View Full Version : Question about start time.
I wouldn't be able to start until Mid May so I assume the best way to do a thru hike would be SOBO. Is NOBO a better experience then SOBO? I wanted to do a NOBO and start in March but I can't get out of school until Mid May.
Any help is appreciated.
white_russian
01-13-2010, 15:43
July 1stish is a good time to start SOBO. Some sort of flip flop might be in order if you want to start right away.
Blissful
01-13-2010, 15:50
You're young. If you hoof it and don't waste time in towns, you could still go NOBO. And as was pointed out, you could flip if needed.
Can't start SOBO usually until mid June.
I'm having the same dilemma as you right now. I'm looking at a Early to Mid may start. I'm not a fast hiker either, nor do I plan on becoming one.
I'm figure I have 3 options.
NOBO and suck it up.
Start Nobo and flip flop
Or Sobo.
:-?If I could I would like to SOBO in MAY but no one seems to likethat idea.
Wrangler88
01-13-2010, 16:21
I'm having the same dilemma as you right now. I'm looking at a Early to Mid may start. I'm not a fast hiker either, nor do I plan on becoming one.
I'm figure I have 3 options.
NOBO and suck it up.
Start Nobo and flip flop
Or Sobo.
:-?If I could I would like to SOBO in MAY but no one seems to likethat idea.
You wouldn't either once you got up there and had to walk through flooded trails and swarms of bugs.
what does flip flop mean? sorry, newbie here.
you guys really think i can go NOBO starting in mid may and finish around september 1st? i didn't think that was possible.
It's possible, but not probable, since that's only 3.5 months. Most folks take 5-6 months, but younguns have been known to do it in 4 or so. Couple of ways to flipflop. One is hiking north from GA, then jumping to Maine and hiking south to where you flipped. Other Flip flop is starting somewhere in the middle (like Harpers Ferry) and hiking north to Maine, then hopping to where you started and hiking south. I'd do that one, since you'd be with more hikers that way. (NOBOs on the way up, and some SOBOs on the way south) Of course, I don't think you'd be done by Sept 1...
what does flip flop mean? sorry, newbie here.
you guys really think i can go NOBO starting in mid may and finish around september 1st? i didn't think that was possible.
You didn't say September 1st. You can still Get the top of the northern terminus till October 15th
You didn't say September 1st. You can still Get the top of the northern terminus till October 15th
i forgot to include that. so basically i'm going to have to miss a semester of school. it just depends which one.
i'm leaning towards starting in mid/late may. nobody really answered my question (maybe it's more personal preference) if NOBO or SOBO would be better/smarter for a mid/late may starting date. i read that SOBO is less people (i'm not one to get lonely) so that wouldn't be a factor. i just really don't wanna go NOBO and then get stuck in a snow storm when i'm towards the end.
i have a year to decide so it's not a big hurry. i'm just starting out and looking for a little advice.
thanks for the responses by the way everyone.
traildust
01-13-2010, 18:04
what does flip flop mean? sorry, newbie here.
you guys really think i can go NOBO starting in mid may and finish around september 1st? i didn't think that was possible.
Flip Flop. Start at Harper's Ferry and head north. Then when you get to Maine go back to Atlanta and head north or go back to Harper's and go south.
You can't realistically get a NOBO in starting in May at Springer. Planning to fail if you try. Do the flip and if you run out of time, you at least got over half the trail done and you can spend your summer the next year doing the other half.
garlic08
01-13-2010, 18:36
A three and a half month hike is possible, but not as likely for a first-timer unless you're extremely strong and very lucky. Pickle and I, combined ages of 114 years at the time, hiked an excellent NOBO thru in '08 in 106 days, so you don't have to be young to do it. (But we also had nearly 20,000 trail miles between us, which was more important than youth.) We met some young guys on the trail in New England who were finishing in great shape with a four-month pace.
Starting NOBO in May will put you into some nasty summer weather, which we avoided by starting in April.
garlic08
01-13-2010, 18:42
...nobody really answered my question (maybe it's more personal preference) if NOBO or SOBO would be better/smarter for a mid/late may starting date.
Your question did get answered above. May is extremely hard up in Maine--flooded trail, bottomless mud, and blood-sucking flies. Most wait until June is over to hike the northern woods.
