2 cents, which isn't worth even that much, but I think all this worrying is gonna be for naught. Just like the Y2K worry which turned out to be a waste of time and energy.
      But on the other side of Y2K there was many millions $ spent to prepare for it.All those COBOL programmers that had been laid off, got a good last laugh as they were brough back at a handsome rate to prepare for it. :)
      My career was in computing. We saw Y2K in 1993. I worked for a small oil and gas company, which also had a gas pipeline company. Some great salesperson in 1993 signed up some person out in East Texas to a 7 year Take-or-Pay contact. on a new year, that contract in the computer system suddenly wanted to pay then 99 years and 11 months on the contact. A Take-or-Pay was used on small producing wells. It is a minimum payment even if we took zero product from them (Crude or natural gas). The company had some real old systems with 2 digit years. We also had systems with a ONE digit (only cared about decades). It was a scramble to develop patches. Prior to Y2K, the company got bought out and most of us were gone by Y2K. I'd walked down the street and got on contracting with Mobil Oil. They had a huge push underway to switch over to purchased software for all the non-compliant Y2K systems. I think Billions spent to avoid issues is probably accurate.

      I don't understand why for this eclipse, gobernment is advising people to stock up on water and batteries? No joke, they are here in Texas. People seem to be ignoring that advice.
      Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork

    • A buddy of mine from the Pittsburgh area is coming down for my Eclipse Party. He drove down to the KC area (IIRC) for the last total eclipse and experienced some madness after the event was over - Google maps showed every road in red to signify complete gridlock. I'm taking that anecdotal observation as an incentive to pick up food and snacks by this Friday, not on Sunday or Monday.

      Forecast as of today is for partly sunny skies.
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard

    • StalkingTortoise wrote:

      A buddy of mine from the Pittsburgh area is coming down for my Eclipse Party. He drove down to the KC area (IIRC) for the last total eclipse and experienced some madness after the event was over - Google maps showed every road in red to signify complete gridlock. I'm taking that anecdotal observation as an incentive to pick up food and snacks by this Friday, not on Sunday or Monday.

      Forecast as of today is for partly sunny skies.
      I was wondering about traffic. I gave to drive 3.5 hrs and have to do it as a day trip. But by going to northeast OH the biggest city I have to drive around is Fort Wayne. Otherwise my destination looks like this.

    • rhjanes wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Just my 2 cents, which isn't worth even that much, but I think all this worrying is gonna be for naught. Just like the Y2K worry which turned out to be a waste of time and energy.
      But on the other side of Y2K there was many millions $ spent to prepare for it.All those COBOL programmers that had been laid off, got a good last laugh as they were brough back at a handsome rate to prepare for it. :)
      My career was in computing. We saw Y2K in 1993. I worked for a small oil and gas company, which also had a gas pipeline company. Some great salesperson in 1993 signed up some person out in East Texas to a 7 year Take-or-Pay contact. on a new year, that contract in the computer system suddenly wanted to pay then 99 years and 11 months on the contact. A Take-or-Pay was used on small producing wells. It is a minimum payment even if we took zero product from them (Crude or natural gas). The company had some real old systems with 2 digit years. We also had systems with a ONE digit (only cared about decades). It was a scramble to develop patches. Prior to Y2K, the company got bought out and most of us were gone by Y2K. I'd walked down the street and got on contracting with Mobil Oil. They had a huge push underway to switch over to purchased software for all the non-compliant Y2K systems. I think Billions spent to avoid issues is probably accurate.
      I don't understand why for this eclipse, gobernment is advising people to stock up on water and batteries? No joke, they are here in Texas. People seem to be ignoring that advice.
      Pretty fresh out of college with a Computer Science degree (84) I remember telling my boss at lunch in 1985 that in 15 years this saving bytes by only storing two year dates was going to be a big issue 15 years. Was wise enough to see the problem coming, but not wise (or entrepreneurial) enough to take advantage of it as it got closer in 1999.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • odd man out wrote:

      weather is looking a bit better in Indiana than Ohio, so I may go that way. It's the same distance so I can decide at the last minute. If I miss this one due to clouds, there will be a total eclipse in my backyard in 2099.
      That is exactly why, although I have been looking forward to this and planning to see it for several years, I made no reservations anyplace. Flexibility is key.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • IMScotty wrote:

      odd man out wrote:

      weather is looking a bit better in Indiana than Ohio, so I may go that way. It's the same distance so I can decide at the last minute. If I miss this one due to clouds, there will be a total eclipse in my backyard in 2099.
      That is exactly why, although I have been looking forward to this and planning to see it for several years, I made no reservations anyplace. Flexibility is key.
      And if you are used to sleeping in a tent or hammock, and road trips for adventure, you can be a lot more flexible than most folks. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • Texas is still iffy. IF the thicker clouds stay near the coast on their way up, to central and north Texas, we get some partial views. IF the thin clouds stay, we might get some views. IF....IF.....There is rain but not until after the eclipse.
      Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork

    • LIhikers wrote:

      I just read that there places declaring a state of emergency because of the eclipse...really people, what's up with that ?
      It makes perfect sense if you think about it, there are small out-of-the-way towns that are about to be inundated with more tourists in the towns but actual residents. Their roads, infrastructure, and stores simply aren't prepared for that kind of influx.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • Yes, I do understand the small VT towns not wanting 100,000 flatlanders showing up and then needing rescue services from their all volunteer emergency services. I had some thoughts of climbing Camel's Hump for the eclipse, but they have closed both access roads to 'locals only.' I will probably end up on the shores of Lake Champlain.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • Astro wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      odd man out wrote:

      weather is looking a bit better in Indiana than Ohio, so I may go that way. It's the same distance so I can decide at the last minute. If I miss this one due to clouds, there will be a total eclipse in my backyard in 2099.
      That is exactly why, although I have been looking forward to this and planning to see it for several years, I made no reservations anyplace. Flexibility is key.
      And if you are used to sleeping in a tent or hammock, and road trips for adventure, you can be a lot more flexible than most folks. :)
      Hostels or hotels for me, thank you. gif.014.gif
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard

    • Been watching VT weather all day. I am unsure what to do. High clouds are expected to arrive in Burlington, VT right at peak eclipse time. Not bad enough to ruin block the sun, but may make the corona harder to see. Still will be clear further east, but the beautiful shores of Lake Champlain was my preferred destination.


      Thinking of Colebrook, NH now. Not as ideal of a destination.



      Too excited to sleep tonight (same thing happens to me before a big hike). I'll leave about 2 AM and decide on the drive.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier