South to North
South to North or North to South what is the main difference?
I am planning to do the A T in 2006 and Im looking for what's best.
SOBO or NOBO
Big Oz,
There is no difference it is the same trail!!
Seriously, the main deal is when you may hike and the weather patterns you will see.
A NOBO will take you from late Winter through Spring into early Summer, while a SOBO will be late Spring through Summer, and into Fall. All because you will need to plan your hike to work BSP and the open dates for Katahdin, as I'm sure you're aware (sometime in May to 15 Oct, approx).
The NE (ME, NH, and VT) are tough hikes due to the amount of rock scaling and climbs you'll need to make, but the scenery is wonderful and you will be able to see a lot all day long. As you get more south, the forest will be all you can see most of the day.
A NOBO will have a lot more hikers (1600 this year) while about 200 or so start SOBO each year. So you will have more "community" on a NOBO.
There are good reasons to go each way, so it is up to you to hike your hike. A benie for a NOBO is many folks plan to arrive in Damascus for Trail Days.
My next AT thru will be a SOBO, so I can see the trees change color vs seeing them bloom and leaf out as I did this year.
Great hiking to you-either way it is quite an experience!
Big Daddy D
What you can expect going northbound:
1) Springtime in the southern Appalachians (incredible wildflower displays, etc)
2) Fall in New England (incredible foliage displays)
3) Finish on top of the AT's greatest mtn, a fitting end to an epic journey.
4) Crowded shelters and campsites the first several weeks.
5) Possibly cold rain/snow at the southern end
What you can expect going southbound:
1) Blackflies in Maine and NH, which at times can be an umimaginable pestilence.
2) Springtime in New England (short, often wet, pitiful compared to a southern Spring)
3) Finish on top of Springer, a fairly mundane peak
4) Fewer people the first several weeks
5) Fall in the Southern Appalachians (not as good as Fall in New England)
I've done 4 NOBOs and 1 SOBO. I enjoyed the SOBO more.
For most thru-hikers, the fondest memories are of the people they meet along the way. Going southbound, there are a lot fewer of them. So, friendships are effected accordingly.
Also, certain hostels down south are only open during the northbound season.
Other than that, the AT on Katahadin is frequently closed until after Memorial Day. Streams in Maine are still cold and high with spring runoff in June. And June is also black fly season up north.
Shelters crowed in the south for northbounders? Not my experience. I shared a shelter with one other hiker my first night out. Shelters everywhere were more apt to be crowed with section hikers on Friday and Saturday nights.
Either NOBO or SOBO, the early weeks are still a good challenge.
i still can't get used to having access to that much experience, or the offhand way you share it... i don't always agree with you, but i'm glad you're here. you remind me of my old, worn out, comfortable combat boots... (in a good way...)Originally Posted by L. Wolf
Merci beau coup.
coup this you long haired _______!!!
The Start
The Start. Nobos can drive almost to the summit of Springer, be with a crowd of fellow travelers, have several bail out ops right away, have a mail drop at 20 miles and a great outfitter at 30. Sobos start with a 10.4 round trip hike up the Greatest Mountain - if it is open for climbing, will be around only a few other hikers, have to deal with clouds of bugs, and start right away into a 114 mile hike passing one tiny store and one North Woods camp before the first maildrop chance over a week later.
Teej
"[ATers] represent three percent of our use and about twenty percent of our effort," retired Baxter Park Director Jensen Bissell.
"Sobos start with a 10.4 round trip hike up the Greatest Mountain - if it is open for climbing, will be around only a few other hikers, have to deal with clouds of bugs, and start right away into a 114 mile hike passing one tiny store and one North Woods camp before the first maildrop chance over a week later."
And it's all downhill from there.
Northbounders thru Franklin,If you are looking for a place to send
maildrops free in Franklin,need shuttles to or from Windingstair,Rock,Wallace
Gaps and other places close by,or long shuttles,or any other way we can help A T hikers call us here at Havens BUDGET INN at (828)524-4403 OH
we offer great rates year around for Hikers at only $35.nightly for 2 guest.
We are sponsering the April 1st hiker bash weekend from 3-30-06 til 4-1-06
at our other Motel Sapphire Inn.For info check us out at sapphireinn.net
click on "click to enter" or our other site is havensbudgetinn.net If there
is anything in bound of reason we can do for you Please contact us,
Ron Haven
[QUOTE=The Hog]
What you can expect going southbound:
1) Blackflies in Maine and NH, which at times can be an umimaginable pestilence.
2) Springtime in New England (short, often wet, pitiful compared to a southern Spring)
QUOTE]
If you start SOBO mid to late July, you will miss most of those mud and black fly issues (I only had one bite...it was on day 3). And, this later start date would also put you in the Southern Appalachians for fall and/or early winter. In my opnion, the crisper skies, longer views and fluffier snows make it a much better time to hike around here than spring (which is often very wet and soggy!).
I think the main difference is the social aspect of the hike...going SOBO you can find other hikers if you want to, but it's also much easier to be more secluded if that is your preference.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
