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melaniebk
10-10-2012, 09:59
Hi, I'm new to the site. My daughter and I have been planning a GAME thruhike. We're both down south, it's more traditional, and we'd have to come off trail for her college graduation in May (Warren Wilson College). Lately we've been questioning the possibility of waiting until after graduation and hiking MEGA. I'd like to hear the thoughts of some of you who've completed a SOBO and, especially anyone who's completed both a SOBO and NOBO. I read somewhere only about 1,000 people have reported completing a SOBO. Thanks in advance for your beta.

attroll
10-10-2012, 10:09
Moved this thread/topic to the General forum.

Lone Wolf
10-10-2012, 10:12
Hi, I'm new to the site. My daughter and I have been planning a GAME thruhike. We're both down south, it's more traditional, and we'd have to come off trail for her college graduation in May (Warren Wilson College). Lately we've been questioning the possibility of waiting until after graduation and hiking MEGA. I'd like to hear the thoughts of some of you who've completed a SOBO and, especially anyone who's completed both a SOBO and NOBO. I read somewhere only about 1,000 people have reported completing a SOBO. Thanks in advance for your beta.
i've thru-hiked both ways and prefer SOBO. the only thing i didn't like were the mosquitos in Maine. i started June 29th that year

yellowsirocco
10-10-2012, 10:20
If you go SOBO at least you are guaranteed to climb Katahdin and hike New England. Most people don't finish thru hikes so if you do fail, and you probably will, then at least you get to see the beauty of New England hiking. I have never thru hiked, but I just love hiking in New England. I am also a South Carolinian and I try to get up to New England every summer for hiking.

Lone Wolf
10-10-2012, 10:24
most NOBOs are burned out if and when they get to new england. all they care about is finishing. going SOBO you're fresh and excited and enjoy the scenery which there's plenty of up there

SassyWindsor
10-10-2012, 16:09
In the north you'll probably have a few bug/fly problems and in the south maybe a little hot weather and water source problems. The SOBO route may give you an incentive, since you'll be heading (getting closer on a daily basis) to your SC home.

Marta
10-10-2012, 16:10
I've only hiked SOBO, and am therefore prejudiced, but I think SOBO has a lot going for it. For one thing, you'd be hiking home. The year I hiked, a majority of the SOBOs around me were southerners, probably because, like me, they knew they could keep hiking as long as it took to get the job done.

There are a number of old threads on this subject. If you use the Search function you can read dozens, maybe hundreds, of opinions from both camps.

It would behoove you and your daughter, if you do start SOBO, to have your gear and fitness issues worked out ahead of time. SOBO is more challenging physically, and there are fewer hiker services and gear replacement opportunities in the first couple hundred miles.

If you wait until early July to start, you should miss a lot of the bugs in Maine. You'll be in the north at the height of summer, which is gorgeous. You'll progress south into the fall leaf color season. It's gorgeous!

Blissful
10-10-2012, 16:45
I've done it both ways; blog on the differences on my hiking blog.

Shae
10-10-2012, 19:01
My daughter is finishing up her Sobo now and wouldn't have done it any differently. We summited Kathdin on June 20th. The bugs weren't too bad at all. She lost 2 weeks off the trail in early August with an infected foot but it has been a wonderful experience having met lots of great people. Plenty of other southbounders but not too many so the shelters were not crowded and she had plenty of opportunity for work for stay in the huts in the Whites. She's always wanted go sobo and glad she did.

HikerMom58
10-10-2012, 19:14
My daughter is finishing up her Sobo now and wouldn't have done it any differently. We summited Kathdin on June 20th. The bugs weren't too bad at all. She lost 2 weeks off the trail in early August with an infected foot but it has been a wonderful experience having met lots of great people. Plenty of other southbounders but not too many so the shelters were not crowded and she had plenty of opportunity for work for stay in the huts in the Whites. She's always wanted go sobo and glad she did.

