View Full Version : NOBO vs. SOBO and Finances
I'm hellbent on thru-hiking this year. I've been saving money like mad. I've read a lot around here and elsewhere regarding finances, hiking on a budget, etc. I've crunched numbers over and over. But despite living below my means, I'm financially pretty hard-pressed.
I'm left with two options:
Start NOBO in April hiking on a pretty tight budget (~$2700 excluding transportation to Springer, all starting gear, and bills, all of which have already been factored in)
OR
wait until June/July and go SOBO, thus having time to save more money and even cutting out transportation (to the trail) costs.
I really want to go NOBO, and after several months of planning and prepping, I'm itching to start ASAP.
My question is: What would I miss out on by going SOBO? I've had several recommendations to go NOBO, but none for SOBO. Is it worth roughing it and hiking on what I realize is a very tight budget, or should I just suck it up, wait it out, and go SOBO?
Lone Wolf
01-17-2010, 21:16
go SOBO around july 1st
If you really want to go NOBO, why not just wait another year, save more money and have a good, comforable thru going northbound, instead of going this year and being on a shoestring budget? The trail will still be there next year.
Simply put: Impatience. I feel like I'd go nuts if I had to wait an extra year.
The $2700 figure is a minimum. My paychecks are variable and I have a few things I can sell. I will likely have more than $2700--not a lot more, granted.
Another possibility is waiting until May 1 instead of April 1 for a NOBO.
SOBO is an option and I could have a comfy budget if I waited and saved until July 1.
What I'm wondering is why all the raving about going NOBO? All I've gathered is that SOBO would mean more blackflies and fewer crowds .
Pokey2006
01-17-2010, 22:32
$2,700 is plenty of money for a thru-hike. Just spend it wisely.
CrumbSnatcher
01-17-2010, 23:17
any relatives you can hit up for money, near the end of the trip when your about broke?
ask them now so they can be prepared to help you if needed.
once in a lifetime trip for some, they should understand?
bigcranky
01-17-2010, 23:17
Hiking northbound is traditional, and the choice of about 90% of attempted thru-hikes. It's easier, in that you have more services (food, outfitters) available in the first hundred miles in Georgia than in Maine. There are plenty of other hikers, and a shared camaraderie among them. Finally, many hikers think that ending on Katahdin makes for a more spectacular finish.
But all the cool people hike southbound <grin>. Seriously, it's your choice. If it were me, I'd save a few extra bucks and start in Maine, but that's because I already live in the South.
Where you live in Maine and may have already hiked Katahdin I think it makes more sense for you to hike SOBO. That way you are hiking away from home, in the direction of the less familiar, which is more adventurous in my opinion.
For me the real destination would be Damascus. The Road to Damascus.
Then on to Springer as a sort of celebration.
I say head South in July like Wof said.
You could fill in the time between now and then with some weekend hikes.
Lillianp
01-18-2010, 11:06
You could do a northbound for 2700-I thought I'd be hiking with that much, but I've been lucky lately w/the jobs. I saw advice somewhere-on here most likely, that if you hike as if you only have 1500 to spend, then it will be easier to make a hike work with 2700. I'm still positive you could make it work-you just have to be careful where you stay and how you do your 0 mileage days-stay in a shelter instead of a town, for instance.
If you follow the old advice on planning a hike and getting a shuttle (park your car, shuttle out then hike back to your car) you'd want to go NOBO.
Blissful
01-18-2010, 11:56
I've seen many drop out due to lack of funds. Something to consider when all your buds are in town and you're stuck at a cold shelter with sleet falling.
You could start NOBO May 1.
The best way to save money on the trail is don't turn into a "town hound".
Hosaphone
01-18-2010, 12:13
Simply put: Impatience. I feel like I'd go nuts if I had to wait an extra year.
An alternative could be hiking the Long Trail this summer, and then doing a NOBO next year. This would still give you a chance to get out hiking for a month, let you find out now if a long distance hike is really something you want to do, it's pretty close by, and you could do your AT hike on a more comfortable budget.
I understand the impatience. Maybe doing a smaller but still significant trail would give you something to look forward to and stave off the springer fever.
Heck, since you'd be doing a shorter trail, more would be available for travel budget... You could even go do the Colorado Trail or something :-?
Get yourself out on a smaller adventure this year, and then save up so you can be more comfortable on your thru next year.
Or I guess if you don't have a preference for NoBo vs SoBo then just save up and go this year. Your call.
Smoky in TN
01-18-2010, 15:38
$2700. is enough, just stay out of towns,as much as possible.
North or south? Do you want to be part of the hiker scene or would you rather go days at a time without seeing other hikers. When I went south, I didn't start until August 15, I'm sure that had a lot to do with the lack of crowds.
Pacific Tortuga
01-18-2010, 15:50
Go south bound. SOBO's have a togher attitude. A, I can go longer, further on a less well marked trail. Don't need to get sucked in by a group, trail town mentality. They say to have a chip on their shoulder that they wear with pride. IMO, I would believe they spend less money too, but hiker boxes won't have nearly as much to suppliment your food bag with.
Go for it in any direction, sooner than later.
Go south bound. SOBO's have a togher attitude. A, I can go longer, further on a less well marked trail. Don't need to get sucked in by a group, trail town mentality. They say to have a chip on their shoulder that they wear with pride. ......
Well said.
SOBO's are a different breed. I remember thinking to myself "I looked and acted like that when I started the trail". Ahhh, to be so naive.
stranger
01-18-2010, 23:56
A few things here, you say you are "hell bent" on thru-hiking this year, but you are concerned (rightly so in my opinion) on your $2700 budget, and it seems like sobo would be better in terms of your financial situation, but you would really prefer to go nobo...
