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Lizzie123
01-29-2011, 22:29
I'm toying with the idea of doing a SoBo thru-hike starting towards the beginning of June. Why do more people do a NoBo? It seems that you would have more consistent weather traveling from North to South as you would have slightly cooler weather through the hottest months in the North, and cooler weather when you get further South around October. Any input?

Thanks!

fiddlehead
01-29-2011, 22:37
More people go NOBO because they are out of shape, are anxious to get started and are sheep.
SOBO is better because there are way less people, and those are spread out a lot more.
SOBO is good if you are in shape as you have the hardest part first, like to be alone more, and think outside the box.
Have fun.

Pommes
01-29-2011, 23:18
Tradition. Maybe the finish is more dramatic. However, the studs go SOBO.

DapperD
01-29-2011, 23:59
I'm toying with the idea of doing a SoBo thru-hike starting towards the beginning of June. Why do more people do a NoBo? It seems that you would have more consistent weather traveling from North to South as you would have slightly cooler weather through the hottest months in the North, and cooler weather when you get further South around October. Any input?

Thanks!I believe I read somewhere where only like 10% of the thru-hikers go Southbound. The start of a Southbound hike is where I think a lot of people would have difficulty as compared to beginning a Northbound thru-hike. Starting out right away by having to climb Mt. Katahdin the very first day would probably be an instant dealbreaker for those who are arriving directly from the sofa (not everybody plans their thru-hike by getting in to proper condition beforehand). Add to that the very rugged, more remote conditions found in Maine, and then less thru-hikers around for support, rapport, etc...and also ending your journey on Springer Mountain instead of climbing Mt. Katahdin as your grand finish, all adds up to a different hike, which, for many probably is not as desirable as starting early in the season with the masses and heading Northbound.

Torch09
01-30-2011, 01:09
I went sobo in '09. I loved it, but I felt like I missed out on part of the trail experience. Going nobo this year to meet more people and hit trail days :)

endubyu
01-30-2011, 01:15
Timing also has something to do with it. Folks want to get hiking early and can't go SoBo til June or later.

wcgornto
01-30-2011, 01:33
You are right about the weather. You can have lots of rain anywhere on the trail depending on the yea, season, etc. NOBOs can have blizzards in March causing great trouble in the Smokies. Then, they can have oppressive heat in PA, NJ, NY.

My experience going SOBO in 2009 was lots of rain in ME and NH, no oppressive heat anywhere (a few days of high 80s in VT and MA), and nut a lot of cold. I did have one very cold spot in Virginia in mid October and a few cold nights firther south in November.

NOBOs generally start with winder gear in GA, swap out to summer gear in VA and back to Winter gear further north. I knew a few SOBOs who started and finished with a 20 degree sleeping bag, never swapping out for warmer or colder weather.

Ender
01-30-2011, 01:41
For me, the decision for doing a nobo was simply that I wanted to end up in the north, and not the south. This was for two reasons... first, getting home from the north after the hike would be a lot easier. But second, and most importantly, I love hiking in the northern woods, and I wanted to finish my hike there and not down south.

Logistically, a sobo makes a lot of sense, but for me the nobo was the right choice.

Either way, there is no wrong way to hike the AT, so you'll have fun no matter what direction you hike.

Rick500
01-30-2011, 01:51
I haven't done either yet, but I'm planning on NoBo because I think it would be way more anticlimactic to end a 2000+ mile hike at Springer as opposed to Katahdin. (Not that there's anything wrong with GA; don't get me wrong.)

TheChop
01-30-2011, 02:22
I'm from Georgia. Who the hell wants to get to the end of their journey and be all "Well this **** again."

Graywolf
01-30-2011, 03:29
Not doing a SOBO but if time permits after my 2012 NOBO I just may do a YO-YO..

WisconsinHiker2011
01-30-2011, 04:42
Being a long time study of Myron Avery I know exactly why the majority of people go South to North.


Mt. Katahdin. :D

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Katahdin.jpg/280px-Katahdin.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/TjWikiKatahdin.jpg

rickb
01-30-2011, 08:31
If you go SOBO and are like most hikers and quit early, you will have had the opportunity to get in some great hiking. :eek:

If you go NOBO and quite early, well...

rickb
01-30-2011, 08:41
In a more reflective moment I once posted this regarding going SOBO, and ending a hike on a less visually specatacular mountian:

_________________________

The main reason for this post is suggest that the draw of Springer can be every bit as powerful as Katahdin. As a southbounder you get to feel a series of accomplishments right off the bat that can help give you the confidence to make it all the way. First you get to climb the badest mountain on the whole AT and report on your triumph to the hardened northbounders you meet up with. Then, you get to do the 100 mile wilderness. After that you will know that the Trail is something that you REALLY can do. (SOBOs might consider blowing off the Whitehouse Landing).