NICE!! Congrats to ur daughter for almost fininshing the trail. :)

Lone Wolf
10-10-2012, 20:09
My daughter is finishing up her Sobo now and wouldn't have done it any differently. We summited Kathdin on June 20th. The bugs weren't too bad at all. She lost 2 weeks off the trail in early August with an infected foot but it has been a wonderful experience having met lots of great people. Plenty of other southbounders but not too many so the shelters were not crowded and she had plenty of opportunity for work for stay in the huts in the Whites. She's always wanted go sobo and glad she did.

going NOBO is so cliche' and easy nowadays. the adventure is SOBO

melaniebk
10-10-2012, 20:17
Thank you all for your advice. We're inclined to believe that SOBO just makes more sense for us. I'll be searching next regarding the logistics of getting ourselves and our gear to Maine!

Lone Wolf
10-10-2012, 20:23
Thank you all for your advice. We're inclined to believe that SOBO just makes more sense for us. I'll be searching next regarding the logistics of getting ourselves and our gear to Maine!

if you've got the time and money, take AMTRAK.

Odd Man Out
10-10-2012, 20:34
for those who have SOBOed (is that the correct past tense of the verb form??), what about day length? Starting in July you are already past peak day length and the days will get shorter every day. I'm wondering what the typical SOBO hiker does when the days get short? Do you night hike? Sleep for 13 hrs? I was wondering how this affects you experience.

rickb
10-10-2012, 21:05
for those who have SOBOed (is that the correct past tense of the verb form??), what about day length? Starting in July you are already past peak day length and the days will get shorter every day. I'm wondering what the typical SOBO hiker does when the days get short? Do you night hike? Sleep for 13 hrs? I was wondering how this affects you experience.

A watch helps so you don't wake up and start making breakfast at 2 AM.

Candles used to be the rage in shelters at night, but that might be an anachronism.

Marta
10-10-2012, 21:17
for those who have SOBOed (is that the correct past tense of the verb form??), what about day length? Starting in July you are already past peak day length and the days will get shorter every day. I'm wondering what the typical SOBO hiker does when the days get short? Do you night hike? Sleep for 13 hrs? I was wondering how this affects you experience.

i did some night hiking, but mostly I relaxed and read and wrote in my journal. Part of my strategy throughout the hike was to allow enough recuperation time every day so that I'd start the next day fresh. For me that meant an eight-hour hiking day (or less), with sixteen non-hiking hours before I headed out again. As the hike progressed, I could get further and further in eight hours (20 miles, easily), but I rarely hiked for longer than eight hours, which is easy to accomplish during daylight, even in December in TN, NC, and GA.

Marta
10-10-2012, 21:20
A watch helps so you don't wake up and start making breakfast at 2 AM.

Candles used to be the rage in shelters at night, but that might be an anachronism.

From Nov. 1 onward I carried a candle lantern. It was useful for warming my hands during the evening, and I'd leave it burning when I left the shelter or tent site so I could locate it in the dark. It's pretty damn terrifying to walk away from your pack and sleeping bag to go get water or go to the privy, get disoriented, and be unable to see your camp.

HikerMom58
10-10-2012, 21:32
From Nov. 1 onward I carried a candle lantern. It was useful for warming my hands during the evening, and I'd leave it burning when I left the shelter or tent site so I could locate it in the dark. It's pretty damn terrifying to walk away from your pack and sleeping bag to go get water or go to the privy, get disoriented, and be unable to see your camp.

Great idea having the candle lantern. After getting out there hiking myself, I really wished for a "light" back at the camp, as well. I had a friend that was going to throw away all her pillar candles. I snatched them up so I could place them in the shelters around here instead of them ending up in the landfill. I hope some peeps have enjoyed having them there.....

melaniebk
10-10-2012, 22:12
I've never AMTRAKed before. Do you keep your pack with you, or do they stow it somewhere the way bus lines do it? And are there any parts of your gear that can't be transported, for example, fuel shouldn't go, right?:confused:

