View Full Version : NOBO from Harper's Ferry Help?
Is the second week of June to late to start from Harper's Ferry going north to MA and still be able to flip back down to HF and go south to GA? I am trying to decide whether or not to go this year or wait until next March. I told myself last year that this would be the year unless a job and or girl came into the picture. Well, both did. The girl is great but the new job is worse than the last. Should I just go and follow my dream? Just wanted to get some advice and ideas from the great people here at Whitebalze. Thanks all.
Your plan is absolutely legit. Altho, by "MA" i assume you mean Maine? Or are you only going to Mass? I do believe you could make it to Katahdin and flip southbound to Georgia.
Most NOBO hikers come thru Harpers Ferry between early May and early July, so starting 2nd week in june would put you smack in the middle of the pack. I'd say most thru-hikers take 2-3 months to finish the 2nd leg, so expect 3+ as you'll be starting fresh and assuming you want to ease into things. That would put you at Katahdin in mid-september, a great time to be there. You'd then have 3+ months of decent hiking time left to finish the south. The end of the sobo "pack" is usually finishing up in mid-december, so you'd be in good company here, and I assume most folks try to get home for the holidays. If you plan this real well you can eat a famous thanksgiving at Miss Janets in Erwin. Anyway, by time you've hiked the northern half, you'll be in good enough shape that the southern half is hikeable in 2months, so you could theoretically be done in mid-late november, which seems like a great time to end, with the cold weather and snow coming. The only real worry for a SOBO weatherwise is getting thru the smokies, which usually doesn't end up being a big deal.
Anyway, good luck with this and let us know if you've got other questions
A-Train, thank you very much for your advice. I just wanted to make sure I would have enough time to finish in the south. Yes, I meant Maine not Mass in my abbreviation. Is it easy to get from Maine back to WV, I suppose you would just take a train. I am still undecided about going or not, my heart tells me to go but my brain says stick out the new job, go back to school etc. Do you have any good advice regarding this dilemma? Also, do you think I could get all things in order within the next few weeks. I have pretty much all the equipment, just need to do some planning. Thanks.