View Full Version : Question regarding section hiking opposite the thru hiker bubble
steve_zavocki
03-18-2016, 13:03
I am a lifetime section hiker. The direction is not important as long as I hike the whole thing. I am planning on a day hike from Deep Gap, NC to Dicks Creek, Ga on April 2 or April 3. This is a 15 mile distance.
According to the chart I have seen on this site, this will place me square in the middle of the thru hiker bubble. I will be hiking South against the flow of traffic. (This is the easier direction for this section)
I expect to see a lot of other hikers, but will it be so busy that I am stepping aside every 25 ft making the hike unpleasant? I haven't experienced hiking the AT during a busy time like this before.
Can someone give me an idea of what to expect?
dudeijuststarted
03-18-2016, 13:12
It won't be unpleasant. The thru hikers you see will be interesting to observe. You will have less privacy at camp. You'll also need to go deeper into the woods when nature calls, because someone always appears when you are about to do your thing. Other than that, you don't have to live with them for 6 months, embrace it and have fun.
GoldenBear
03-18-2016, 13:39
Like you, I intend to section hike the entire AT, and try to avoid the "bubble" while doing so.
But, as you have found, it's not always possible to do that completely.
But hitting this large group of people isn't so bad. Just be prepared to practice the etiquette of meeting people going the opposite way*, and you'll be fine.
Shelter areas will be crowded, and you may well have to take tenting sites that are far from your optimal choice. Unless you like a party atmosphere, I can't recommend staying in shelters at these times.
The advice about "call of nature" is true -- take a REALLY good look down The Trail before you zip down your pants.
* For me, with the alternate trail name of "Snail's Pace," my rule is simple: I always stop moving, and get slightly off The Trail, when I meet "real hikers."
steve_zavocki
03-18-2016, 13:53
Thanks for your replies! I do have a habit of shedding water weight early and often when hiking so I will have to be more careful with that. I am not camping overnight this time, so no need to be worried about that.
I am excited that in the end, I will have completed my first state, Georgia!
illabelle
03-18-2016, 14:29
It can be a little fun or at least interesting to hike against the grain during the spring rush. You get a condensed view of who's in the hiking bubble, almost like a parade, how many male/female, how many old/young, how many alone/groups, how many white/other, etc. We've done that, but further north, like Hot Springs to Davenport Gap. By that point, many of those who started have dropped out, and the ones remaining have spread out a bit. I remember counting 30 per day in that area one spring (mid-March if I remember right). At no time was the trail so congested that it became uncomfortable.
daddytwosticks
03-18-2016, 15:11
Bet the OP will see at least 50 hikers the day he does his section hike. Anybody else have any estimates? :)
Bet the OP will see at least 50 hikers the day he does his section hike. Anybody else have any estimates? :)
From all that I'm hearing that sounds like a reasonable estimate. April 1 is a popular start date.
steve_zavocki
03-18-2016, 15:33
I have an idea based on illabelle's comment, I will also do a little amateur stat taking. I will give a total count of all thru hikers and keep a breakdown of male/female and then report back to White Blaze. Even though I will hike on a weekend, that section will likely have few day trippers like myself due to length and remoteness. Of course, I can tell the day trippers based on the size of their pack and smell or lack thereof :) This should give you all a sample in which to make rough projections of this years thru hikers.
My guess is the number will be greater than 50. I am going to guess 80.
steve_zavocki
03-18-2016, 15:36
Most hikers I will see would have started at Springer on March 24-28
Most hikers I will see would have started at Springer on March 24-28
Yep, I realized that after I left my comment, but that's still close to peak season, I think.
WingedMonkey
03-18-2016, 20:43
I expect to see a lot of other hikers, but will it be so busy that I am stepping aside every 25 ft making the hike unpleasant?
Carry a lot of Snickers Minis in a fanny pack, toss one to the side of the trail as North bounders approach. They will step aside to retrieve them.
You can always claim you are doing trail magic.
If you move fast enough the ungrateful ones won't have time to tell you how unhealthy Snickers are and that they only eat coconut oil in a pouch.
:sun
If you move fast enough the ungrateful ones won't have time to tell you how unhealthy Snickers are and that they only eat coconut oil in a pouch.
:sun
The snark is strong with this one.
Sarcasm the elf
03-18-2016, 22:01
Carry a lot of Snickers Minis in a fanny pack, toss one to the side of the trail as North bounders approach. They will step aside to retrieve them.
You can always claim you are doing trail magic.
If you move fast enough the ungrateful ones won't have time to tell you how unhealthy Snickers are and that they only eat coconut oil in a pouch.
:sun
The pouches create too much waste. The coconut oil should only be carried in one's hands or in a reclaimed vintage glass bottle that was purchased from a local small business.
With regards to the opening question, even if you pass 50 thru hikers a day, that would still only be 5 people an hour if you assume they are hiking for ten hours a day, that doesn't make for much of a croud while you're moving.
Puddlefish
03-18-2016, 22:02
Carry a lot of Snickers Minis in a fanny pack, toss one to the side of the trail as North bounders approach. They will step aside to retrieve them.
You can always claim you are doing trail magic.
If you move fast enough the ungrateful ones won't have time to tell you how unhealthy Snickers are and that they only eat coconut oil in a pouch.
:sun
A single one on a string would probably be cheaper.
JansportD2
03-20-2016, 01:45
I did a section starting at Pearisburg and ending in Damascus last spring. I was hiking through the bubble of hikers who left Damascus after Traildays. The most NOBOS I saw in one day was 82. They are so spread out that it isn't that bad. The shelters ere crowded but I don't sleep in shelters.