View Full Version : Sobo
spfleisig
04-22-2018, 07:08
What are the five top reasons why the vast majority of thru hikers don’t do SOBO?
nsherry61
04-22-2018, 07:49
1.0) Start earlier in the south as the weather warms and follow spring summer north.
1.1) Trails are pretty sloppy up north early in the season.
2) Everyone else is going NOBO
I think that's probably about it. I don't know that there are really any other good reasons.
3) Hiking with the sun at your back?
4) Put off the harder and more remote sections of the trail until later after you are more fit and experiences?
5) Going southbound against the flow feels like a busier trail since you are passing everyone instead of hiking along and only passing people that are either faster or slower than you.
Northbound is the way to go, 1 Tradition, 2. less buggy, 3 Avoid the heat of Summer, 4 Fall colors better in NE. 5. Trail magic far better
Here are a few.
1. People are like sheep (not that there is anything wrong with that)
2. Fear of the Hundred Mile Wilderness (no easy bailouts/places to retool gear and reset pace)
3. Fear of hitting impassable snow in smokies (whether well-founded or not)
4. Need to postpone start after long winter (itchy feet)
5. Days get shorter as legs get stronger (sucks)
That said, none of these are very good ones.
TJ aka Teej
04-22-2018, 10:17
1-5 Lack of information.
A successful sobo should be a physically fit experienced backpacker.
The 2018 SoBo’s Guide to Baxter and Katahdin (https://baxterinfo.wordpress.com/2017/12/20/the-2018-sobos-guide-to-baxter-and-katahdin/)
Sobo 2018 Facebook group.
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/1348713061847209/)
WhiteBlaze's very own Southbound forum. (https://whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php/422-Southbound-thru-hikers-(MEGA))
1) SOBOs have less daylight over the course of an entire thru-hike. A typical SOBO might start around the longest day of the year (the Summer Solstice on June 21) but have less daylight with each day they hike. If they hike five months they will be finishing in late November. A typical NOBO, on the other hand, might start in late March and finish in early to mid September, maximizing daylight hours.
2) Some prospective SOBOs are intimidated by having to hike Maine and New Hampshire first, the two states offering some sections with the most difficult hiking on the AT.
3) Confirmation bias. People think since most thru-hikers start in Georgia in March or April that they must know what they're doing.
4) Since trying to thru-hike is a novel and challenging experience, and shared hardship can be more bearable than lone hardship, a lot of folks like the idea of being around as many like-minded souls as possible, and that's what a March or April start in Georgia offers.
Sorry, that's only four reasons. By the way, if I do attempt a thru-hike when I retire it will be SOBO, so don't read my post as advocating NOT hiking SOBO.
Here are MY top five reasons (that may not be entirely rational:rolleyes:)
1. Wildcat Mtn, Lehigh Gap, and Baldpate East look intimidating to descend.
2. Water levels are more likely to be higher for Maine river crossings.
3. Springer Mtn is anticlimactic in comparison to Katahdin.
4. Shorter day lengths and probably December finish for a slower hiker.
5. Substantial hiker bubble (???) starting out, as compared to a Flip Flop hike.
as above, a guy who had done a lot of trails around the world -went by mike the hike - felt that K was the best finish
also you have to carry the extra weight of the SOBO chip on your shoulder
also you have to carry the extra weight of the SOBO chip on your shoulder
The NOBO vs SOBO who's better pissing contests are possibly THE stupidest conversations I have ever witnessed on the trail. And people actually do get bent out of shape about it. Insecurities maybe? Who knows.....
3. Springer Mtn is anticlimactic in comparison to Katahdin.
never thru hiked, probably never will, but if i ever finish sectioning i'm shooting to finish with katahdin, and not because ive hiked it all in a south to north sequence or because ive hiked all my sections nobo, not remotely. but simply because (and this may be rooted in all the irrational reasons why sobo is favored, but it is what it is) it is obviously the end of the trail.
its perhaps better illustrated if looked at from the reverse- katahdin seems to be an darned awkward place to start a hike from. i think thats nearly indisputable.
starting a months long journey of 2000+ miles by first going up and then back down a mountain and probably staying 2 nights in the same spot?
Apologies to the OP. Now aware that this is in the straight forward section... I think posts 2,4 and 6 cover it the best. My best guesses:
1) Itchy feet
2) Comfort in numbers
3) Dramatic finish
4) Easier start
5) Hours of daylight
The NOBO vs SOBO who's better pissing contests are possibly THE stupidest conversations I have ever witnessed on the trail. And people actually do get bent out of shape about it. Insecurities maybe? Who knows.....
My guess is it’s more ball busting than serious.
Certanly an easier conversation than debating the genius of Basquait, or Delfate Gate with those lacking more than a passing aquintence on such topics.
But for the record, SOBOs tend to be better looking, classier and more humble than NOBOs.
Just a fact.