Prime Time
10-10-2012, 22:30
If you haven't done much hiking, or never hiked in NH or Maine, starting there might prove difficult and discouraging. If you finish there you will be in great hiking shape and maybe will enjoy it more? Also, starting in early Summer in Northern New England can be almost unbearable due to black flies and mosquitos. By September the bugs are gone and the weather tends to be better if not a bit cool. Foliage season can also be quite spectacular in the northern mountains.

yellowsirocco
10-10-2012, 23:03
I've never AMTRAKed before. Do you keep your pack with you, or do they stow it somewhere the way bus lines do it? And are there any parts of your gear that can't be transported, for example, fuel shouldn't go, right?:confused:

If you leave from Greenville you can check your bags, at Clemson you will have to carry them on. There is plenty of room to carry on so that is probably best. You could carry fuel on if you wanted to, there is no security screening unless you look at the Amtrak police in a funny way.

Check the schedule though. Coming from the upstate the schedules don't work out well getting to Maine. Their default schedule puts you in Portland at almost 2AM. If you could leave out of Charlotte the schedule is better.

yellowsirocco
10-10-2012, 23:07
for those who have SOBOed (is that the correct past tense of the verb form??), what about day length? Starting in July you are already past peak day length and the days will get shorter every day. I'm wondering what the typical SOBO hiker does when the days get short? Do you night hike? Sleep for 13 hrs? I was wondering how this affects you experience.

Seems like a lot of NOBOs like to sleep for 13 hours.

melaniebk
10-10-2012, 23:15
Thank you! That's very helpful. I'm getting so excited as this is coming together.

melaniebk
10-10-2012, 23:18
If you leave from Greenville you can check your bags, at Clemson you will have to carry them on. There is plenty of room to carry on so that is probably best. You could carry fuel on if you wanted to, there is no security screening unless you look at the Amtrak police in a funny way.

Check the schedule though. Coming from the upstate the schedules don't work out well getting to Maine. Their default schedule puts you in Portland at almost 2AM. If you could leave out of Charlotte the schedule is better.

Thanks, that's very helpful. I'm having a little trouble figuring out how to reply to specific things. If this works, then I've got it psyched out.

fireneck
10-10-2012, 23:19
I'll never forget being at a Shelter in southern Maine this summer and a soboer said to me, "We climbed this mountain today and there were no views, just trees." Myself and fellow NoBos had a good laugh and would recall that quote well past Katahdin! I said to him, "You have a rough 2,000 miles ahead of you."

IMHO Hiking sobo is like starting with the dessert first, Maine and The Whites, are beautiful. Being above treeline is amazing, but it's so hard to appreciate that if you start out and have a lot of peaks above treeline. Not that this matters, but Katahdin is such an epic place to end a thru-hike. Of course that's not why you start a long distance hike, because where it ends, but the jagged peaks of the Knife's Edge make for a much better summit photo than the barren trees of north Georgia. Can't stress enough that the AT is about the journey, NOT the end destination. Just comparing/contrasting.

I had a friend leave the trail for a week for his college graduation. It can be done and you will lose the pack that you were hiking with but this trail have a funny way of reuniting people along the corridor, so worry not. Best of luck, whether you go NoBO or sobo!

Anyone that is serious about a NoBo/sobo beef is an idiot.

Deacon
10-11-2012, 07:17
I've never AMTRAKed before. Do you keep your pack with you, or do they stow it somewhere the way bus lines do it? And are there any parts of your gear that can't be transported, for example, fuel shouldn't go, right?:confused:

The overhead bins on the Amtrak are plenty big enough for your pack. Even though the Amtrak has specific rules about what you can carry, no one is going to check, that is, go through your pack


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ender
10-11-2012, 08:33
I love the northern woods, and I hiked NOBO. I used the appeal of the northern mountains to pull me along... the more I hiked, the closer I got to the northern woods. And being up in Maine in the fall is just fantastic.

Really though, either direction you go, you won't regret it.

fredmugs
10-11-2012, 08:38
If you go SOBO at least you are guaranteed to climb Katahdin and hike New England. Most people don't finish thru hikes so if you do fail, and you probably will, then at least you get to see the beauty of New England hiking. I have never thru hiked, but I just love hiking in New England. I am also a South Carolinian and I try to get up to New England every summer for hiking.