Jester2000
01-13-2010, 18:46
You can't realistically get a NOBO in starting in May at Springer. Planning to fail if you try. Do the flip and if you run out of time, you at least got over half the trail done and you can spend your summer the next year doing the other half.
Well, if you've already accepted the idea of taking off for a semester rather than trying to finish by September 1st, you can absolutely start NOBO from Springer and finish.
I had two friends who did it last year, so I don't know that it's not realistic. If you start on May 15th, you've got 5 months to get to Katahdin before Baxter is closed to overnight camping. Not slow, but also not a record setting pace or anything.
You might end up having to flip-flop if you discover that you prefer a slower pace. But you can make that decision on the trail, when you know more about what kind of pace you're doing. There's nothing to stop you from flipping up to Baxter Park from anywhere on the trail and heading south.
I recommend going Northbound.
Jester2000
01-13-2010, 18:48
i forgot to include that. so basically i'm going to have to miss a semester of school. it just depends which one.
Oh, and I would recommend starting after Spring Semester and taking off Fall Semester, regardless of which direction you choose. It's better to not have the time pressure of having to end by a particular date.
i forgot to include that. so basically i'm going to have to miss a semester of school. it just depends which one.
i'm leaning towards starting in mid/late may. nobody really answered my question (maybe it's more personal preference) if NOBO or SOBO would be better/smarter for a mid/late may starting date. i read that SOBO is less people (i'm not one to get lonely) so that wouldn't be a factor. i just really don't wanna go NOBO and then get stuck in a snow storm when i'm towards the end.
i have a year to decide so it's not a big hurry. i'm just starting out and looking for a little advice.
thanks for the responses by the way everyone.
If you only have 3.5 months, I would suggest starting at Harpers Ferry and assessing how it goes. Most likely you'd find Katahdin a good place to end before school. Or, if traveling at a quick pace, you could take a shot at the whole thing.
But, if you were taking off a semester you have more options. I took off a spring semester. This allowed me to work for about 2 months before I set off March 1. The 5 month hike was plenty and still gave me a month to transition back to college.
The other option is taking off the Fall and starting a SOBO hike in June/July and finishing up around November/December.
Jack Tarlin
01-13-2010, 19:35
I agree with Jester entirely, especially since so many schools are starting earlier now than they used to.
I have seen more people than I can count killing themselves because they "absolutely have" to finish by August 25th or whatever in order to return to school.
This invariably means several things:
*These folks end up hiking faster or going longer each day in order to maintain
their schedule and required finish date. This is often a pace that is neither
fun nor prudent but they do it anyway.
*They fore-go time off, down-time with friends, etc., as their schedule doen't
permit extended or unplanned time off.
*In many cases, they have to do crazy miles in New Hampshire and Maine,
which is not easy, because they have no flexibility in their schedule.
*They finish, but then find themselves sitting in a classroom, going absolutely
crazy, three days after the end of their hikes
The best time to finish a Northbound thru-hike is mid to late September, and not July or August.
And most folks require 24-27 weeks to finish a thru.
If you can, take off that extra semester, you'll be glad you did.
Every year, there are folks out there who start out in early May two days after their college classes end, and kill themselves in order to finish in mid-August before they start up again.
Most of them don't finish and those that do generally don't look they're having much fun. If you do big miles every day, it should be because you WANT to and not because you HAVE to.
The vast majority of folks who thru-hike do it once, folks. I strongly suggest you allocate the funds and the time to do it right, and by "right", I mean the way that allows you to fully enjoy every moment of your trip, without a timeframe that dominates your every minute. The last thing you need to worry about on a thru-hike is the calendar.
your right jack tarlin. i'm most likely only going to do a this once so why rush it? i want to enjoy it and get the full experience w/o feeling rushed.
i'm leaning towards starting in mid may and taking the fall semester off.
i'm thinking going NOBO is the best way. i've read that the "flies" and other problems of starting SOBO in mid may are exaggerated but if i left may 15th that would give me 5 months to make it to the end by oct 15th which i can easily handle. should i expect to run into bad weather (snow) towards the end of the hike or would that only be if i was ending in nov?
this is still like 16 months away so i have plenty of time to figure out all the details. i'm just looking for a little advice from the people who have hiked this trail before.
thanks for the help guys.