We have the hardest mile thread going, but what about the steepest mile? Meaning net elevation gain or loss (depending on direction) over a full mile.

Looking at the few maps I have (GSMNP, most of VA, VT/NH and ME), there appears to be quite a few 1000'/mile sections, and maybe a couple of 1200'/mile sections. I hiked a few of those on a recent ME section hike, and they were not as bad in person as they appear on a profile.

Their are a few short sections that are steeper, a full mile worth, I can't find.

Just wondering?

The profiles on the AT maps are a complete fiction. Some of them are for mountains that are no longer even on the AT. It would be hard to beat the Big K.

I would vote for somewhere on Katahdin, Mahoosuc Arm, or the north side of Moosilauke. All of 'em are pretty darn steep.

IMO, there is nothing like any of those climbs south of NH.

I have no clue of other steep grades on the trail but the hike up Wawayanda Mountain to the Pinwheel Vista is a very steep climb for what is most likely a mile if not more. I don't know the elevation but I would think it's more then a 1000' change. Just about the whole way up the trail is all switchbacks. Now I don't know if this is considered a large climb on the A.T. but it's one of my favorite hikes and I even posted some views from the top of the mountain at the Pinwheel Vista on the photo board if anyone wants to take a look.

I have to agree with MOWGLI16. The first climb that came to my mind was The Mahusooc arm coming up out of the notch. And then I went to Katahdin. I guess Katahdin would pretty much win out in a side by side comparison.

Dragons Tooth south of Catwaba Valley. Heading south over this with a way to heavy pack was pretty steep and hard.

I was real impressed with the climb south of Sam's Gap - the mountain past Boone Cove Road up to Frozen Knob just kept going. There was a brief respite at Sugarloaf Gap, but I think that was something like 1500 in about 1 mile.

Funny, I never thought Mahoosuc Arm was that bad. In fact, I kind of enjoyed that climb.

The climb out of Palmerton was pretty steep. And the rock scramble up Katahdin was steep. But my vote also goes to the north (east) side of Moosilauke. Man, that was a killer!

-Tank

Having been in the Whites only briefly and not in Maine at all, I'll can't quite offer a steepest mile idea, but I will say that NY, particularly the early parts, were really rather steep. The trail designers seemed to think it a good idea to go over every little pile of rocks possible, whether or not there was a view or aesthetic reason for it. And, the trail up had to have as much vertical as possible.

Other bitchass climbs that come to mind include Stecoah Gap and the climb out of the James. Of course, the James is low, and it was really hot and humid when I came through that area. On top of that, the climb was the last thing to do before the end of a 30+ mile day. Even worse, hikers rolled into the shelter I was staying at around 9:30 and proceeded to stage an impromptu concert. I was glad to have earplugs.

I have to agree that descending Moosilauke into Kinsman Notch put a hurtin on my knees. That was probably the longest steepest descent in my mind. Mahoosuc Arm didnt seem too bad, of course I would rather go uphill any day.

There is a ton of hand-over-hand on Wildcat. Also a steep climb.

In Pennsylvania, at least , it's the northbound climb out of Lehigh Gap.

In New Hampshire, I'd have to agree that Wildcat and Moosilauke are about the worst, tho I'd add South Kinsman, too. Also, Garfield and Madison aren't that long, but they're pretty tough, especially if it's wet. And the stretch between Pinkham Notch and Madison is memorable, especially if you're stupid enough to do it Southbound. Also, I've always disliked Mt. Success, which is New Hampshire's "good-bye" kick in the ass before you cross into Maine.

In Maine, there's a nasty rock scramble just before Carlo Col shelter that's kind of a pain. Likewise, some of the rock scrambles on Goose Eye are harder than they look. For the record, tho, I'd haveta agree that Mahoosuc Arm is one of the worst, tho there are all sorts of other places that come to mind....Moody Mtn. near Andover, Saddleback if it's wet, Avery if you're tired. Going up Speck Southbound out of Grafton Notch is also no day at the beach.

The single hardest one-day climb, oddly enough, is your very last day, but the funny thing is that on Katahdin, nobody seems to care.

Nobody's talked much about the South. The ones I'd rather not do again in a southbound direction are the climbs out of Erwin, and the Priest in Virginia, which you can FLY down if you're a Northbounder, but it takes about 10 years
if you're unlucky enough to be going the other way.