Don't you love it when people profess their ignorance and then crap all over what somebody else is planning to do?

Marta
10-11-2012, 09:50
Don't you love it when people profess their ignorance and then crap all over what somebody else is planning to do?

I don't see anything wrong with what he said. He is quite correct that most people don't finish their thru-hikes. One doesn't need personal they-hiking experience to know that. His reasoning is sound that, if one only does part of a thru-hike--a week, a month, three months--one might want to do the section of trail furthest away from home, since that will be the hardest to go back and pick up later.

From upstate SC is is fairly easy to do short sections of Trail up into Virginia. The northern half of the Trail, not so much. If one's goal is to hike the whole AT, and a thru-hole doesn't work out for whatever reason, it makes sense to do the northern part in the biggest possible chunk, then finish up the southern part as sections.

HikerMom58
10-11-2012, 10:05
Don't you love it when people profess their ignorance and then crap all over what somebody else is planning to do?

Oh yeah- I noticed that, myself..... it's all about the person saying things and has nothing to do with anyone else- although it can come across like that. *psych* diggindeepforthelove

colorado_rob
10-11-2012, 10:25
This topic is of great interest to me personally as I'm right on the fence NOBO / SOBO. Thanks for all the thoughts.

I'd really prefer SOBO, for all sorts of reasons, but I just don't want to wait to June to start. So I'm seriously considering the standard flip; GA->Harpers, ME-> Harpers. Seems best of both worlds. A thousand miles of social hiking, starting in March. Then another 1100+ miles starting up in ME, and I'll get to see the same folks in passing all over again while I'm heading south.

melaniebk
10-11-2012, 10:36
Don't you love it when people profess their ignorance and then crap all over what somebody else is planning to do?
A year ago, that would have been my "go to" reaction, also. Right now, I'm grateful that this community exists at all and in less than 24 hours this many people have taken our quest seriously enough to even respond. Every bit of info I'm getting is more than I had even a day ago. As we prepare and gain experience, some of this info will prove to be less important than others, but I'm willing to accept it in the spirit it's given. Having this adventure with my daughter is my goal; everything else is just gravy. And I love your tagline; it's similar to what I tell my mother when I return bruised and bloody from climbing!

Wolf - 23000
10-11-2012, 16:19
I too have hiked the AT both Northbound and Southbound. My preference is to go Southbound mainly for the peace and quite that you get around September. Also the fewer hikers that are going Southbound tend to be hard core then their Northbound counter parts. It's all personal preference.


Wolf

yellowsirocco
10-11-2012, 17:08
Don't you love it when people profess their ignorance and then crap all over what somebody else is planning to do?

What ignorance am I professing? You do not need to thru hike in order to read the statistics that say the majority of people who try to thru-hike will fail. All I am saying is the statistics are stacked against people and that no one is special. So pointing out reality is crapping? My point is enjoy every day of your hike. No one can say with 100% certainty that they can finish and you never know when something bad will happen. People get hurt, I have had to go home in the middle of two long hikes because of injuries. Luck plays a huge part in long distance hiking.

rickb
10-11-2012, 17:27
What ignorance am I professing? You do not need to thru hike in order to read the statistics that say the majority of people who try to thru-hike will fail. All I am saying is the statistics are stacked against people and that no one is special. So pointing out reality is crapping? My point is enjoy every day of your hike. No one can say with 100% certainty that they can finish and you never know when something bad will happen. People get hurt, I have had to go home in the middle of two long hikes because of injuries. Luck plays a huge part in long distance hiking.

Your post made a great deal of sense to me.

