View Full Version : Northbound or south
Im kinda new, would like some general info about differences
between n-bound and s-bound thru-hike:-?
Monkeyboy
07-22-2008, 10:00
One has east to your right......the other has east to your left......
(sorry, couldn't pass that one up....) :)
Pedaling Fool
07-22-2008, 10:09
Check out this thread, especially post #4 http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18198 This will give you some idea of a SOBO thru.
not an exhaustive list but for starters...
Nobo:
start Feb 15 - April 15
Lots more company
crowded shelters, at least for first 1/3 or 1/2 of hike
Less hiking in winter conditions
Lots of heat in mid-hike
best access to services, hiker feeds, trail angels
better choice for hiking newbies
Sobo:
start some time after June 15
Best for solitude
empty shelters (at least after the Whites)
2nd half of hike in winter conditions
services more likely to be closed, fewer "angels" and hiker feeds
good for experienced hikers
Pedaling Fool
07-22-2008, 10:59
not an exhaustive list but for starters...
Nobo:
....
...Less hiking in winter conditions...
True, but you will see winter conditions. I've been in Georgia three time once in April and twice in March. I saw snow and cold temps everytime, as cold as 17 degrees, zero degrees with windchill. Oddly enough, in 2007 when I started in April it seemed to stay cold all the way to Damascus.
Blissful
07-22-2008, 11:11
Yes, you can get winter conditions all the way through mid April or even beyond with temps (there was below freezing in May this year at Mt Rogers). We had our worst snows the first week of April in 07.
I think SOBO is much tougher mainly in the terrain (toughest section on the whole AT in Maine and NH before hikers have acquired their trail legs) and no good outfitter to sort out gear woes, etc for the longest time.
True, but you will see winter conditions.
Absolutely. In my first week out of Springer (April 4), I had 80-degree days and 25-degree nights. IIRC, we had snow on Roan in early May.
Lone Wolf
07-22-2008, 12:29
Im kinda new, would like some general info about differences
between n-bound and s-bound thru-hike:-?
SOBO is tougher mentally and physically. SOBO is a better hike. my opinion
I agree with Lone Wolf. But starting in Maine is not for the faint-hearted. The terrain is quite difficult for anyone who hasn't faced that sort of so-called "hiking" before. (There's a LOT of nasty scrambling during the first few hundred miles, when you may not be as experienced or fit as you would be if you had started in the south.)
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=214079
OTOH, SOBOs are generally in the far north during the hottest part of the summer. I feel for the hikers who are anywhere south of VT right now.
Marta, you are so right! That scrambling did me in! I have so much respect for people who can do it SOBO alone like you did, but I was terrified of falling almost every day after White House Landing. And I am an experience hiker with over 1000 miles on the AT...
Maine was gorgeous and I loved some of it. But you work for every single view with your life.
...I was terrified of falling almost every day after White House Landing. And I am an experience hiker with over 1000 miles on the AT...
You certainly brought plenty of hiking experience to your start. That's about all I know to do to prepare for the hike. For anyone who is not at least half monkey:D, starting SOBO can be rather terrifying.
OTOH, to people who like scrambling, the scrambles are the best part of the trip.