The steepest climb is reputed to be the Hunt Trail on Katahdin, from Katahdin Steam Falls to the Gateway. It's 3000 feet or so in about 2 1/2 miles.

Mahoosac Arm is about 1500 feet in 1 1/2 miles or less.

Beaver Brook on Moosalauke is about 1700 feet in about 1 1/2 miles.

All three are certainly good climbs or descents, depending on which way you are headed. One difference is that most thru-hikers slack pack up Katahdin, and not the other two.

I had hiked mostly in Maine and New Hampshire -- well with side trips to places like the Grand Canyon and Rainier, before I started in Georgia 11 years ago. I never particularly noticed any "steep" climbs until I reached New Hampshire.

I suspect Katahdin has easily the steepest continuous climb on the the trail.
As I read my trail map, the AT on Katahdin goes from 1,750 feet to 4,600 feet in a bit more than two miles.

The AT from Katahdin Stream to Katahdin's summit is a little more than five miles long and gains about 4,000 feet in elevation in that distance. But the first mile or so and the last mile or so are pretty moderate. The bulk of the gain is in the middle two miles.

Weary

After mostly hiking about in Va, I was shown what a true climb was when I hiked up to the Franconia Ridge last year. Nothing can get you ready for that. My hiking bud went right on up but she hikes that part of the country a lot and I know that helps a bunch. A week ago I met up with her again to hike the Kinsman heading south from Franconia Notch. Again, another insightful experience of what a true climb is. We planned on going over Moosilakee but my planned 15 miles/day dropped to around 9 so maybe I'll have that pleasure next year.

I hiked all of Ga this year including a hike from Deep Gap NC down to Bly Gap and back. Climbing Bly Gap was tough but no way does it compare to the Whites.



.

Nobody's talked much about the South. The ones I'd rather not do again in a southbound direction are the climbs out of Erwin, and the Priest in Virginia, which you can FLY down if you're a Northbounder, but it takes about 10 years if you're unlucky enough to be going the other way.ATwalker99 and I left our camp at the Tye River heading SOBO up the 30-odd switchbacks that ascend 3,000 feet and 5 miles to the summit of The Priest. I was smart enough to start slow and give my body time to warm up, and we decided to breakfast at the viewpoint about halfway up, so overall it was tough but reasonable (unlike those New Hampshire trails that just go s-t-r-a-i-g-h-t up at 1,000'/mile+).

I think a lot of the perceived difficulty depends on your nutrition level, fitness level, time of day, pace, temperature, humidity, and all those hoo-ha biorhythms. Some stuff seems harder than it should be, some stuff quite a bit easier. I do like the elevation profiles though, because they always seem to make me think the ascent will be worse than it actually turns out to be.

Dragons Tooth south of Catwaba Valley. Heading south over this with a way to heavy pack was pretty steep and hard.Heading south up that amazing series of stone steps was pretty hard even with a light pack! Here's a picture (http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/1749/size/big/password/0/sort/1/cat/500) of the final bit of ascent.

...the hike up Wawayanda Mountain to the Pinwheel Vista is a very steep climb for what is most likely a mile if not more. I don't know the elevation but I would think it's more then a 1000' change.The NOBO 800' vertical climb up to Pinwheel Vista is about 0.8 miles from the base of the mountain.

Once again, I did this first thing in the morning after hammocking just west of NJ-94, with the goal of breakfasting at the peak (http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/4014/size/big/password/0/sort/1/cat/500). I had a nice early morning climb on a clear, crisp summer morning. It may have been steep, but a trail runner interrupted my reverie and informed me that he used the climb to practice for an endurance run he had coming up!

If we're talkin' about the south, nobody has mentioned Three Ridges yet. That was a bear of a climb. Am I recalling correctly that the Tye River lies at the base of Three Ridges?

Couple that come to mind:

Agony Grind-just south of Rt 17 in NY before entering Harriman. The whole section from 17A-17 is a series of stiff ups and downs, but the ascent and descent over Agony can tire you out more than NY should.

The mile or so from the last Wildcat down to Carter Notch Hut was about as steep as it gets on the AT-my knees were screaming. As I recall, the climb outta the notch wasn't much easier (going up Carter Dome).