HikerMom58
10-11-2012, 18:40
I can understand where fredmugs is coming from but I can also see the point yellowsirocco was trying to make... You can read it both ways, IMHO. Yellowsirocco just explained it better- so much clearer... Ohhh yeah, this is a good day! :)

melaniebk
10-12-2012, 08:31
I can understand where fredmugs is coming from but I can also see the point yellowsirocco was trying to make... You can read it both ways, IMHO. Yellowsirocco just explained it better- so much clearer... Ohhh yeah, this is a good day! :)
Thanks, HikerMomKD. Eveyone has been helpful and shown integrity in their posts. People talk about being "glass half empty or half full" type of people. I would have taken offense where none was intended a year ago and jumped to the conclusion that someone was judging me and finding me lacking. Yellow sirocco wasn't trying to discourage me and I chose to accept the advice as it was intended.

melaniebk
10-12-2012, 08:36
I don't see anything wrong with what he said. He is quite correct that most people don't finish their thru-hikes. One doesn't need personal they-hiking experience to know that. His reasoning is sound that, if one only does part of a thru-hike--a week, a month, three months--one might want to do the section of trail furthest away from home, since that will be the hardest to go back and pick up later.

From upstate SC is is fairly easy to do short sections of Trail up into Virginia. The northern half of the Trail, not so much. If one's goal is to hike the whole AT, and a thru-hole doesn't work out for whatever reason, it makes sense to do the northern part in the biggest possible chunk, then finish up the southern part as sections.

Thanks, Marta. That's better than I could have expressed it. The advice was sound. Our biggest concern about NOBO was the possibilty of getting close to finishing and not being able to finish due to the weather. We've decided to go ME-GA so we will be able to summit Katahdin, and if we have to bail it will be easier to do the southern parts sectionally than to do the norther parts that way.

melaniebk
10-12-2012, 08:45
If you go SOBO at least you are guaranteed to climb Katahdin and hike New England. Most people don't finish thru hikes so if you do fail, and you probably will, then at least you get to see the beauty of New England hiking. I have never thru hiked, but I just love hiking in New England. I am also a South Carolinian and I try to get up to New England every summer for hiking.
That was helpful advice, and a factor in our decision to hike ME-GA. Also, if we don't finish as a thru-hike, the sections close to home would be easier for us to get done as section hikes. I can't foresee another time that my daughter and I would be able to do this together, and that's our main goal. Thanks!

HikerMom58
10-12-2012, 11:51
Thanks, HikerMomKD. Eveyone has been helpful and shown integrity in their posts. People talk about being "glass half empty or half full" type of people. I would have taken offense where none was intended a year ago and jumped to the conclusion that someone was judging me and finding me lacking. Yellow sirocco wasn't trying to discourage me and I chose to accept the advice as it was intended.

That is Awesome!! :) :welcome to White Blaze btw.... so nice to have you! Whatever way you and your daughter decide to hike it, I know you will have fun together. I have hiked some with my daughter 2. :) When you get to the Central VA section, I'd love to meet you and your daughter. I live 5 miles from where the trail crosses the road in Daleville VA. Again, nice to "meet" you!! :)

peakbagger
10-12-2012, 14:15
Hard to beat maine and NH in the fall. Early summer it can be wet with high water crossings and everything is lush green but after awhile that gets "old" especially when you swatting mosquitoes and black flies continously. In the fall those formerly green trees turn all sort of colors and the views open up.

If you are considering a SOBO book a site at Katahdin for a couple of nights as the weather is less reliable in early summer so the chances of getting a good day on the summit are about 1 in 3. Later in the summer its 2 good day for one bad to summit. In general the weather patterns in early June tend to be 1 day of rain, one day of drizzle and one good day, in September its 3 or 4 great days and 1 wet day.

If you dont have your gear 100% right on a SOBO, you have no options to change out your gear for 10 days and even then Monson is not as well equipped as Mountain Crossings. If you do need to get off trail prior to Monson it may take you a half a day to get to a paved road and another half day to get to a town. Even then unless you hitch back to Millinocket there is no bus service, so you are spending another half day to get to a bus station

