SoBo from Harper's Ferry, starting April 1, how isolating would that be?

[beatnikbarber]

I don't mind spending vast portions of my day hiking alone, but would like there to be other people around when i bed down for the night. So, considering the time, place, and direction, would I at least run into other people at the shelters? I know eventually I'd cross paths with the NoBo thru hikers, but how isolating would the first few weeks be?

[rafe]

You're starting from the half-way point of what is typically a five-month journey. I'm guessing mid-March is the peak start date for most nobos; in reality it's a wide range of start dates. I'm guessing you'll see no nobos at all for the first few weeks, then a few of the speedsters or early starters, and the crest of the wave around May 1.

[Coffee]

I section hiked northbound starting at Rockfish Gap on April 15 and passed through Harpers Ferry about a week later. There were not many people on the trail (outside of SNP developed areas during the weekend) but I did see other people near shelters on most nights although I camped away from the shelters. I suspect that the trail would be less crowded earlier in April in that area. Overall, it was a great time to be on the trail.

[Lone Wolf]

I don't mind spending vast portions of my day hiking alone, but would like there to be other people around when i bed down for the night. So, considering the time, place, and direction, would I at least run into other people at the shelters? I know eventually I'd cross paths with the NoBo thru hikers, but how isolating would the first few weeks be?

relish your alone time for a couple of weeks cuz after that you'll run into hordes of elitist NOBOs. annoying as all get out

[beatnikbarber]

Thanks for the info.. . my plan is still coalescing. I'd really like to wait till july and head up towards New England, but now that I've made the final decision to really take a few moths off and do it, man oh man, I just want to walk out the door right now and get started!

[peakbagger]

In 2002 me and friend went south from the south gate of SNP to Damascus starting April 1st. We had brought gear good down to 20 degrees F and needed it for the first two weeks. For four weeks we had the shelters to our selves during the week and some weekenders on Saturday nights. Just about Pearisburg we started running into early Northbounders and it really degraded the experience as the ratio of "good" hikers" to bad was higher than we were used to. The biggest annoyance were large groups of college age folks that would descend en masse at a shelter at or around dusk with the expectation that room had to made for them despite the shelter being full. That and folks that would deposit their trash in the fire pit as they walked out of camp in the AM despite no fire being present. There were plenty of nice folks out for a good time but the ratio of difficult entitled hikers was higher than normal. We put up with it for a week and finally called it quits in Damascus at the end of the first week in May.

I would suggest bring a tent and avoid shelter sites entirely as you would endlessly be encountering the "bubble" at some point and the farther south you go the less experienced the bubble folks would be.

[tiptoe]

I agree with Rafe. The last few years I've done southbound sections in that area starting roughly mid-April. You will meet some, but not a lot of Nobos toward the end of the month, more the farther south you get. You will also see section hikers enjoying the spring wildflowers, cool weather, and unobstructed views. There will be plenty of people to chat with and for safety, but not so many as to fill the shelters, unless you encounter a mini-bubble, which does happen from time to time. The closer you get to Damascus and Trail Days, the more Nobos -- too many, in my opinion, as I relish solitude. But it's hard to avoid the problem.

[rafe]

To get an idea of the position of the wave, bear in mind that many nobo hikers time their hikes to bring them to Damascus in mid-May for Trail Days. In reality, some will be hitching in to town from wherever they happen to be, either north or south of there. But Trail Days is a target for lots of nobos.

[Ktaadn]

I think you would see some day hikers, but be alone pretty much every night at the shelters. Small chance of having someone else out there on the weekends, but weekdays would be all you.

I prefer to hike during these off times (Oct thru Apr) and will probably be in SNP in April.

[SawnieRobertson]

In 2004 a successful thruhike began in the Shenandoan, hiking south alone. As I recall, he was happy about encountering some NOBOs after all the solitude that he enjoyed before their paths met. You can get a good account of his hike in Trailjournals 2004 under the trailname The Ponderer or maybe just Ponderer.

[Cookerhiker]

I like your plan but I'd consider bumping the start date back about 11 days to start around the spring equinox. That result in 11 more days of relative solitude. Yeah, you could run into an ice storm but it's worth the risk. You'll have the shelters mostly to yourself. Early spring is a very nice time to hike in Virginia.

[Praha4]

relish your alone time for a couple of weeks cuz after that you'll run into hordes of elitist NOBOs. annoying as all get out

Lone Wolf is right. Tell them you're a lowly section hiker and you'll be treated like an Ebola victim. Just look in the mirror every day and tell yourself "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and DOGGONE IT, PEOPLE LIKE ME" .... and you should be okay.

[shelb]

Sounds great!!! Enjoy!