The descent into Pearisburg (northbound) was a knee-jarrer too. I've heard of a number of thru-hikers ironically injuring themselves coming into Pearisburg, its a bad luck spot of sorts. Maybe its just cause people are in a rush to reach town. It was at the end of a 25 mile mile, too-long day and I remember my feet throbbing.

If we're talkin' about the south, nobody has mentioned Three Ridges yet. That was a bear of a climb. Am I recalling correctly that the Tye River lies at the base of Three Ridges?Yes, the Tye River separates The Priest and Three Ridges. Frankly, it looked like the Three Ridges climb might be harder than The Priest in that the trail seemed to be less manicured and steeper in some sections.

Thanks Keorsene, that picture sure reminds me of a hard climb. I knew I was in trouble when after clearing the ascent that overlooks Four Pines Hostel and meeting a group of kids at the bottom. I said that climbing Dragoons Tooth was pretty hard and they looked around witha puzzled grin and asked which I had come from. I said from the north, they had seen me coming down the switchbacks, and of course they pointed southbound and said ya ain't done it yet. Man that was one long hard day that I wouldn't trade for anything. That was the day I discovered I could create rainbows with my socks by twirling them in the sunshine. Over Dragoons Tooth (southbound) in July.

That was the day I discovered I could create rainbows with my socks by twirling them in the sunshine.It's amazing what the hiker brain can think about after hours of physical exertion alone in the woods.:sun

NoBo from Hughes Gap up the southern flank of Roan Mountain--1.3 miles/ 1300 ft in elevation to the top of Bear Town Mountain. I tried to distract myself by counting my deep breaths---stoped at 600-haha.

The hike south from Kinkora I remember kicked my butt. Not sure if it was the hospitality of Bob or not.

I don't remember the hike south from Fontana being a picnic either

Couple that come to mind:

Agony Grind-just south of Rt 17 in NY before entering Harriman. The whole section from 17A-17 is a series of stiff ups and downs, but the ascent and descent over Agony can tire you out more than NY should.



When I was employed by Verizon and living in New York, I led a hike for my co-workers from the Elk Pen (about .3 north of Agony Grind) to West Mombasha Road. The distance was perhaps 5 miles. We were not even halfway up Agony Grind when one of my co-workers started trembling uncontrolably. Physically, it was WAY too much for the poor guy. I had to have my sweeper take him and his wife back to their car.

At the end of the day, I think I had pretty well traumatized my co-workers, even though we hiked at about 1 MPH. A day hike of 5 miles might seem like nothing for you & me, but for these folks, it was all they could handle. BTW, they had all been warned repeatedly that this was a very strenuous hike, while in actuality - it was more like a moderate hike.

Although I still have a few hundred miles to go before completing the entire trail, and have not done some of these "steep" climbs that are being spoken of, I cannot imagine there being a steeper climb (or descent) than Mt. Moosilauke.

So far, I'd surely vote for the middle section of Katahdin for the steepest climb over one mile.

Rain Man

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Keroscene's Comment is a accurate one:

"I think a lot of the perceived difficulty depends on your nutrition level, fitness level, time

of day, pace, temperature, humidity, and all those hoo-ha biorhythms. Some stuff seems harder

than it should be, some stuff quite a bit easier. I do like the elevation profiles though,

because they always seem to make me think the ascent will be worse than it actually turns out to

be."

Given that some memorable slogs that were tough at the time as a Northbounder were, diverging

off a comment below, I think the Southern Mountains hit me harder as I was used to the rock

strewn trails of the Whites where I had backpacked as a teenager and college student. The

Southern mountains have long continous uphills with no "stairs" provided by rocks, the mud in

the steep footpath can cause a Northerner to loose energy in trying to grip, the Nanatahals were

probably more of challange to me from Bly Gap to Fontana Dam than any other stretch, especially

the Stecoah range from the Nanatahala river to Fontana Dam. On the other hand Pennsylvannia for

a New Englander just flys by underfoot as it like the Whites just, laid flat...:

Frosty Mtn (on the approach trail)
Just after Bly Gap
Snowbird Mtn.
Waylah Bald
Wesser Bald
Stecoah Bald (Cheoh Bald)
Thunderhead
Pond Mountain (the trail went over this in '93 right before Watuga Dam)
The mountain right after Moreland Gap on 19E (forget the name now)
Catawaba Mtn. (Macafee Knob)
Tinker Cliffs
Three Ridges
Mt. Blue and Cove Mountain (to either side of the Cumberland Valley, the 106 F heat wave might

have contributed to these.
Southtwin Mtn.
Moody Mtn.
South and North Crocker Mtns.
Barren/Chairback Mtn.
Mt. Liberty (Franconia Ridge)

