View Full Version : Need help deciding-NOBO or flip
:-?OK I need some opinions to help me decide. I have 2 choices for my 09 thru hike and I just can't seem to make up my mind. I can either leave 1st week of Apri NOBO or start mid May at Harpers Ferry NOBO then flip to HF about 1st of Sept SOBO. Some of pros and cons to me;
Nobo pro:
Been waiting 35 years and until recently always envisioned NOBO ending at Katahdin. Obviously the more tradional way.
Fall in Maine, every says shouldn't miss
NOBO con:
Crowds-don't mind some company just not sure I want as much as April start would have.
Tougher terrain starting out.
Flip pro:
Less crowded NOBO, very little SOBO
Follow fall SOBO through GSM, almost as good as Maine?
Avoid worst of heat in mid Atlantic.
Start on easier part of trail, less fatiqued through NH and Me
Logistics are not a problem on either itinerary. Need some input.
Go NOBO, end at Katahdin.
Kirby
hopefulhiker
07-28-2008, 16:28
I intended to hike nobo in 05 but ended up doing a flip from Gorham NH because I could go slower. I really appreciated the trail support, hostels, shuttling, cheap slackpacking opporunities, hiker feeds, and the general sense of "trail family" associated with the north bound effort. Also there is safety in numbers..
I reallly did underestimate what all this meant for my morale and general fun of the trail experience.. In fact when I first imagined doing this I did not consider the social aspects at all. But it turned out to be an important factor in the enjoyment of the trail. When I flipped and headed south bound I was alone a good bit of the time, especially in the middle of October in Maine.
No Pepsi
07-28-2008, 17:04
NOBO to Katahdin, It is only crowded for a short while in the begining. It starts thinning out after Neals Gap and isn't a problem. Social losses associated with a flip flop would be tough.
NOBO to Katahdin, It is only crowded for a short while in the begining. It starts thinning out after Neals Gap and isn't a problem. Social losses associated with a flip flop would be tough.
Guess that's part of my problem. Not sure the whole social thing is that important to me. My backpacking has been mostly solo on trails without a lot of crowds. But I've never done one this long either so it might make a difference.
Pedaling Fool
07-28-2008, 17:31
:-?OK I need some opinions to help me decide. I have 2 choices for my 09 thru hike and I just can't seem to make up my mind. I can either leave 1st week of Apri NOBO or start mid May at Harpers Ferry NOBO then flip to HF about 1st of Sept SOBO. Some of pros and cons to me;
Nobo pro:
Been waiting 35 years and until recently always envisioned NOBO ending at Katahdin. Obviously the more tradional way.
Fall in Maine, every says shouldn't miss
NOBO con:
Crowds-don't mind some company just not sure I want as much as April start would have.
Tougher terrain starting out.
Flip pro:
Less crowded NOBO, very little SOBO
Follow fall SOBO through GSM, almost as good as Maine?
Avoid worst of heat in mid Atlantic.
Start on easier part of trail, less fatiqued through NH and Me
Logistics are not a problem on either itinerary. Need some input.
The crowds are not that bad, will only be a slight incovience at the privy. I've learned to just go in the woods. Be sure to bring a tent, but that's the rule regardless.
I don't know if the foilage and general scenery is as good as it is up north (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=17976&c=member&orderby=title&direction=ASC&imageuser=6936&cutoffdate=-1)
The terrain is tougher if you start SOBO in Maine, not NOBO in Georgia.
NOBO from GA is tougher terrain than starting NOBO at Harpers Ferry is what I meant
You DONT want Maine to be your first state on trail.
Kirby
Why not start April 1st at Harpers Ferry and head south? You'll have the advantage of lower elevations and easier trail as you start off. June can be very nice in the high country of North Carolina and Georgia. Getting from Springer back to Harpers Ferry is not hard, and then you will have the anticipation of heading north to Katahdin.
You DONT want Maine to be your first state on trail.
Kirby
Kirby,I think I might change my mind and go NOBO. After reading your posts/journal,its starting to make sense to me. I have nothing but time for my 2009 trip. May as well do it right.