Wow. You get to follow this up with moose and spruce grouse and the Bigalows. When you get to Gorham, you will KNOW what you are capable of and that the AT is amazing in so many dimensions. But you also have the Whites to look forward to in a matter of days. Its really cool not only to hike them, but put them behind you knowing you have met yet another challenge.

But it gets better. Walking through pastures and up fire towers and wonderful places that just keep on coming. By this time you have probably been asked about bears 20 times and have been forced to say, no I haven't seen one. You can't wait, but are confident that your day will come in NJ or VA. You wonder if you really want to see a rattlesnake, and if the Smokies are everything that the NOBOs said they were (they are). As you move on, you walk along ridges that commond a view not of an endless sea of trees but of farms that are every bit as beautiful. Perhaps more so. The better-known hostels and AYCE places become something to look forward to in a way that is hard to understand, and are a motivation in themselves.

Along the way you wonder about how beautiful the trees must have been in the spring, expecially the rhodadendron, but console yourself with the knowledge that only a SOBO can stop and check out Hawk Mountain during fall raptor migration, and are pleased that you started a conversation with the quiet birders because they were able to point out a couple bald eagles among scores and scores of hawks. You get to enjoy a mid-week Fall quiet along the trail that is magic, and realize how crowded the Whites and Maine really were.

And Springer calls as to you as loudly as Katahdin ever could. When you reach your first 4000 footer down south (is it the Priest?) you laugh at how easy hiking it was. In fact, you can't help but wonder if the Northbounders hiked a different trail than you find yourself walking every day. Tough mountains down south? Yea, right ;-). The only thing that takes you by surprise is the fact that days are becoming so dang short, at a time your body has never been stronger.

When you get to Springer you may be alone and the sky may be gray. Its hardly a spectacular place, but you walk over to the plaque and know how special it was getting there. No champagne and hoots, but a quiet satisfaction that will stay with you for a long time.

A fine place to end a hike.

Rickb
ME=>GA 19AT3

fehchet
01-30-2011, 08:49
Tradition. Maybe the finish is more dramatic. However, the studs go SOBO.

Lone Wolf is a stud! Well, we all know that.

4shot
01-30-2011, 10:47
Timing also has something to do with it. Folks want to get hiking early and can't go SoBo til June or later.

was tired of setting around waiting plus did not want to be hiking or risk being hiking during Thanksgiving/Christmas for family reasons. Some of the SOBO's I met were at the Inn at the Long Trail already trying to do the math to ensure that they would be home at Thanksgiving. Didn't want to fight that but again, that is just my opinion. The trail is good from either direction!!

topshelf
01-30-2011, 10:59
I'm going to go SOBO. My job finishes up every June, and resumes in August. In a few years I will leave in June and not return in August. Instead I will head north to ME. I will try and time it up so I can get to home at Thanksgiving and then get to GA by Christmas when I do it.

Delta-Dawn
01-30-2011, 15:28
Rickb--that was a great post! :)

We are doing SOBO because 1. We aren't in a hurry; 2. We want to see summer somewhere we've never experienced it; 3. We want to migrate south, like the birds; 4. Springer is home...we want to walk towards home, not away from it; 5. I am the kind of person who tackles the hardest things first; and 6. (once again) we are in no hurry. :)

skeeter
01-30-2011, 15:38
The sun is in your eyes :)

takethisbread
01-30-2011, 16:47
Katahdin is the reason. Springer sucks monster ass as a finishing mountain. I think the trail would be better to add a few miles in the Smokey's (Leconte would be nice) and finish on Blood Mountain. A nobo hike is an easier hike. I think.

Slo-go'en
01-30-2011, 18:49
The correct answer is weather. The south is best hiked in the spring while it is still cool out and water is pleantiful. Plus there all kinds of wild flowers and flowering trees to be seen.

The north is best hiked in the fall because of the fall colors and the black flys are gone. Mostly because the black flys are gone.

There is no good time to hike through the mid-atlantic sections!

Lizzie123
01-30-2011, 22:35
Thank you all for the advice! For logistical reasons (I may already be in NY in early June) I was thinking the SOBO might be best and would cut my travel expenses. Also, being a poor recent college grad, if I only need gear for one season that would be ideal. I'm not too worried about starting the hike out on a difficult note as I am in good shape (though I know everything changes when doing a long distance hike), and if anything I might be able to tell myself "the worst is over!" for the rest of the trip. And about those Black Flies...just how bad is it? Is more than a mosquito net necessary?

Graywolf
01-30-2011, 22:37
If you really want to know the best direction, its not NOBO, it isnt SOBO, its YOYO!! I tells ya!!

Roland
01-31-2011, 04:49
And about those Black Flies...just how bad is it? Is more than a mosquito net necessary?

It varies from year to year. The last few have been relatively mild, so who knows what 2011 will bring.

