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rafe
02-11-2008, 22:06
Apropos "Is the AT too crowded?" here's a related question. What's the longest period you've gone on the AT without seeing another hiker? And where was it?

For me it was a bit under two days, in New York/New Jersey, between Island Pond and the trailhead near Vernon.

River Runner
02-11-2008, 22:15
Less than half a day, hiking in North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia south and north of Damasus.

warraghiyagey
02-11-2008, 22:17
Also a bit under two days this summer in Maine. The solitude was delicious.:sun

Lone Wolf
02-11-2008, 22:18
6 days. hot springs to newfound gap. november of 95

A-Train
02-11-2008, 22:20
5 minutes while I was off digging a cathole

hammock engineer
02-11-2008, 22:21
I went 4 days with only seeing a hunter at a road crossing this November. Plenty of other times I only saw the people I was hiking with for days on end. Got to love the Southbound.

tallfran
02-11-2008, 22:25
It was in early May 2006 south of Fontana Dam, and was about 36 hours. I thought the world had ended or something!

Kirby
02-11-2008, 22:32
If I hike at the right pace, I can make it so that I am sandwiched between two groups of hikers ahead and behind me. Using that method, I can usually get 3-5 hours alone.

Kirby

Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-11-2008, 22:34
Maybe 30 years ago I was camped just off the AT and didn't see another person the entire week - in Tennessee up between Hampton and Watagua Lake area - during the winter - don't remember what month.

warraghiyagey
02-11-2008, 22:39
If I hike at the right pace, I can make it so that I am sandwiched between two groups of hikers ahead and behind me. Using that method, I can usually get 3-5 hours alone.

Kirby
Hey Kirb!! Break a leg!!!!http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/laughing021.gif

max patch
02-11-2008, 22:51
On my thru, one day somewhere in Maine.

I don't see anyone on quite a few occasions in Georgia when I hike off season.

minnesotasmith
02-11-2008, 23:22
When winter conditions came a month early in 2006.

buff_jeff
02-11-2008, 23:26
I didn't see anyone for about three days in New Jersey. It was during the winter, though.

Bulldawg
02-11-2008, 23:26
About 45 minutes in April on the trail in Georgia!!

Summit
02-12-2008, 00:04
I've gone 3 days several times during winter months in the Nantahalas of NC. Just this last October I went nearly all day one day without seeing a soul, near Albert Mt on a very rainy day.

grizzlyadam
02-12-2008, 00:12
anywhere from 4-8 days in november, december, and january.... north carolina, virginia, maine...

Summit
02-12-2008, 00:21
The less you tend to your personal hygiene, the less people you'll see! :eek: :D :p

Footslogger
02-12-2008, 00:25
Longest alone time on the trail was 4 - 5 days in 2003. I had at least 2 of these 4 - 5 day periods the further north I got. My pace fell off due to a struggle with kidney stones and most hiker "pods" passed me and I found myself in what some called a "bubble".

'Slogger

SlowLightTrek
02-12-2008, 00:43
5 days in PA in the heat of summer. Didn't see a soul. There were alot of people in PA period. Musta been too hot.

Jaybird62
02-12-2008, 00:53
Feb.7 & 8 2008, MD Pen-Mar Park to Ensign Conwall Shelter's tenting platforms ( very nice BTW, mulch over small stones), and back out. Appx. 20 miles. I took 2 days and did not see anyone else on the trail.

warraghiyagey
02-12-2008, 00:56
Feb.7 & 8 2008, MD Pen-Mar Park to Ensign Conwall Shelter's tenting platforms ( very nice BTW, mulch over small stones), and back out. Appx. 20 miles. I took 2 days and did not see anyone else on the trail.
They were all still celebrating the Giants SuperBowl win.

fiddlehead
02-12-2008, 02:49
SOBO hike starting from Katahdin Oct 14 finishing Springer Feb 10.
Except for the first 2 weeks and the last two weeks, only saw 4 other thru hikers.
Saw an occasional hiker on weekends that were dayhiking.

Don't remember any other overnighters except for those two ends.
Saw lots of hunters (followed deer season from Maine to NC)

warraghiyagey
02-12-2008, 02:53
Sounds like a chilly thru.http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/sick010.gif

rafe
02-12-2008, 09:16
SOBO hike starting from Katahdin Oct 14 finishing Springer Feb 10. Except for the first 2 weeks and the last two weeks, only saw 4 other thru hikers. Saw an occasional hiker on weekends that were dayhiking.