Some sections don't climb, much but man the ups and downs get you:

1) the 20 miles proceeding the Blackburn Center in Northern Virginia
2) the Nanatahala's; gaps are deep, peaks are high almost as high as the Smokies and the Whites
the Moohoosucs; not high peeks nore deep gaps but rugged, rooty and steep and wet; very pretty

stretch though.
3) The Georgia section fromHawk Mountain to Blood Mtn. where the GATC seems to route the path

over every possible mountain peak on the ridgeline, I remember the second evening out looking

400' up the kno called Sassafras Mtn. One look at the Trail winding its way right up the cone on

it after done what seemed to be 50 before it and it was Tent-Out-in-the-Gap-Time
My guess is views and terrain/vegitation/landscape "eye candy" often can do wonder to distract the climber on the slog up maybe making some acents "easier" in mind than others. Some that didn't seem so bad at all, but should have been worse going by elevation gain on the maps were:

Blood Mtn.
Tray Mtn.
Siler Bald
Albert Mtn.
Standing Indian
Shuckstack Mtn.
Clingman's Dome
Max Patch
Big Bald
Big Butt
Roan Mountain (High Knob)
Whitetop Mtn. (and Mt. Rodgers)
Hawksbill Mtn.
Stoney Man
Mt. Greylock.
Stratten Mtn.
Moosilauke
The Bigelows
Pinkham Notch (gaining the Southern Presidentials)
Wildcat
Carter Notch Rainbow Dome, Mt. Height and the Carters
Mt. Gooseeye/Carlo Col
Mahoosic Arm
Baldpate Mtn.
Saddleback Mtn.
The Bigelow Range
Katahdin

There's many more memorable for difficulty or ease but it seems very subjective to me based on exhuastion, weather, availability of views, companions, etc.

My steepest mile is ALWAYS from the truck back up my porch to the front door.

the one that is embedded in my minds eye is going south in the wilderness and after coming upon a road, going darn near straight up for what i believe was a mile to crescent pond. the start of the ascent was approximately 2 1/2 miles south of rainbow streams lean-to.....

After summiting Katahdin, we came down on the Abol Trail. I know, it's not on the A.T., but I would wager that it's steeper than anything on the entire Appalachian Trail.

Although most folks are going downhill, SOBO from Sages Ravine up Bear Mtn in CT is steep, steep, steep.

Although most folks are going downhill, SOBO from Sages Ravine up Bear Mtn in CT is steep, steep, steep.It's even steeper in late March when the northern slopes are still covered in ice and slippery as all get-out!

After having lunch and a couple of beers at the Doyle Hotel, in Duncannon, PA, I'd swear that the steepest climb was southbound out of town.......lol

After having lunch and a couple of beers at the Doyle Hotel, in Duncannon, PA, I'd swear that the steepest climb was southbound out of town.......lolthat's what beer does for ya....i remember that climb too, but it wasn't that bad...i left out of there on a cold rainy/snowy late afternoon in december 2001. it got dark around 5 pm and i hadn't even made it to the top...

right before i left town, the barefoot sisters had emailed me and told me to keep an eye out for patches that was hiking to harpers ferry from kathadin and that they would try and meet him there.

anyway as i am going up the trail, the snow had become so thick and it was slushy and i lose the trail. so i stp and get my bearings and tried to backtrack, but that didn't work, so i start looking for a place to pitch my enormous kiva teepee or at least bed down and pull it over me...the rocks are too numerous and too small.

i get to thinking the trail has to be up there and up there is the top and i start climbing...after about an half hour, the snow had quit and i come out to the top and a clearing and a bunch of dear that scared the crap right out of me...all those eyes lighting up in my headlamp...they were more scared though and scooted to points beyond.

so i'm looking for the trail and i notice another headlamp coming my way, so i wait till it gets near and i hollared (that's what we do down south here, in case some of you northerners are a little slow, we hollar while you guys bellow....) and it's patches!

he gets me back on the trail, i didn't let him know i got lost being the super duper hiking legend in my own mind i am thing, and i give him his message. his parents are waiting for him in duncannon, so we didn't talk long...