Coming from Texas, you will likely be wearing long pants and sleeves, through Maine, in June. It's a tad cooler than you are accustomed. :D

With your arms and legs covered, keep some Deet on your face/neck/ears, and you'll be fine. Use a headnet if you prefer to go chem-free.

I treat my pants, shirt, and cap with Permethrin each Spring. That helps, immensely. I don't use Deet unless absolutely necessary.

Whatever method you use, the blackflies will be gone by the time you reach NH. Enjoy your hike!

RGB
01-31-2011, 06:52
I'm doing SOBO in 2012 because I want to start right after graduation so nothing will stand in my way of the hike. I am not going to drop Benjamins on another warmer bag. Trail food will satisfy me through the most expensive region of the hike, and I'll start breaking down and going into town more in the south. Don't give a rat's ass about the finishing mountain. I'm simply going from point A to B like everyone else. Basing your hike on the finishing location is highly optimistic of yourself and also seems kind of....i'm not sure what a polite word would be. Foolhardy?

Oh, and the black flies are heavily exaggerated. No worse than misquitoes in the south. No need for a net; just a strong bug repellant and psyche.

fehchet
01-31-2011, 07:55
After 2 hot days in June, the majority of the black flies will die. It's the deer flies or horse flies that can be a real pain some times. As the summer progresses, no-see-ums just at dusk can disrupt things too. I camped near a lovely stream one late afternoon while hiking through New Hampshire and soon the no-see-ums were so fierce that I had to retreat to my tent and eat cold food. Getting out to pee was intense. I had several hundred bites.

Toolumpy
01-31-2011, 10:14
Are the trail blazes marked better and more often going South Bound?
When I am going North I rarely see markings going South bound. Cross roads and towns might be a problem??

Slo-go'en
01-31-2011, 14:48
Oh, and the black flies are heavily exaggerated. No worse than misquitoes in the south. No need for a net; just a strong bug repellant and psyche.

HA! That's easy for you to say now. Black flys feed on bug repellant. If you want to stay sane, you will get a head net and a bug net for your sleeping bag or use your tent exclusively.

Lemni Skate
01-31-2011, 15:02
I would like to do NOBO just because that's what I've always envisioned. I'll also likely be out of shape when I start. Still, seeing that I teach school and I want to do this as soon as I retire (with my son who will be finishing up college) I will likely be ready to start in June. The SOBO is a natural choice.

Spokes
01-31-2011, 15:11
......And about those Black Flies...just how bad is it? Is more than a mosquito net necessary?

"Black flies breed exclusively in running water". (http://www.ultimate.com/washington/wla/blackfly/)

Consider this, the excessive snows so far this year will produce record melts. Make your own assumptions about the potential blackfly hatch in 2011.

fehchet
01-31-2011, 15:52
Are the trail blazes marked better and more often going South Bound?
When I am going North I rarely see markings going South bound. Cross roads and towns might be a problem??

SOBO you learn to look NOBO for the blazes.

Graywolf
01-31-2011, 15:58
Just as a note, if you hike South, you really dont have to finish at Springer, there are many trails to take you even further. You could go all the way to Alabama, if you want too. I hear its pretty...

But you could do that for NOBO too..I guess.. Canada is beautiful..

RGB
01-31-2011, 20:00
HA! That's easy for you to say now. Black flys feed on bug repellant. If you want to stay sane, you will get a head net and a bug net for your sleeping bag or use your tent exclusively.

I go to Maine often; since I was a kid. They are nothing to sweat about and make extra preparations for.

RockDoc
02-01-2011, 01:07
SoBo's seem to enjoy Maine a lot more.

NoBo's often are so burned out by then that they don't enjoy it, all they care about is finishing (there are a few happy exceptions, but not many in my experience).

SonrisaJo
02-01-2011, 01:32
Going SOBO ROCKED! Springer's a great way to end, and finishing Maine is a huge, wonderful accomplishment in the beginning. Some hostels and services will be done for the season in the south, but that never prevented me from finding an indoor room/pizza/whatever I needed at the time. If I ever hike again, I'll go southbound because I loved having solitude. I spent 4 nights in the Smokies and only one of those nights I had to share the shelter with someone. Compare that to the situation with northbounders . . . shrug. It all depends what you want from the experience.

Marta
02-01-2011, 07:47
Are the trail blazes marked better and more often going South Bound?
When I am going North I rarely see markings going South bound. Cross roads and towns might be a problem??

When you're walking SOBO and feel the need to see a blaze, you can just turn around. You'll probably see one.:D

fredmugs
02-01-2011, 11:09
More people go NOBO because they are out of shape, are anxious to get started and are sheep.



Well said!

max patch
02-01-2011, 11:35
While its trendy on this website to say SOBO (talk about sheep!!!) the truth of the matter is that if one studies all the advantages and disadvantages of both NOBO is clearly the preferable way to go, all things considered. There is a reason why the great majority of prospective thru's start in Georgia.

