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View Full Version : Avoiding thrus in southwest VA in June ?



The Kisco Kid
03-04-2013, 13:08
Planning my yearly section hike. This year I'm headed north from Bland to Troutville in mid-June. I like company, but I am trying to avoid the big pack.

What's the trail like in that section in June?

-The Kisco Kid

Lone Wolf
03-04-2013, 13:21
it will be heavy with hikers

The Kisco Kid
03-04-2013, 14:35
it will be heavy with hikers

Can you explain? My hike is a month past Trail days and Bland is just 120 miles north from Damascus. I would figure folks would be well past Bland by that point?

Carry-On
03-04-2013, 15:17
I got to Bland near the end of June and though we were at the back of the bubble, there were still a lot of hikers around me. I can only imagine that if you are around Bland earlier in the month there would be even more hikers around.

flemdawg1
03-04-2013, 15:27
I did Dennis Cove to Damuscus 3 years ago in mid-June. 1st night had shelter to myself, 2nd night had 5 other thrus in shelter, 3rd night, same 5 thrus at next shelter but no shelter space due to church youth group taking over shelter.

Basically crowding is as much a factor to school out and vacationing people as the thru hikers in June.

CrumbSnatcher
03-04-2013, 15:30
Can you explain? My hike is a month past Trail days and Bland is just 120 miles north from Damascus. I would figure folks would be well past Bland by that point?
not all hikers will be as far north as Damascus during traildays, my first year i was only as far north as Erwin TN. hitched to traildays then back to Erwin

yellowsirocco
03-04-2013, 16:07
You are going to run into the back of the bubble which is the worst part. These people already know they won't finish and are just drinking their way between town and running their savings down.

Chaco Taco
03-04-2013, 16:26
Many get hitches to and from Traildays. You will be in the thick of section/ thruhiking bunch. I think around that time, anywhere you go in the south will be a little nutty. I would opt for something other than the AT but if you are set on doing the AT, avoid the shelters and have a blast.

SCRUB HIKER
03-04-2013, 16:30
it will be heavy with hikers


You are going to run into the back of the bubble which is the worst part. These people already know they won't finish and are just drinking their way between town and running their savings down.

Quit whining and making the trail look like a lousy experience when it's not going to be. To the OP, what is there to avoid? You've chosen to hike the AT in the summertime. Embrace the trail as it is. There will be people, but you're from Brooklyn. On the AT, you will see .01% of the number of people you see each day in the City. It will be enjoyable to talk to some of the people out there, since many of them are very interesting. And if you don't want to be social, you don't have to--the woods are large and even on the AT in Virginia in June there are many, many places to hike and camp and enjoy solitude if it's what you're after.

Don't for a second let all the crusty old crabs on this website fool you into thinking that there are vast hordes of fratty thru-hikers polluting every nice place in the woods. That's not remotely close to the reality. You are almost certainly guaranteed to enjoy your hike and most of the people you meet; the factors that have the potential to make it miserable lie elsewhere (like the weather, or bugs, or what's going on between your own ears). For God's sake don't listen to these nay-sayers.

Carry-On
03-04-2013, 16:36
Quit whining and making the trail look like a lousy experience when it's not going to be. To the OP, what is there to avoid? You've chosen to hike the AT in the summertime. Embrace the trail as it is. There will be people, but you're from Brooklyn. On the AT, you will see .01% of the number of people you see each day in the City. It will be enjoyable to talk to some of the people out there, since many of them are very interesting. And if you don't want to be social, you don't have to--the woods are large and even on the AT in Virginia in June there are many, many places to hike and camp and enjoy solitude if it's what you're after.

Don't for a second let all the crusty old crabs on this website fool you into thinking that there are vast hordes of fratty thru-hikers polluting every nice place in the woods. That's not remotely close to the reality. You are almost certainly guaranteed to enjoy your hike and most of the people you meet; the factors that have the potential to make it miserable lie elsewhere (like the weather, or bugs, or what's going on between your own ears). For God's sake don't listen to these nay-sayers.

^
I like that. You can always be alone away from shelters.

Try hiking in Shenandoah National Park on a weekend in November with snow covering the ground. Totally packed. With awesome people. :)

RED-DOG
03-04-2013, 16:40
I would wait a little longer to do that section.

fredmugs
03-04-2013, 16:49
A couple of years ago I did Atkins to Damascus a week after trail days heading SOBO and I didn't run into that many people. That many = not more than 10 a day. The shelter where you can get pizza delivered was crowded but I just stopped there for lunch. You'll be fine.

Lone Wolf
03-04-2013, 17:28
Quit whining and making the trail look like a lousy experience when it's not going to be. To the OP, what is there to avoid? You've chosen to hike the AT in the summertime. Embrace the trail as it is. There will be people, but you're from Brooklyn. On the AT, you will see .01% of the number of people you see each day in the City. It will be enjoyable to talk to some of the people out there, since many of them are very interesting. And if you don't want to be social, you don't have to--the woods are large and even on the AT in Virginia in June there are many, many places to hike and camp and enjoy solitude if it's what you're after.