Grampie
10-12-2012, 15:05
On my thru I flipped so I guess you can say that I started both a NOBO hike and a SOBO hike. This is how I see it. Started NOBO in April. Most of the crowd was in front of me. I would say that the trail was not crowded. Just enough folks to make a lot on new friends along the way. I flipped at Duncanon. Summitted Katahden on July 22 and headed SOBO. The Maine trail conditions are quite different than they are in Georgia. Trails down south are more heavely used and travel over more established paths. Hike along many old rail lines once used for loging. Few bugs in the early spring. The ups and downs are not as abrupt down south as they are up north. Still some very steep mountains to climb.
In Maine the trail travels along streams and lakes quite often. After snow melt in June this makes for a lot of wet walking including fording quite a few streams and dealing with a lot of mud. A lot less hikers on the trail. After walking Maine my feelings were that a SOBO hike would require more effort. The bugs are quite bad in the spring. Especialy the Black Flys. When I came through they were gone. I met hikers who had to hike with a head net on for several weeks. As far as the ups and downs I think they are about equal in both Georgia and in Maine. Off trail support facilities are not as readialy available in Maine compared to Georgia.
After hiking over 2000 miles Iather finish at Katahden than at Springer.

Kaptain Kangaroo
10-12-2012, 16:43
NOBO or SOBO, it is a great experience either way. There are many factors that can influence which direction you go.... timing, home location etc. but the one that really mattered for me was weather conditions. I much prefer cold to heat. By starting in early March in Georgia & finishing in Maine in early July I missed almost all the summer heat...perfect !!! unless you want to do a winter hike, going SOBO means that you hike through the worst of the heat... for me that is not fun.
And don't be put off by Lone Wolf's comment about SOBO hikers being "hard core" , although some of them like to think so :rolleyes: they are really just the same varied mix of people you find going the other way. I remember hiking past a shelter in Maine at about lunchtime & meeting a group of 4 SOBO's sitting around a campfire. One of them was busily burning T-shirts !!! Turns out he was carrying 7 cotton T-shirts and was desperate to lose some pack weight..... same crazy stuff you see down in GA in March.....

Either way, have a great hike !

Lone Wolf
10-12-2012, 17:08
And don't be put off by Lone Wolf's comment about SOBO hikers being "hard core" , although some of them like to think so :rolleyes: they are really just the same varied mix of people you find going the other way.
check your facts. i never said that. Wolf-23,000 did

melaniebk
10-12-2012, 17:51
We've had to weigh all the factors in making the north or south start decision. My pro list for SOBO is simply longer than my NOBO list; some of the reasons are matters of personal preferences and some are family considerations. I've wanted to do this for at least 30 years and have been planning it in my head as a NOBO. Things change, tho'. My daughter and I are committed to SOBO now. We understand that it will be harder physically and that there will be less margin for error in terms of planning and gear selection. It's a good thing we'll have several extra weeks to backpack and get to know our gear and our base comfort levels. Right now, I'm looking at dehydrating our own food. I'm sure there must be something on WB about it, but I haven't located it yet. I must be overthinking my keyword selection. Do any of you have experience dehydrating trail food? Oh, and I really liked Peakbaggers suggestion about booking extra days at Katahdin.

melaniebk
10-12-2012, 21:31
Thanks for the welcome HikerMomKD! We've decided on SOBO, and I've already alerted my employer that I'll be taking an indefinate leave of absence. I was a little concerned about having to get to an extraction point in time for graduation, but a lot of additional factors helped us make up our minds. It would be great to meet you, too.:banana

Kaptain Kangaroo
10-12-2012, 21:45
This is a site that I have found quite useful for information on dehydrating food for hiking. I'm sure there are many others if you do a bit of searching.

http://www.backpackingchef.com/

(Oh..Lone Wolf, my apologies, you are of course correct!... and I should have known that you would never say such a thing !!!) :p

Wolf - 23000
10-12-2012, 23:38
Kaptain Kangaroo,

Have you ever hiked southbound? It is true most Southbounder go through the hottest months but during the hot months southbounders will be in the New England states. New England in the summer is not as hot as the southern states.

As for the hard core part, many northbounders that I have seen head for towns when the weather get bad or spend more time in towns than on the trail. Not all of course but many hikers. Southbounds cannot do that so easy. After September many hostels close up for the season. Also during the winter months, you can go days or weeks without seeing a soul on the trail. Most people cannot go a day without some type of human contract. Southbounders also start off doing the hardest states on the trail unlike Northbounder who start in Georgia. The trail really doesn’t have any tough climbs until around the Smokies.

