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View Full Version : Where are you South Bounders?



Tron-Life
07-23-2014, 17:34
Just wanted to know where you guys are or if anyone has seen SOBOers lately and where. If your headin south, please include when you started. I ask because I may head south from New England at the end of August and wanted to know if the bubble, to the extent that there is a SOBO bubble, will be in that area. Also, people seem to be leaving from Katahdin in June or July, but I was wondering if people are setting out later in August.

Thanks

Old Hillwalker
07-23-2014, 18:33
Yesterday (Tuesday) I picked up 5 Southbounders at the Whitehouse Bridge crossing in Franconia Notch and took them to Franconia. One guy and four women. All of them left Baxter mid June.

RED-DOG
07-24-2014, 12:14
A few starts in June but most southbounders start in July and the early part of August, right now their still in ME and NH but if you start in late August you might meet a couple of sobo thru's but not many. mostly what you will see will be section hikers and leaf watchers most of the thru-hikers will be way ahead of you.

Poedog
07-29-2014, 11:14
I'm in the computer lab at Dartmouth in Hanover, NH. We started June 17th.

Fairway
09-14-2014, 14:19
Bumping this thread. Where are all the SOBOs at?

Old Hillwalker
09-14-2014, 14:24
My lady friend T/N Magellen is in Delaware Water Gap today. She started June 27th, but took two weeks off for a family reunion.

illabelle
09-14-2014, 16:26
I think I remember hearing that the first SOBO had already finished the trail a few weeks ago (kinda fast, that one!)
So this weekend we did a section in central VA and thought just maybe there would be a trickle of southbounders. Nada. Saw 4 guys on mountain bikes, 1 dayhiker, and 1 couple doing a short section. Very quiet out there.

2015 Lady Thru-Hiker
09-14-2014, 22:55
Ran into a SOBO by the name of Marcus (no trail name) from Canada at the Paul C Wolfe shelter the weekend of 9/6. Really nice guy!

Unitic
09-14-2014, 23:36
I started July 13th last year and was off near Andover, ME for four days with an injury and took three zeroes over Labor Day. I was just south of Dalton, Mass year ago today. When I reached Harpers Ferry on Oct. 21 there were about a dozen SB'ers still behind me.

Spirit Walker
09-14-2014, 23:40
We've run into SOBOs twice in the past week or so at Caledonia and Pine Grove. Given a June start, 2.5 months brings them to the halfway point. We've also run into SOBOs here as late as mid-October.

jetmech
09-15-2014, 04:03
Ran into 2 sobos saturday at halfway marker.... they started in june as well......

kidchill
09-15-2014, 21:04
Wow, that seems like really slow movement...I started on July 3rd, with the big climb, and then hiking south on July 4th. I think by this time I was in PA. I was definitely in VA by the first week in October.

Nick P
09-17-2014, 10:19
I'm in a small bubble of SOBOs here and around Port Clinton, PA. They include India, Zest, K2, Chin-up, and Wolfburger in front, Gravity and Up in the Air, Thorne, Puck, Magellan and me in the middle, and Rickyticky-tock and others in the rear. The trail magic has dried up, as have the water sources in PA, and some resort-like accomodations are closed for the season. I still hope to finish on Springer in the first week of December, if the gods are willing.
All the best from the trail,
Spinoza

mcgrabo
09-17-2014, 12:23
Hello; I walk the AT/LT almost every day. I just go out for about a couple of hours in the early am. I hiked Bear Mountain off Rt 140 in Wallingford, VT. It is about 512 miles south of Katahdin. I have met a few southies. The last few I met were on Saturday, Sept 13th. I always forget their names, so can't help ya there. If you need any help near our town, let us know. Mike and Mary G. Wallingford, VT

Stash
09-22-2014, 15:53
Saw 2 near ashby gap this morning.. didn't catch names

JumpMaster Blaster
09-22-2014, 18:10
Saw one last Friday at Big Bald near Erwin. He & a buddy were slackpacking in the area.

KillerKarma
09-23-2014, 19:13
I passed between 5 and 10 SOBOers in Harriman State Park this weekend. The one group I talked to said they started the second week of June.

chrisschwing
10-10-2014, 10:22
Finished my thruhike yesterday with Gnarly! What an incredible experience. Happy and sad to be done. Going to put a photo journal together soon. Some photos here: http://instagram.com/chrstphrschwng

132 Days
June 1st through October 9th

-Chris "Sandals" Schwing

illabelle
10-10-2014, 16:02
We saw three SOBO thru-hopefuls in Massachusetts over the past few days. Saw Cornbread and Loch Ness climbing up Greylock from N Adams last Thursday (while we were slacking NOBO), then got a glimpse of Fireball this Tuesday as he passed us in a hurry. His entry in a shelter log book: "Chasing Cornbread."
Cornbread started at Katahdin August 23 and covered 600 of the most difficult miles in less than 40 days. His goal was to reach Damascus by Thanksgiving, then assess. At that rate, he'll make it.

Praha4
10-10-2014, 16:08
I just finished a 4-day section hike from Glasgow to Waynesboro, VA, and met approx. 8-10 southbounders each day on the trail. Their start dates ranged from late June to late July, and they all looked like they were having fun. FWIW, water was getting very hard to find in that section this last week, most of the springs and smaller creeks are running dry up there, locals said it had been several weeks since a good rain. Last weekend was glorious fall weather, sunny and cool up there, and all the locals were out camping at the shelters and Spy Rock. Huge crowd camped at The Priest shelter last Sat. night. Nobo climb up Three Ridges was every bit tough as advertised, lots of great views looking back at The Priest going up that climb. Also loved Ming Garden AYCE in Waynesboro, great place for hikers to chow down!

lemon b
10-10-2014, 16:45
Well I know FOREST was at The Doyle last week. Not bad for a 61 year old. Water seems to be the biggest issue SB this year.

2015 Lady Thru-Hiker
10-10-2014, 23:22
Don't know if you've ever done it Praha4 but the blue blaze trail that runs in that same area between Harpers Creek shelter and Maupin Fields - the Mau Har - is a kick-a$$ side trail. You "save" a couple of miles but pay for it in other ways. Makes Three Ridges seem not so tough :)

2015 Lady Thru-Hiker
10-10-2014, 23:25
I spent a little time talking with a very sweet young woman, goes by the trail name "Moxie" just north of the Paul C Wolfe shelter the weekend of September 27. Haven't check her trail journals page to see if she has updated where she is at now though.

Teacher & Snacktime
10-11-2014, 08:42
We met some SOBO's from MD to Roanoke this past 2 weeks...more than I remember last year. We'll post pics in the gallery soon.

CountDooku
10-12-2014, 10:00
Checking in a bit late but the name is Count Dooku. I started June 3rd at Katahdin with two others Yak and Giggles. We are now at Atkins, VA getting ready to keep it moving. Excellent job Sandals and keep it up SOBOs

SteelCut
10-12-2014, 13:10
My wife and I camped with SOBOer Friday at Curly Maple Shelter near Erwin, TN last night. She is making good time.

map man
10-12-2014, 21:04
I believe one of the hikers I at the ATC Visitor Center in Harpers Ferry on Monday, Oct. 6 said he was SOBO photo number 108. And then on Friday, Oct. 10 a SOBO I talked to said he was photo number 125. So they must have been averaging about 4 a day stopping in at the Visitor Center. Almost all the ones I saw during the week looked to be under 30 and a big majority said they had started at Katahdin in June.