then he tells me the turn off for the shelter is only about a half of a mile and it had began snowing again and i hiked right past it and after a mile or so, i backtrack to find it...

i didn't get in there till 10 pm and the place was full of hunters and weekend warriors, but they made room for me and since i'm a story teller and they like stories, we stay up till one or so and they even fed me...

the next day, after all that exertion, i decided to lay around and not do a thing, i use to do that alot when i hiked, but now i usually stay on a routine...those hunters fixed me breakfast because they liked to hear stories and i awoke before all of them and had one going when their eyes popped open...("i know, some of you guys call that BS and had there been any of you there, you would have told me to shut up and probably had not been too polite about, but i like to call it story telling")....in fact, some of them before they pulled out, left me with some extra goodies and i'll be darned if they all didn't give me their phone numbers and emails and said to give them a call if i ever need a care package...i thought that was pretty cool....

i emailed some of them, never did need anything from them, but have lost contact with them since then...some of them had even got onto "hobocentral" and was rubbing elbows with a few old blue blazers.....

then after that........

We started on a NOBO section from Duncannon in early April 1974 with 50-pound packs as high school juniors, so it was a pretty tough climb up. The old bridge across the Susquehanna was really narrow, with the traffic whizzing close by.

We started on a NOBO section from Duncannon in early April 1974 with 50-pound packs as high school juniors, so it was a pretty tough climb up. The old bridge across the Susquehanna was really narrow, with the traffic whizzing close by.what, were you like 16 or 17 at the time???

In Pennsylvania, at least , it's the northbound climb out of Lehigh Gap.I think the southbound climb out of Port Clinton is steeper although much shorter of course.
The steepest I ever saw (fortunately it was a downhill for me) was in the Pyrenees where our maps confirmed that it was 1000 metre descent in 1.5 kms. (aprox 3000' per mile) This thing seemed almost straight up and down with some excellent trailbuilding with many very short switchbacks making it doable.
But for the AT, i have to say it's either Wildcat or Katahdin.
PCT: Forrester Pass?
CDT: Hope pass southbound or northbound. although i felt like i was going straight up one time in NM when Slo Ryd and i were bushwhacking and getting caught in those Ravines. (remember that day Nean? you stayed with Lori and took the mapped route. wise)

***The single hardest one-day climb, oddly enough, is your very last day, but the funny thing is that on Katahdin, nobody seems to care.***


Its day one for us SOBO's!... DAY 1.!! took me the entire day to go up n back down..... i had to take a zero at Abol bridge because it put such a hurtin on me :)

what, were you like 16 or 17 at the time???Yep, I was just shy of 16 that hike, as were my three hiking partners. This was our second section hike. Three of us had done DWG to Unionville a year prior when we were 15. To this day I'm amazed that my parents let me go out in the woods for a week when I was that young, but I think they trusted my scouting experience (which only helped a little with long distance backpacking it turns out!).

You can choose your poison. Going north is Three Ridges, and going south is The Priest.

I've section-hiked over both of these, and I didn't think they were that bad. As someone noted, the trails have plenty of switchbacks, so a "slow-and-steady" approach will get you over with no problems. A worse climb to me was the climb from Brown Mountain Creek shelter north to the top of Bald Mountain. Never thought it would end.

Another hard piece of trail is the infamous Mau-Har Trail "shortcut" going north from the Tye. The trail climbs along a steep creek, and it just about killed me the first time I did it. Of course it was a very hot day, and on the last day of my first section-hike.

(For you purists out there, I have since gone back and done the section without the shortcut!)

I would vote for somewhere on Katahdin, Mahoosuc Arm, or the north side of Moosilauke. All of 'em are pretty darn steep.

IMO, there is nothing like any of those climbs south of NH.
i did the north side of moosilauke a few weeks ago,it took me over 2 hours to do the first 1.6 mile up to beaver brook shelter,it got easier after that:cool: neo

You can choose your poison. Going north is Three Ridges, and going south is The Priest.

I've section-hiked over both of these, and I didn't think they were that bad. As someone noted, the trails have plenty of switchbacks, so a "slow-and-steady" approach will get you over with no problems. A worse climb to me was the climb from Brown Mountain Creek shelter north to the top of Bald Mountain. Never thought it would end.