Wolf

jeffmeh
10-13-2012, 02:20
It will be a great adventure in either direction. To reinforce a point or two, make sure you get yourself into good physical shape if you are going SOBO. Summitting Katahdin is more physically demanding than virtually any other day on the trail, ME and NH are the toughest states, and the NOBOs get to hike themselves into shape before they get there. I'm not a sentimental guy, but it almost broke my heart to see a young man on the Hunt Trail in June who must have been eager to start his SOBO, and the trail, his physical condition, and his poor gear choices beat him before he got close to the summit. Lastly, headnets, permethrin treated clothing, fully netted tents, DEET or picaridin are in order if you are in the north in the spring/summer. While you are not likely to start during the height of the black fly season, even the middle of the season can be unreal, particularly if you have never experienced it.

Darwin13
10-13-2012, 03:34
haha going nobo is cliche. that's funny. do either way, does the direction really matter in the grand scheme of things? For me i live in the north and shall be walking that way. Either way may your hike be long

RyanK817
10-27-2012, 01:56
My wife and I tried SOBO last year, had to cut it short on the NY/NJ border due to injury. I am attempting another thru-hike as soon as possible, and I will definitely be going NOBO. We both appreciated the smaller thru-hiker bubble in the beginning because you get to know most everyone you're hiking with, but by the time we were in MA, so many had quit and those of us still going had gotten so spread out that we rarely saw fellow SOBOs, and in the weeks before we got off we would hardly see a soul all day. I don't care how much you enjoy solitude, loneliness will drive you off the trail as fast as anything. I hear about how horribly crowded NOBOs get starting out, but I think it would be worth it to have more fellow-hikers once you get farther along the trail. And like peakbagger said, ME & NH in the fall are amazing. It's great in the summer too, but the insects are torture some days. And frankly, I want to finish a thru-hike in beautiful Maine and climbing Katahdin, much more climactic than Springer and you stand a better chance of sharing the finish with fellow-hikers.

melaniebk
10-27-2012, 09:15
My wife and I tried SOBO last year, had to cut it short on the NY/NJ border due to injury. I am attempting another thru-hike as soon as possible, and I will definitely be going NOBO. We both appreciated the smaller thru-hiker bubble in the beginning because you get to know most everyone you're hiking with, but by the time we were in MA, so many had quit and those of us still going had gotten so spread out that we rarely saw fellow SOBOs, and in the weeks before we got off we would hardly see a soul all day. I don't care how much you enjoy solitude, loneliness will drive you off the trail as fast as anything. I hear about how horribly crowded NOBOs get starting out, but I think it would be worth it to have more fellow-hikers once you get farther along the trail. And like peakbagger said, ME & NH in the fall are amazing. It's great in the summer too, but the insects are torture some days. And frankly, I want to finish a thru-hike in beautiful Maine and climbing Katahdin, much more climactic than Springer and you stand a better chance of sharing the finish with fellow-hikers.

Hey Ryan, thanks for sharing your experience. There are so many factors to weigh when planning a thru hike and NOBO or SOBO is probably one of the first. Was there one particular consideration that made SOBO seem like the best course for both of you, or was it a combination of factors? Also, had injury not forced you off the trail, do you think the loneliness eventually would have driven to the quitting point? Our decision is made, but it doesn't hurt to be aware of psychological factors that might come up in physically weak moments. I hope you both find your next attempt more fruitful!

RyanK817
11-01-2012, 00:51
Hey Ryan, thanks for sharing your experience. There are so many factors to weigh when planning a thru hike and NOBO or SOBO is probably one of the first. Was there one particular consideration that made SOBO seem like the best course for both of you, or was it a combination of factors? Also, had injury not forced you off the trail, do you think the loneliness eventually would have driven to the quitting point? Our decision is made, but it doesn't hurt to be aware of psychological factors that might come up in physically weak moments. I hope you both find your next attempt more fruitful!

