Time Frame and Likelihood to complete?

[Slo-go'en]

Well, doing a SOBO, once you get through Maine, the rest will seem pretty easy.
Early June is a typical SOBO start, you got to wait for the snow to melt, the trails to dry out and the rivers to receed.

Male, female, I don't think it matters. Long legs helps. Females might have slight advantage in stamina and pain endorence. Being young helps too.

Once again, good luck. Let us all know how it works out. We often see posts from people saying thier going to do a fast hike, then we never hear from them again.

[gravityman]

But wait. I've seen this posted so many places, that a SOBO is shorter/easier than NOBO. That has yet to make sense to me. It's the same trail, yes? Same mountains.

It ain't shorter, that's for sure! Although technically a SOBO is slightly down hill as you 'officially' start at 5267 ft (Katahdin) and end at 3780 ft (sprniger), so it's down hill from start to finish going sobo, but with a lot of up and down between! Of course you also have to get to the start and off from the finish...

I think from the 'easier' side, this mainly applies to fast hikers. Their chances of success are usually determined by how they do in Maine/whites. So, from that standpoint, you will know a lot earlier in to the hike if you have a chance of finishing within your time frame once you get through the whites.

Gravity

[Marta]

A little info on the women's supported record, set last year:

http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/...19/NEWS/125254

The women's unsupported record is quite old, and probably "soft," as records go.

There are people on Whiteblaze who can offer solid information on speed hiking, Lone Wolf being one of them. Two people who are rarely or never on Whiteblaze, but who helped Jennifer achieve her record, are Warren Doyle and David Horton.

One piece of advice Warren Doyle offered Jennifer was to try for a record on a shorter trail first, to see how it felt physically and mentally to push herself like that. She speed-hiked the Long Trail, decided she liked it, and went for the AT record last year.

I know you're not talking absolute record attempt, but when you drop under three months, you're edging into the Extreme Hike category, IMO.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Dogwood]

You will have to fly at an Andrew Skurka type pace to pull that off, but it's not impossible. I wonder if you fully realize what you will be attempting? Which leads me to ask why do you want to hike? Just to say you pulled off a 70 day AT thru-hike? Why not choose a large chunk and come back to finish within, say, a yr. You will get to experience more of the trail and still pull off a thru-hike. This eliminates the logistics, hurried time frame, and loss of connection with the thru-hiking experience. Like Sly said on another thread, "thru-hiking isn't just about hiking."

[Lone Wolf]

But wait. I've seen this posted so many places, that a SOBO is shorter/easier than NOBO. That has yet to make sense to me. It's the same trail, yes? Same mountains.

it's the same distance but easier on the body. you knock the toughest 400 miles out of the way first while you're fresh whereas a NOBO is finishing pretty much physically spent

[Dogwood]

Additionally, being in GOOD(whatever that means) shape is NOT necessarily the same as being in thru-hiker shape. Doing 2-3 25-30 mile days(even with the heavy pack) is not exactly the same as going week after week, 2 months in a row, doing 35-40 mile days. Not trying to piss on your parade, but I want to make sure you consider what you will attempt, your level of thru-hiking experience and how that plays into what you will attempt, and what you may be sacrificing in order to achieve a 70 day AT thru-hike. I'm not saying you will not do it(I wish you all the best), but there is a good reason why so many who attempt a thru-hike of the AT don't make it all the way. And, you will only be making it that much harder/different/challenging/difficult if you attempt to complete a thru-hike in the time frame of 70 days. There exists a romance to hiking the AT that doesn't always match that in real life(doing it) or a desire to check off thru-hiking the AT as a goal accomplished that seems to be a lot harder for most to accomplish in real life than actually talking about it!

[Tuna]

Wow, that's a serious challenge you've set yourself. Best of luck.

How good are you at being alone? Fourteen hour days, week after week of fast hiking. Are you content enough with your own company to get it done?

[4eyedbuzzard]

May wouldn't be most peoples choice for hiking or running in ME. Mud, snow, flooded streams, and bugs. Just more obstacles to slow you down. And there really aren't enough SOBO's to make much of a pack in comparison to NOBO's. Most SOBO's leave between mid June and mid July, maybe 200 or so, and just like NOBO's a lot will drop out along the way, although not as many by percentage. For whatever reason they tend to be a hardier bunch. SOBO in May you will have plenty of company though all the way through New England--from black flies.

[4eyedbuzzard]

it's the same distance but easier on the body. you knock the toughest 400 miles out of the way first while you're fresh whereas a NOBO is finishing pretty much physically spent

Makes me think about something that hasn't been completely brought up yet. A "hike" (run) like he's talking creates a lot of physical trauma with little to no time off to heal/repair muscle and tissue. Add to that the nutritional issues that will factor in. Beating the snot out of your body for 60 days straight without rest is going to take its toll even on someone in superb shape.

[Blissful]

Makes me think about something that hasn't been completely brought up yet. A "hike" (run) like he's talking creates a lot of physical trauma with little to no time off to heal/repair muscle and tissue. Add to that the nutritional issues that will factor in. Beating the snot out of your body for 60 days straight without rest is going to take its toll even on someone in superb shape.

That's why a 21 yr old can do it, not like us oldie moldies.

[4eyedbuzzard]

That's why a 21 yr old can do it, not like us oldie moldies.

Moldie, eh? I thought I was just turnin' green with envy. Oldie and moldie, huh. GTG, time for my Geritol and Prune juice martini.

[Alli]

Why not just wait til your contract's up and take the time then? That's what I'm doing.