Another hard piece of trail is the infamous Mau-Har Trail "shortcut" going north from the Tye. The trail climbs along a steep creek, and it just about killed me the first time I did it. Of course it was a very hot day, and on the last day of my first section-hike.

(For you purists out there, I have since gone back and done the section without the shortcut!)
i did 3 ridges in the rain in october 2002:cool: neo

I'd add South Kinsman, too
I think this was one of my favorite climbs on the whole trail. Hand over hand exhiliaration!

I have to quote a trailbuddy of mine this year.

Chino's Rule #2 for the AT:
"Never trust another hiker's opinion or interpretation of distance ("It can't be more than 20 minutes from here"), difficulty ("you can easily do two 25 mile days out of Kincora.") or map reading in general ("looks like all down hill today.")."

Rule #1, of course, is: "Don't Get Killed."

Thanks, "Chino"!

I was SOBO down Three Ridges on a rainy, windy day in October a few years ago and was glad I wasn't going up on a humid hot July day. I thought that the ascent of The Priest would be much easier, probably because the trail surface was smoother with easier switchbacks.

I agree with most of the ascents cited but no one mentioned Pleasant Pond Mountain in Maine - over 1,100 feet in less than a mile. I remember this well because I strained my rib cage from stretching to boost myself up one of the hand-over-hand climbs. Like most of Maine, the views on top were worth it!

I feared for my life dropping down the Beaver Brook trail on the north/east face of Moosilauke. The entire Mahoosuc section seemed impossibly steep. In the south, the climb down the Priest and up the Three Ridges is a butt kicker. I also seem to remember a particular section near Trey Mtn in Georgia called Kelly Knob that seemed quite tough.

I also seem to remember a particular section near Trey Mtn in Georgia called Kelly Knob that seemed quite tough.

Yep, Kelly Knob north of Tray Mtn can be a doozy. It has some straight-up, no switchback sections that seem to go on for quite a while. It hits folks especially hard when they started from Blue Mtn or Unicoi Gap headed NOBO to Deep Gap, been hiking all day, they're almost there, and then right before Deep Gap BLAMO there's this huge hill to climb. But it's got a nice view and it makes arrival at Deep that much sweeter.

Another one in Georgia that surprises many is Sassafras; it's not all that bad, but for fresh starts from Springer it seems huge when they hit it on the second day.

Is Kelly Knob the climb out of Addis Gap? I was making good time from Blue Mountain Shelter in early April last year on my way to Hiawassee for the night. I really wanted to stop at the annual hiker feed in Addis Gap when I found out that it was going on, but it was near the end of the feed and my schedule didn't really allow spending several hours off-trail (a drawback to section hiking). It started to rain on the ascent and I bonked big-time, forcing me to stand there and re-fuel. That was the only climb in Georgia that I wasn't able to do without stopping to rest.

The funny thing is, Hikerhead, my hiking partner who was somewhere behind me, didn't arrive at Dicks Creek Gap until 4 hours after I did!

Kelly Nob is before Addis gap if you are northbound. and yeah, it certainly got my attention this past weekend.

Kelly Knob is next biggie after Tray Mtn. And a long hike uphill it is.....and downhill for that matter, very long down hill to Deep Gap Shelter.

Probably a protective mechanism but I can't recall or compare in terms of single miles and a lot of the pieces mentioned here are in those days. Maybe I should start a Hardest Day Thread. Using that criteria 3 come to mind: Kinsman to Franconia Notch....the 17 or so miles with Mahoosuc Notch dead center....Pinkham Notch through Wildats. Katadhin seems like a nero day as a thruhiker, a half-day romp up and down. For sure I will never whine or complain about the terrain or steepnes of anything in the south again

Kelly [K]Nob is before Addis gap if you are northbound.Maybe that's why I bonked after Addis Gap...I might have maxed out on the Kelly Knob climb.

Is Kelly Knob the climb out of Addis Gap?

Yes, it's one mile north of Addis Gap. In fact the climb starts at Addis and goes mostly straight up about 960 feet in one mile according to this topo map:
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=17&n=3862268&e=257307&s=50&size=l&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

I realize there are far worse climbs, but notice the trail goes pretty much directly across the contour lines at right angles; that means straight up, baby!

The funny thing is, Hikerhead, my hiking partner who was somewhere behind me, didn't arrive at Dicks Creek Gap until 4 hours after I did!