Diatribe
02-01-2011, 11:52
I believe I will YOYO hike and piss all the purists off.
Nothing worse than a bunch of pack sniffers clogging up the trail in GA/NC/TN/VA, and worse off, you have to deal with them at every lunch break view & campsite/spring/gross shelter every other night.
No thanks: If I want to deal with sheep, I'll go to a petting zoo.

Of the beaten path is always the way to go.

4shot
02-01-2011, 22:04
I believe I will YOYO hike and piss all the purists off.


not sure how a YOYO would offend anyone. Am I missing something here?

Pony
02-01-2011, 22:51
I believe I will YOYO hike and piss all the purists off.
Nothing worse than a bunch of pack sniffers clogging up the trail in GA/NC/TN/VA, and worse off, you have to deal with them at every lunch break view & campsite/spring/gross shelter every other night.
No thanks: If I want to deal with sheep, I'll go to a petting zoo.

Of the beaten path is always the way to go.

Sounds like you want a different trail then. The AT isn't exactly off the beaten path, regardless of direction.

Diatribe
02-03-2011, 10:04
very true, Pony.
Rigging your hike to counter, say, a group of 1000 heading up from the south can be easily avoided, by hiking ahead of the pack in the same direction.
Every year when I head out in May, I seldom encounter other hikers. This is pleasing--knowing that the bulk is behind you--leaving lots of firewood & very clean campsites. No forced conversations, no fake smiles.

As for the trails out west: after growing up on the east coast--no woods will bring my heart more joy than being in some eastern deciduous woods with rampant water sources and very few hippies. Knowing that I am home at all times is comforting, and knowing that if the trail gets too clogged, there's always an empty blue blaze off the beaten path just around the next bend.

Hike Your Own Hike

Ontiora
02-05-2011, 00:57
I think about only 10% of hikers do a SoBo thru-hike, probably because you can't start until later in the year. I'd start in Maine though- it would be much more unique in my opinion.

Ashman
02-05-2011, 08:52
I don't understand why people use travel expenses as a reason for SOBO or NOBO. Doesn't matter where I am, whether I travel home to Georgia then Maine to home or home to Maine then Georgia to home, the travel is the same is it not?

Marta
02-06-2011, 08:02
I think about only 10% of hikers do a SoBo thru-hike, probably because you can't start until later in the year. I'd start in Maine though- it would be much more unique in my opinion.

The later start is probably the main reason FOR going SOBO.

I was working in a job where we were very busy in the first half of the year and very slow in the second half. An early-July start was perfect for me, workwise. A lot of SOBOs are folks who have just gotten out of school in May or June, too late for a conventional NOBO hike.

Another big reason for me was that I was walking towards home rather than away from it.

A third was that I new that I could hike all winter down here (taking cover in town if the weather got too foul), so my time line was less restrictive.

I'm not going to diss NOBO hikes, since I've never done one. I will say, though, that I find the anti-SOBO arguments of NOBOs who have never done a SOBO hike pretty weak and unconvincing.

Roland
02-06-2011, 08:12
~
I will say, though, that I find the anti-SOBO arguments of NOBOs who have never done a SOBO hike pretty weak and unconvincing.

...and the anti-SOBO arguments of those who have never thru-hiked, even more so.

the judge
02-06-2011, 10:24
for a first timer, I think accomplishing the trail in either direction would be a huge win. as far as for solitude, it's going to vary. for one, you are on a marked trail. the state parks that I hike here at home provide me with plenty of solitude till a group of mountain bikers come flying down off a hill forcing me off the trail. at least on the AT you will be interrupted with a smile rather than the sound of brakes and chains.

Chillfactor
02-06-2011, 16:29
I chatted with 2 SOBOs last year. The first guy was coming from Massachusetts (we met in VA) and he missed not having familiar faces around. He felt a little lonely and thought it would be more enjoyable going NOBO. The second guy started from ME and he was leaving the AT and going home the next day (just south of Duncannon). He, too, was lonely and thought it wasn't fun anymore. He also commented that PA was far worse than anything he encountered, and the Whites were fun in comparison.
It's all personal preference but the AT is far from crowded. You may only see a few hikers all day, in passing, and will find shelters empty at times. You're not required to visit with other hikers at the end of the day; just tent and keep to yourself. It's your choice.
I enjoy other hikers, not all of them, but being in the company of others at the end of the day is nice. And it's part of the experience.
Working at NOT seeing others is something I don't want to worry about.

Special-K
02-14-2011, 00:32
My family is in MA. so if i hike north i'm thinking i'll be hiking to friends and family. not away from them......just my little mindset

mweinstone
02-14-2011, 04:44
going south is bacon
going north is talking about bacon