Christoph
04-23-2018, 19:16
I'd have to say tradition (that was my NOBO reason), starting in Maine which I thought was some of the toughest terrain, and it's pretty anti-climatic on Springer (unless you ascend/descend the falls).
My guess is it’s more ball busting than serious.
Certanly an easier conversation than debating the genius of Basquait, or Delfate Gate with those lacking more than a passing aquintence on such topics.
But for the record, SOBOs tend to be better looking, classier and more humble than NOBOs.
Just a fact.
More than 9 times out of 10 its ball busting I'm sure. Though I've seen it get heated and thought it was ridiculous, like bleacher fights between Sox and Yanks fans.
And yes, research does support your conclusion on record.
6) Most books/videos show a NOBO hike, so that is the first impression of the AT
7) Logistically easier to start from Springer
8) The hiker feed/ support thing
9) Switchbacks
10) Southern Cooking
T.S.Kobzol
04-23-2018, 20:09
Alphabetically sorted, NOBO is the way to go.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I attempted a SOBO thru hike years ago. Here are my reasons.
1. Black flies
2. Black flies
3. Black flies
4. Mosquitoes
5. Mosquitoes
The AT is supposed to be hiked SOBO. The evidence is in the classic patch which states "Maine to Georgia"!
MuddyWaters
04-23-2018, 23:11
Apologies to the OP. Now aware that this is in the straight forward section... I think posts 2,4 and 6 cover it the best. My best guesses:
1) Itchy feet
2) Comfort in numbers
3) Dramatic finish
4) Easier start
5) Hours of daylight
^
Dont know about 5.
But times are also changing.
Sobos are increasing
The aura /fear about 100 mi wilderness shatterred by resuppliers and internet
I attempted a SOBO thru hike years ago. Here are my reasons.
1. Black flies
2. Black flies
3. Black flies
4. Mosquitoes
5. Mosquitoes
All good points!
I might put 4 and 5 at the top — al least for those getting a late start.
I might also include:
6. Greater Potential for wet trails and wet feet issues (not sure if this holds true since NOBOs have their own challenges, but something to think about when considering how many pairs of socks to take)
And perhaps one more
7. You may forever feel a need to explain to family, coworkers and casual aquantences that your experience was not at all like what they saw pictured in A Walk in the Woods. That it was better in so many ways because you went SOBO (not that you could ever really know if you didn’t do a NOBO as well).
I don't have five reasons, but from the first time I considered a thru hike I just naturally assumed a southbound. A friend suggested this was because I'd be walking home (I live in Florida). Maybe, I don't know. I'm still aiming to thru hike in either July 2020 or 2021.
For me, the icing on the SOBO cake was having my parents come out and hike the last mile with me. They can't walk up and down mountains any more so that wouldn't have happened at Katahdin. That memory will live with me long after they are gone.
wornoutboots
04-24-2018, 08:38
I hiked the PCT sobo in 2016 these are my reasons
Sobo's
1: Embrace being Non-conformists/non-traditionalist
2: Want the challenge of the "Harder Route"
3: Don't want the "Nobo/Big Bubble "Drama" (although had a fantastic small "drama-free" tramily from time to time)
4: Really Enjoy the Quiet Woods & Alone Time (didn't see another Thru on the trail for the last 2 months)
5: Loved the complexity of shorter days & learning how to adjust
trailmercury
04-24-2018, 10:03
To address the "Springer is anticlimactic" sentiment, what about getting off trail at USFS 42 coming SOBO, grab a shuttle, and go do the Approach trail>Springer>FS 42 NOBO? Probably not a new idea.
For me, the icing on the SOBO cake was having my parents come out and hike the last mile with me. They can't walk up and down mountains any more so that wouldn't have happened at Katahdin. That memory will live with me long after they are gone.
Very cool!
I was not wise enough to think of something like that at age 23 — wish I did, especially considering how supportive my parents were and how far they drove to pick me up.
Makes me tear up thinking about it.
What are the five top reasons why the vast majority of thru hikers don’t do SOBO?
Having started my thru at Springer as a NOBO and flipped to be a SOBO finisher my reasons are.
SOBOs have to deal with very wet walking conditions during Maine spring. The Maine trails are not as well maintained. As they are down south. The bug season in Maine can be quite bad. Off trail support, ie., shuttles, hostels, resupply places, outfitters are not as established up north. The trail is tough in Maine.
The NOBO vs SOBO who's better pissing contests are possibly THE stupidest conversations I have ever witnessed on the trail. And people actually do get bent out of shape about it. Insecurities maybe? Who knows.....
Hmmm, I wonder. I bet the number of WB posts would show whether or not to hike the approach trail to be the stupidest conversation. Or we could start an argument about which stupid WB discussion is the absolute stupidest.
Hmmm, I wonder. I bet the number of WB posts would show whether or not to hike the approach trail to be the stupidest conversation. Or we could start an argument about which stupid WB discussion is the absolute stupidest.
That would be stupid