Don't remember any other overnighters except for those two ends.
Saw lots of hunters (followed deer season from Maine to NC)

Sounds a bit like my sobo trek (~600 miles) this Aug.-Sept. I met about five or six thru-hikers total, and was alone most nights. Of the thrus I met, three or four were nobos, met towards the start of the trip. Two were sobos, who passed me in SNP. Most others I met were strollers, joggers, and day-hikers, within a mile or two of a trailhead.

rafe
02-12-2008, 09:55
Feb.7 & 8 2008, MD Pen-Mar Park to Ensign Conwall Shelter's tenting platforms ( very nice BTW, mulch over small stones), and back out. Appx. 20 miles. I took 2 days and did not see anyone else on the trail.

FWIW, the distance from PenMar to Ensign Cowall shelter is less than 10 miles. ;)

rafe
02-12-2008, 09:56
Ah... you did it both directions. My bad. Sorry. :datz

Blissful
02-12-2008, 10:29
There were stretches of trail I hiked that day I didn't see anyone (the one that comes to mind is in northern PA. PA itself had very few thru hikers at all). We only had a shelter to ourselves twice.

Wolf - 23000
02-12-2008, 10:50
During my first thru-hike of the AT back in 1989, I started off not seeing a sole for 26 days. I sprain my ankle in the 100-mile wilderness starting 15 May – 23 days end up being in the rain. The 100-mile wilderness is a lot different now.

Also during several of my winter hikes of the AT, I would not see another backpacker or hiker for several weeks.

Wolf

Strategic
02-12-2008, 10:51
I've gone a solid 24 hours without seeing anyone, even in season. New York and New Jersey seem to be topping a lot of lists in this regard, and I'm no exception. I hopped on at about 4:00pm at NY17a and didn't see another hiker until afternoon the next day, including a night solo at Wildcat shelter. I did another overnight like that at Fingerboard shelter this year, though I did see people earlier the next day as I went down to Tiorati Circle for water. I'd say that unless you're in one of the "thru-hiker packs" or very popular places you can find a fair bit solitude on the AT.

Jaybird62
02-12-2008, 12:35
They were all still celebrating the Giants SuperBowl win.
Yeah man:banana:D:sun

Jaybird62
02-12-2008, 12:36
Ah... you did it both directions. My bad. Sorry. :datz
No problemo amigo;)

GoldenBear
02-12-2008, 14:30
Saw a few people in the parking lot at PA Hiway 183 when I left for an overnight on August 28th of last year. Hiked to near Marshall's Path (about 11 miles away), spent the night on the trail, then returned to my car the next day. Didn't see a soul till I got back to Hiway 183 parking lot.

tiptoe
02-12-2008, 15:40
Two days. It was late September 2007 hiking from Hanover to Moosilauke. Not a soul from the road south of Smart's Mountain to the descent of Mt. Cube.

wilconow
02-12-2008, 16:49
On a weekday in late March, I didn't see anyone on the trail in Southern SNP. Probably the only hike I've done on the AT where I didn't see another soul. This was appx. 10 mil.

DavidNH
02-12-2008, 17:20
The best I could do on this score is maybe half a day and that would be in the Maine Wilderness. For the most part one can't go more than a few hours without seeing someone.

If there is onething that the AT has too much of it's people. The trail has really been over advertized. Mr. Bill Bryson, I did enjoy your well written and funny book but please don't make it into a movie. There are too many folks out there already and more than a few are like you budy Katz!

David

hammock engineer
02-12-2008, 17:59
If you want to get away go anywhere november to maybe even late Feb. There is 3 to 4 months there that people who only go out on 1 or 2 trips a year don't go out when it is cold.

hopefulhiker
02-12-2008, 18:00
I can remember hiking through Maine in October of 05, a couple of days without seeing anyone... It was great.

rafe
02-12-2008, 18:09
If there is onething that the AT has too much of it's people.

I don't agree. But if you're talking mainly about the major White Mountain beauty spots and trailheads, I understand where you're coming from.

The vast majority of folks who do set foot on the AT only stay for a matter of minutes or hours.

Obviously the "beauty spots" will be more crowded, as will any portions of trail within, say, 1/2 mile of a major trailhead.

I've been amazed at how un-crowded the trail becomes midweek, off-season, or away from the beauty spots and trailheads. Or when the weather is anything less than picture-perfect.