View Full Version : sobo or nobo
i am out of college in early may and was wondering if mid may would be too late to start a north bound hike.. or should i wait and hike southbound... help me out with the pro's and con's.. it would be much appreciated
Mid may (if you are married to it) is a bit early to start a SOBO by most peoples standards. You'll be rolling the dice with cold weather and snow still at the higher elevations (certainly Katahdin, Whitecap, Barren-Chairbacks) and if you keep up a steady pace you may even run into some not nice conditions in the Whites. The first SOBO I ran into in 03' had started mid may in the wilderness and supposedly had a couple feet of snow. Also the blackflies will be very bad in Maine and new england anytime before july. Katahdin opens at different times each yr based on snow and conditions. Usually its not open till late may, but you could always start from Abol bridge and save Katahdin for the end. Going SOBO has its advantages, and you won't be pressed for time at all, in fact you'll have 7 months or more before christmas. You get the hardest (but best) stuff out of the way earlier and you'll be in stellar shape when you hit Hanover, making the rest of the trail very easy. Most can easily crank 20 mile days from here to Springer, if thats what you want to do. Of course you don't have to.
Mid-may is towards the end of the hiker pack heading to Maine, but you'll have lots of company. It'll be HOT from the get go and you will be walking right into summer until you hit New England.
I left 3/1 and would either do a may/june NOBO or SOBO if I was to hike it again, as both seem to be appealing. You'll have foliage on either end. If you leave nobo you'll have 5 months to the day to reach Katahdin by Oct 15th. This doens't mean you're screwed, rather that you either need to flip-flop or get creative. You can't sleep in the park after 10/15, but you could hike to Katahdin Stream campground, hitch or taxi out to Millinocket, and then get a ride back the next day to hike Katahdin (according to weather conditions).
Basically its up to you and your attitude towards the hike. Do you want to smell the roses and see towns, take sidetrips, visit family along the way? Or do you want to be determined to keep moving, enjoy the trail, but not stray from the path much? A 5 month hike is very doable and not tough if you are even slightly motivated. As I mentioned, should u start a nobo and realize you don't want to rush to Katahdin, you could always go north and flip and have all the time in the world to finish, you just wouldn't end your trek at "the greatest mountain".
All a matter of personal preference. Good luck
tlbj6142
12-10-2004, 16:10
You could always start in Damascus and hike NOBO (with the hungover Trail Dayz crowd) and flip south to finish. Or wait a month and hike SOBO.
Maybe NOBO from Harpers Ferry and flip?
Check out Where To Start (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hike/thru_hike/start.html) and Alternate Itineraries (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hike/thru_hike/itin.html) for some other ideas.
First, as A-Train posted, May is very early to start at Katahdin. Late June or early July is much better.
Now, there is enough time to do a NOBO if you start in early May and don't take too many days off. But, if you do find yourself getting behind, then just plan on doing a leap frog or flip flop sometime. You probably want to summit Katahdin before mid October. So, if you are not past Harper's Ferry by July 4th, then you should consider a leap frog or flip flop. Likewise, you want to be past Hanover before Labor Day if you want to avoid a leap frog or flip flop.
msgame04
12-10-2004, 20:42
The hikers I met on my NOBO 04 thru-hike that started in May were serious milers. They were amazed at my relaxed attitude or arrogantly boasted about their great speed. I am the type of hiker that checks out viewpoints and chills at them.
If you start a NOBO hike in May, I feel you will be rushed or you will have to flip flop.
All I can say about SOBO is that you will be around fewer thru-hikers. I did met some SOBOs who started in May. Although they didn't complain about weather, I have a felling they skipped part of the trail.
The most significant Southbound negatives for starting in May are:
1. You probably would not be allowed to have access to climb Katahdin much before Memorial Day.
2. The rivers in the Hundred Mile Wilderness and beyond Monson will be swollen and almost impossible to ford.
3. The black flies of June will itch you to death in southern Maine & the Whites.
4. If you get south of Vermont. The heat and humidity from MA through VA will be relentless at lower elevations in July & August.
Traverse the AT northbound or flip-flop.
...or should i wait and hike southbound...
It depends upon what kind of hike you'd like to do, but I'd wait and go SOBO!
I started July 18. The black flies were gone, the mud had mostly dried up, I got to spend a lot of time in the woods in fall (my favorite season), the crisper skies of fall made the views even better, and after we crossed paths with the main part of the NOBO pack we had the trail practically to ourselves! SOBOs can find others to hike with if they want to, but it's much easier to find solitude than on a northbound hike.Another plus is that the only "deadline" you have if going southbound is a self-imposed one!!!
The main negative about going southbound for me was that the days do grow much shorter...at the same time that you want to cover more ground. Most services are still available, but some do close after the main "thru-hiker season" (which of course, is a nobo season).
Whatever you decide...have a great hike! :)