I don't really see a problem then, granted $2700 is tight, very tight in my view, but it's not $1500. You desire to thru-hike now is a good thing in my view, and I would go this year if I were you, but you absolutely need to understand your limitations going nobo.
First off, from Springer Mountain to Hot Springs, you can spend money on average of every 30-35 miles, this fact, combined with traditionally wet spring weather and inexperienced hikers almost always means prospective thru-hikers spend much more money than anticipated. If you can get through the south, say to Damascus, without spending too much coin, I really like your chances, but if you blow more than $500 you are going to have a problem, and I've seen hikers spend $500 at Neels Gap alone, more than a few times too!
If you're fit and have some experience, there is no reason why you cannot avoid either Hiawassee or Franklin (probably need one of them, you don't have the money for both, both are great hiker towns and cheap), have a meal at NOC and blow through, pick up a drop at Fontana and stay at the shelter, skip Gatlinburg and instead go to Standing Bear Farm, and really use Hot Springs as your first "splurge". But this takes alot of discipline.
It can be done, easily, with discipline, without discipline, I see you running out of money in northern PA-southern New England.
All in all, if you avoid a few towns and aren't afraid of rain, it's plenty of money if you are in fact "hell bent" on thru-hiking.
Good Luck!
Beware! As you go north, the trail towns get much more expensive! To me it's easier to resist the temptations of town early on rather than later in the hike, and one of the reasons many people have to quit their thru-hikes is that they run out of money.
A SOBO hike is very rewarding. It's not for everyone, but I'm sure glad I walked south!
Whichever way you choose...have a great trip!
ShelterLeopard
01-19-2010, 17:06
You can do it, but you need to organize your priorities (obviously).
Do you smoke a lot? Stop, it's way expensive, and if you smoke a couple packs a week, you've blown 1/5 of your budget right there. When you go in town, maybe don't get a couple beers at a restaurant. Also, expensive. Try not to stay in towns overnight, nero in and out instead. (Stay on the trail about a mile from town, get to town, get back to the trail and hike about a mile and set up camp.) Get one big meal in town, not three. (Again, a good reason not to sleep in town. If you do, make a hiker meal yourself instead of buying several more meals).
Keep in mind, that saying right now, from the comfort of good food and soft bed, that you will not stay in hostels or motels or eat whopping huge meals in towns and all is one thing. Having been rained on, cold, tired and hungry for a week may make you think differently. You'll just need to restrain yourself.
ShelterLeopard
01-19-2010, 17:09
Personally, I went with saving a fair amount of money, just because I want to be able to use it if I really want to. But I'm going to try not to spend much.
Basically, it's all up to you. What do you want? If you want to be able to spend more money, go SoBo or delay your hike. If you think you can deal, then stick to your plan.
Sincerest thanks to everyone for the feedback. I'm picking up a little extra work/cash and right now planning to start around March 31st. But I'll continue playing it by ear; if mid-March rolls around and it's looking pretty hopeless, I'll put it off until late April--and if it still looks then like a bad idea to start, I'll continue saving and go with the July 1 SOBO plan. Fortunately all my arrangements are pretty flexible.
I've also set up an emergency loan plan from family members, should I go NOBO and run out of funds.
I'm somewhat of a loner, so being part of the hiker scene isn't really one of my concerns. I'm a non-smoker and very infrequent drinker, so that helps.
I'm also open to the possibility that I'll lose all desire to finish after the first week, go home, and spend my savings elsewhere. We'll see. :)
climber2377
01-20-2010, 22:55
if you think you might lose desire to finish in the first week, why not start close to home and leave the plane ticket behind? sad to have an idea of quitting in your head before you even start. wish you the best.
i decided to go nobo because of the comradarie i saw as people came through here. i too am somewhat of a loner but i think that when the going gets tough, it would be nice to have others to help me along, help the time pass with conversation, vs. isolation, but i do think that there are pros and cons to both. maybe there is some truth to the "you have to be tougher to go south" myth.
fiddlehead
01-21-2010, 00:39
I'm also open to the possibility that I'll lose all desire to finish after the first week, go home, and spend my savings elsewhere. We'll see. :)
It's of my opinion that is the above is how you feel, then that is probably what's going to happen.
To be successful, you need to have much more than a weeks worth of desire.
Maybe there is some truth to the "you have to be tougher to go south" myth.
I don't know about tougher, but it helps a lot if you're comfortable with yourself, and the solitude.
I've seen hikers spend $500 at Neels Gap alone, more than a few times too!
I have a place at the bottom of the mountain Neels Gap in Cleveland GA. I could spend my entire inheritance from my father at Mountain Crossings. Ultralight backpacking gets it's name not from the weight of the gear, but from what happens to your wallet when you buy the stuff.:sun
if you think you might lose desire to finish in the first week, why not start close to home and leave the plane ticket behind? sad to have an idea of quitting in your head before you even start. wish you the best.
It's of my opinion that is the above is how you feel, then that is probably what's going to happen.
To be successful, you need to have much more than a weeks worth of desire.
Oops. That was just a poor attempt at humor. The "you had to be there" kind, where "there" was inside my odd little brain.
I've been hiking since childhood and have been hooked for just as long. It's a possibility that I'll give up after a week in about the same way that it's possible I'll suddenly develop a brain tumor that would lead to the drastic personality change necessary for me to even dream of quitting.