I wasn't in no hurry, I had all damn day to get there. :)

I started at Springer and I thought Albert was the only thing that resembled the moutains I was used to growing up in Maine. The rest were just very tall hills. Dragons tooth did have a little challange to it, I didn't mind Moosalauke because I was going downhill snf the Dartmouth Hiking Club had installed wonderful wood steps. After the notch Mahoosac Arm is a real Bitch. I feel it is to me the steepest climb on a scale geared to difficulty. Jack is 100% correct on weather. Avery in the rain or icy conditions or Saddleback can bust your chops in bad weather. Katahdin is the hardest and steepest but by the time you get there you are flying and most thru hikers wouldn't notice,(or slow down) if it was straight up and covered with ice.

I agree with the "fearing for my life" sentiment. I came down the north side of Moosilauke in the rain and there was a significant pucker factor present. One slip and you are going to take a long slide down the smooth rock faces. A very tense time. :eek:

Pete Hoffman
Old Corpus:

As a southbounder.... i remember the climb up to 'dragons tooth' being incredibley steep. The 'priest' was rough, as well as '3 peaks'. But....I think the Abol trail up Katahdin was about as steep as it ever got, but thats not really on the AT. So I guess my answer is dragons tooth.

There is no NOBO climb up Dragon's Tooth as you're already walking the ridgeline of Cove Mountain. The SOBO climb is like a StairStepper on level 10 that just keeps going and going; the amount of rock-work involved is amazing. I went up on a warm afternoon and really felt it, even though I had already been on the trail a week and was in great shape. Here's a picture (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=1749&original=1&c=665&userid=3) of the last scramble to the top where they decided to forego additional rock steps.

We started on a NOBO section from Duncannon in early April 1974 with 50-pound packs as high school juniors, so it was a pretty tough climb up. The old bridge across the Susquehanna was really narrow, with the traffic whizzing close by.

I drove big truck acoss that bridge in the 70's and 80's. Ya always worried about your mirrors. Had to be the worst bridge in the country for a mojor highway. Couldn't imagine walking across it with all the traffic.

Nice picture Kerosene

Max

I did my Thru-Hike in 1995 so my memory may need some jogging, but isn't the climb north out of Stecoah Gap a real monster:confused: Maybe it seemed worse than it really is because it is early in game for a NOB.

Vortex Ga-Me 95:banana

Does anyone who has done many of these climbs know how they compare with St. John's Ledges in CT? I thought that was awful tough (the 90 degree weather in early June didn't help, either), but am curious to know if that's just a minor thing next to some of these other climbs?

Jane in CT

Does anyone who has done many of these climbs know how they compare with St. John's Ledges in CT? I thought that was awful tough (the 90 degree weather in early June didn't help, either), but am curious to know if that's just a minor thing next to some of these other climbs?

Jane in CT

I've hiked St. Johns Ledges twice, both times downhill and agree it was very difficult but that may be because they're like nothing encountered in the previous several hundred miles. Most previous steep ascents/descents (West Mountain NY comes to mind) don't feature the rock structure of St. J Ledges which makes them difficult. You mentioned 90 degree heat which certainly is a factor but I can tell you that hiking them in late Fall which I did has its own problems with the dry freshly-fallen leaves rendering the footing very treacherous.

When a friend of mine who's gradually section-hiking her way north approached them last Fall, I filled her head with cautionary statements, especially since she had thought Lehigh Gap, PA was absolutely scary. I hiked with her in southern CT; it took us over an hour to descend St. Johns' ledges. When anyone asks, I tell them it's a good tune-up for Northern New England.

So I'd rank them tough but not as much as some others including my own citation previously in this post of Pleasant Pond Mt. in Maine. At least the St. J Ledges ascent or descent is short. In Maine alone, there are probably at least 10 ascents/descents which are tougher and that's before Katahdin.

I did my Thru-Hike in 1995 so my memory may need some jogging, but isn't the climb north out of Stecoah Gap a real monster:confused: Maybe it seemed worse than it really is because it is early in game for a NOB.

Vortex Ga-Me 95:banana

I don't know when it was done, but the trail north out of Stecoah Gap was relocated. You may have passed through when it was famous for being a very hard section of the AT, especially in the south. There's still lots of up, but not as strenuous as it once was. The old trail route is still visible in places as you go up.