I just got out of the military at the beginning of June and we started a week later, so that kinda made the decision for us! And actually yes, loneliness did make me quit. My wife was the one who injured her foot, and we decided she'd come home and I'd keep going as I was very motivated to finish. Three days later after hardly seeing any other people at all (in an uninteresting part of the trail in NY), I called her to come pick me up. Of course, I'd just spent a year away from home in Iraq and wasn't ready to voluntarily spend several more months away from family. If it wasn't for that, who knows??? I know I've asked that question a million times.

That being said, you guys will love SOBO. Like someone else had said, you will get to enjoy the most beautiful parts of the trail at the beginning while you're pumped instead of the end when you're burned out and just ready to finish. And even though it is arguably the toughest part, you'll be fully "broken in" before you hit the Mahoosucs and NH. Just be ready for much less interesting hiking once you get down to CT-NY-NJ, and keep reminding yourself that it will get awesome again. Good luck to you guys!

prain4u
11-01-2012, 02:35
I have absolutely no experience regarding what I am about to tell you--other than what I read and hear from other hikers.

Have you ever considered a "flip flop" hike? You might actually get the best (or worst) of both worlds. Start out at Springer sometime between late March and mid-April. Hike Northward until the daughter's graduation (or a little later). Then, go up to Katahdin and get all of the "benefits" of hiking south through Maine and New England in the early summer. Then just continue hiking southward toward home (and to the place where you left the trail to go north to Katahdin).

PROBLEMS: Some people tend to "look down" on flip flop hikes (if such things matter to you). I am told that finishing one's thru hike "at some trail town or at some obscure trailhead located somewhere near the mid-point of the AT" doesn't have quite the same "rush" as ending at Katahdin or Springer. You would possibly be hiking in the Mid-Atlantic States in the hottest and most humid part of summer.

THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS of a flip flop? You could get your early hiking experience in the South where there are probably more hiker services and greater opportunities for you to safely and comfortably make some "adjustments" to your gear and your hiking style. You would also have your "hiker legs" by the time you go up to Katahdin, the Hundred Mile Wilderness and the Whites.

melaniebk
11-01-2012, 09:08
Thanks for responding, Ryan! I was really curious. After being away from home that long and being solo after psyching yourself up for a partner hike, I can understand the loneliness factor. And yes, prain4u, we considered the flip flop for about the entire length of time it took me to explain it to her. She was not interested and I've never met any one less likely to make a decision based on peer pressure. We're committed to SOBO now and we're really excited to have a lot of our preparations under way.

fcoulter
11-04-2012, 20:10
If you're going to take Amtrak to get to Maine, have you considered getting a bedroom rather than riding coach? A little bit of luxury before the trail might not be a bad thing.

Tinker
11-04-2012, 20:23
I don't see anything wrong with what he said. He is quite correct that most people don't finish their thru-hikes. One doesn't need personal they-hiking experience to know that. His reasoning is sound that, if one only does part of a thru-hike--a week, a month, three months--one might want to do the section of trail furthest away from home, since that will be the hardest to go back and pick up later.

From upstate SC is is fairly easy to do short sections of Trail up into Virginia. The northern half of the Trail, not so much. If one's goal is to hike the whole AT, and a thru-hole doesn't work out for whatever reason, it makes sense to do the northern part in the biggest possible chunk, then finish up the southern part as sections.

I'm hoping a thru hole is a thing and not a person.

I think I might start in the middle and hike north to Katahdin, then head back to where I started and hike south. I'd miss most of the hot weather that way, and I've hiked both ends already.

melaniebk
11-04-2012, 21:24
If you're going to take Amtrak to get to Maine, have you considered getting a bedroom rather than riding coach? A little bit of luxury before the trail might not be a bad thing.

I had just been wondering about that. Not having any travel experience with Amtrak, I wasn't sure that was an option. I know from experience that a berth on a long ferry crossing beats trying to find a space to crash for people traveling in a group. Thanks for the heads up!