Thanks
FritztheCat
07-28-2008, 18:51
I've been looking into the question as well. I decided that I'm heading NOBO from GA to ME in 2011. My reason is mainly because I don't want to start off in the rugged Maine area. I think I'll really enjoy the social setting of heading NOBO on April 1st-ish. I figure GA will give me a good chance to check out my gear on the actual trail (as opposed to my trial runs here and there) and I can benefit from the accumulated knowledge of those I run into. Also, it seems to me that the resupply area is closer in the beginning starting in GA then it is starting in ME. That will be important I think so I can discard things I don't really need and pick up things that I do.
Also cost-wise, it will be cheaper for me to start in GA coming from VA rather than starting in ME.
Pedaling Fool
07-28-2008, 19:10
I've been looking into the question as well. I decided that I'm heading NOBO from GA to ME in 2011...
By that time the number of people starting should be under 1,000. Assuming the trend continues as shown here.
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.851143/
Guess that's part of my problem. Not sure the whole social thing is that important to me. My backpacking has been mostly solo on trails without a lot of crowds. But I've never done one this long either so it might make a difference.
Both are good plans, can't go wrong. I'm more of a linear traditionalist, and Katahdin is the perfect place to end a long trek, no matter how anyone tries to spin it otherwise.
However, it's not like you would be alone if you left HF on 15 May. I came thru there 12 May and many of the late feb/march 1 starters were in this area. People would continue to come up behind you until you get into shape, so plenty of people, but not the huge crowds of the herd.
September from HF to GA sounds pretty nice as far as weather. You may be able to meet up with some Sobo's, probably the front of the pack. That has the potential for loneliness, but at that point you might not care/need other people around.
You DONT want Maine to be your first state on trail.
Kirby
Never planned on starting in Maine. It's either NOBO from Ga or go Harpers Ferry to Maine then Harpers Ferry to Ga
Lone Wolf
07-28-2008, 19:34
:-?OK I need some opinions to help me decide. I have 2 choices for my 09 thru hike and I just can't seem to make up my mind. I can either leave 1st week of Apri NOBO or start mid May at Harpers Ferry NOBO then flip to HF about 1st of Sept SOBO. Some of pros and cons to me;
Nobo pro:
Been waiting 35 years and until recently always envisioned NOBO ending at Katahdin. Obviously the more tradional way.
Fall in Maine, every says shouldn't miss
NOBO con:
Crowds-don't mind some company just not sure I want as much as April start would have.
Tougher terrain starting out.
Flip pro:
Less crowded NOBO, very little SOBO
Follow fall SOBO through GSM, almost as good as Maine?
Avoid worst of heat in mid Atlantic.
Start on easier part of trail, less fatiqued through NH and Me
Logistics are not a problem on either itinerary. Need some input.
YOU need to make this decision. you're gonna get 100 different suggestions from 100 different people. go SOBO all the way :)
YOU need to make this decision. you're gonna get 100 different suggestions from 100 different people. go SOBO all the way :)
I plan to make the decision but it is nice to get input from people who have done it to make an informed choice. Sorry not SOBO for me, at least this time.
YOU need to make this decision. you're gonna get 100 different suggestions from 100 different people. go SOBO all the way :)
More like 200 suggestions from 100 people:rolleyes:.
Kirby
More like 200 suggestions from 100 people:rolleyes:.
Kirby
Kirby,That is so true. Man,you are top of things! I am impressed.
I didn't really think that the social aspect would be important, but after a couple weeks in the woods, I changed my mind. You can always camp by yourself; you can't always camp with other people.
Also, Katahdin was a HUGE pull for me. I would get tired and depressed, but thinking of that mountain kept me going. It is like nothing else on the trail.
NOBO to Katahdin, It is only crowded for a short while in the begining. It starts thinning out after Neals Gap and isn't a problem.
That wasn't my experience. Shelters were generally full all the way to Damascus, and beyond. Anyone looking for solitude on the AT should consider a SOBO hike... or do it in sections, off-season. Heading SOBO, your main crowds will be in the Whites.
Well, although the flip flop from HF NOBO then HF SOBO seemed to make sense, smaller crowds,better weather and easier hiking to start, I've just got to go with my gut feeling and what I've always envisioned. So it's NOBO 04/06/09 !!!!:banana Thanks for all the input and great info on this board.