Don't for a second let all the crusty old crabs on this website fool you into thinking that there are vast hordes of fratty thru-hikers polluting every nice place in the woods. That's not remotely close to the reality. You are almost certainly guaranteed to enjoy your hike and most of the people you meet; the factors that have the potential to make it miserable lie elsewhere (like the weather, or bugs, or what's going on between your own ears). For God's sake don't listen to these nay-sayers.
bug off. there's still a lot of hikers in that area at that time. i answered the question. quit trolling

Almost There
03-04-2013, 17:32
There will be hikers. I always used to section in Virginia in the summer. Finishing up Va south of Shenandoahs this summer with a hike from Dicky Gap to Pearisburg last week of May if all goes as planned. I'd expect you'll be around 10-20 hikers daily. Your decision as to what constitutes "many hikers."

I never minded it, and there were many days that I never came across more than five hikers. Don't know your speed, but just them fly past you. I like my tent during that time, however, so I don't worry about the shelters.

Slo-go'en
03-04-2013, 18:19
This is one of those questions which has no answer, just like the ones wanting to know what the weather will be like next year. You will no doubt meet thru-hikers, but not hoards of them. Church and boy scout troops will be the thing to look out for.

Almost There
03-04-2013, 19:44
This is one of those questions which has no answer, just like the ones wanting to know what the weather will be like next year. You will no doubt meet thru-hikers, but not hoards of them. Church and boy scout troops will be the thing to look out for.

Nobody takes over a shelter site like boyscouts. I remember in 2006 when a group of them completely conquered Punchbowl Shelter...the shelter itself, and most of the level camping spots...which is saying a lot, leaving many of us to hike on.

aficion
03-04-2013, 19:56
This is one of those questions which has no answer, just like the ones wanting to know what the weather will be like next year. You will no doubt meet thru-hikers, but not hoards of them. Church and boy scout troops will be the thing to look out for.

You may or may not encounter the number of hikers you like to see. You may or may not encounter the kind of hikers you like to see. You will encounter many hikers, who , like you, are planning on hiking then. You will have fun, and surprises, and challenges, and and other hikers to deal with as you please. Do not worry about the posters, the hikers, the Scouts, etc. There are plenty of other places to go if you seek solitude. I like my space, but I personally would not avoid that part of the trail that time of year. Should be ok.

aficion
03-04-2013, 19:59
Nobody takes over a shelter site like boyscouts. I remember in 2006 when a group of them completely conquered Punchbowl Shelter...the shelter itself, and most of the level camping spots...which is saying a lot, leaving many of us to hike on.

Was up there in August of this past year on a day hike. The Scouts were thicker than blackflies in Maine in early June.
Found Thru hikers camping along the fire road as much as a half mile from the shelter. Still plenty of room for all.

HikerMom58
03-04-2013, 20:05
You may or may not encounter the number of hikers you like to see. You may or may not encounter the kind of hikers you like to see. You will encounter many hikers, who , like you, are planning on hiking then. You will have fun, and surprises, and challenges, and and other hikers to deal with as you please. Do not worry about the posters, the hikers, the Scouts, etc. There are plenty of other places to go if you seek solitude. I like my space, but I personally would not avoid that part of the trail that time of year. Should be ok.

NICE aficion!! There should plenty of space for all. There will be plenty of hikers, no doubt. :)

Lone Wolf
03-04-2013, 20:09
it will be heavy with hikers


Can you explain? My hike is a month past Trail days and Bland is just 120 miles north from Damascus. I would figure folks would be well past Bland by that point?

there are still a lot of hikers in this area then. don't stay at shelters and you'll be fine

SCRUB HIKER
03-05-2013, 04:51
bug off. there's still a lot of hikers in that area at that time. i answered the question. quit trolling

I wasn't trolling, I was answering the question thoroughly and articulately. Not one of your strengths, I know. You don't get to 27,500 posts by putting a lot of thought into them.

To the OP: another thing to consider is that there's this myth of one "big pack," but in reality it's just a bunch of smaller ones formed by manageable groups of people clumping together. In the section you're hiking, I went from busting cobwebs and not seeing a single person til 3pm one day (before Trent's Grocery ... I noted it in my journal because it was so unusual), to trying to escape a few people that really p***ed me off (only 25 miles later, on the stretch from Pearisburg to Dragon's Tooth). And just like others have said, non-thru-hikers can also cause crowds--I also saw the Punchbowl Shelter invaded by Boy Scouts, although that's after your section.

It really is easy to avoid people you don't like. My original point was that, unless you're a severe misanthrope or an old guy who thoroughly resents the sight of youthful people, you probably won't end up seeing the presence of others as a problem. I'm pretty crabby and introverted compared to most people I know (heck, I'm on WB and I only turned 25 yesterday), but I was loving most of my company in Virginia. I'm confident you will too. Have fun.