Originally Posted by
stranger
Some really good advice on here already and I can offer the following reflections from long distance hikes from 1995, 2001 and 2008...
Yes, absolutely the trail today is a social experience for most hikers, with the wilderness/isolation thing being second, that's a given for most people. In the early-mid 90's it was different, but not entirely...the AT has always been a people's trail.
This does not mean however that it's a frat party out there, meaning the trail, in my experience, the trail is the one place that crap usually doesn't happen, and when it does it's both rare and predictable.
Most of the frat party scene is either in town, or at times on the trail with select, large groups of younger, prodominately male hikers who everyone knows about anyway. Many of these types hike to Trail Days, spend two weeks there, and fizzle out thereafter.
This also assumes you leave Springer Mountain between 1 March and 15 April, when the vast majority of hikers depart, by contrast if you left Springer in May you would have a very different experience IMO. Also, being 100 miles north or south of Damascus during Trail Days is a good idea in terms of the party hikers. In 2008 we hitched to TD from Iron Mountain Gap in TN, about 80 miles south of Damascus, when I arrived back in town 5-6 days later many of the hostels were full with hikers who had been in town for 2 weeks....
You can easily have a very enjoyable, somewhat solitary hike along the AT if you do the following:
1. Hike outside of thru-hiker season going nobo, or consider going sobo
2. If are set on going thru nobo, leave very late April or early May
3. Do not use shelters
4. Do not camp next to shelters
5. Do not frequent hostels
6. Spend extra money and get your own motel rooms
7. Don't go to Trail Days
8. Don't be within 100 miles of Damascus during Trail Days
And really, as others have stated...Hike your own Hike, meaning...if you show up to a shelter and there are 15 hikers there, say hello, sign the register, use the privy, get some water and hike another mile or two before crashing for the night, there are hundreds of campsites along the AT.
Town is town, and you will run into hikers there regardless, but you can usually get your own room if you avoid hostels.
And if you avoid shelters...honestly, you will not see that many hikers along the AT, even during peak season, remember the frat boys are afraid of the rain : )