Best place for a 2 week section hike in September.

[hit_theroad_jack]

Hello, apologies if this is in the wrong place.

Long time dreamer wishing to thru-hike the AT here. I've been hiking it vicariously through books, blogs and youtube videos for years but work, geography (I live in London, England) and commitments have meant that I haven't been able to do it myself yet - other than a day hike to Clingman's Dome on a different trip a couple of years ago.

But now a serendipitous family wedding means that I have between 10 days and 2 weeks in early September to go and get a taste for the trail! I'm incredibly excited.

My immediate thought was that I would travel to Harper's Ferry and hike south for a couple of weeks but I wondered if anybody else had any suggestions?

Am I right in thinking that many SOBOs would be getting to Harper's Ferry at about this time? I'd love to be hiking with some thru-hikers.

Do people think this is a good idea or would I perhaps be better tackling a different section? What is the area immediately south of Harper's Ferry like?

I look forward to hearing people's thoughts - thanks so much in advance.

Sincerely,
A very excited Englishman!

PS. I hike, run and cycle regularly in the UK and have a good level of fitness if that changes anything in terms of where you think I should hike.

[nsherry61]

Personally, I'm bias toward mountains and views and wilderness. If you want to hike with thru-hikers that time of year, head northbound through the Whites or maybe the 100-mile wilderness and Katahdin?

[Hikingjim]

Maine/NH are excellent in september. Only place you'll be guaranteed to see a bunch of thru-hikers. Go NOBO so you go with the flow, or you'll just pass people over and over and never stay at the same places.
If it's later in september, southern NH doesn't have as many thru-hikers left

[johnnybgood]

Hiking Vermont / NH northbound in September will reward you with Autumn colors in New England and cooler weather. Depending on your timeframe you should see some thru-hikers and section hikers.

[hit_theroad_jack]

Thanks for this, I really appreciate it. From some reading I had done I had calculated that many SOBO thru hikers would be reaching Harper's Ferry at around that time, is that not the case?

Hadn't really considered doing the northern end... that's not a bad idea. Although it would feel slightly wrong summiting Katahdin having not done the full hike yet.

Timing is likely to be the 12th to 22nd so about 10 days. Might be able to squeeze a couple more days out of it.

Love the idea of the Whites & 100 mile wilderness... also the Autumn leaves is a big draw.

Many a thing to mull over, thanks very much.

Gonna buy the thru hikers companion and have a good read!

[Hikingjim]

hikers get spread out as they go, and way more go NOBO compared to SOBO
You'll typically get much more foliage if you go late September or early Oct (VT/NH/Maine). Colder weather and a bit shorter days are the trade off

[hit_theroad_jack]

Northbound it is! 100 mile wilderness is starting to feel more and more tempting by the minute

[hit_theroad_jack]

Having grown very fond of the idea of hiking the 100 mile wilderness, I wonder if anyone can help with these questions...

How would one go about getting to the start, or as close to the start as possible, of the 100 mile wilderness? How soon after the end of it is Katahdin? And at the end, how good are transport links out of there?

I'd need to make my way to upstate New York as quickly as possible for the wedding. Perhaps rent a car for a day?

[illabelle]

Jack, the HMW is an excellent choice. Beautiful area, very wild and rugged. We went from Katahdin southbound through the HMW last September. We positioned a rental car with fresh clothes and a food resupply at JoMary Road - that was really helpful. The AT Lodge in Millinocket will help you with your shuttle logistics. Give them a call, or send an email.
http://appalachiantraillodge.com/

Climbing Katahdin is a big deal, something you don't want to miss. I would suggest that you make a plan that allows you to skip forward to Katahdin if you run out of time in the HMW.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I would recommend hiking the Whites through NH (Glenciff to Gorham - or end at Pinkham if time runs short) over the HMW for the simple reason that there are more opportunities for support services along the way. Stores, restaurants, lodging, public transport, etc. Once committed to the HMW, there is much less opportunity to bail if needed, and the travel logistics are more difficult.

[One Half]

Personally, I'm bias toward mountains and views and wilderness. If you want to hike with thru-hikers that time of year, head northbound through the Whites or maybe the 100-mile wilderness and Katahdin?

This! Plus it's gorgeous there at that time of year. Maybe you will luck out and get an early changing of the colors. In 2015 I went up to NH end of September and was rewarded with great foliage as my stay lasted into early October.

[hit_theroad_jack]

Thanks Illabelle, that website is great. I'm going to drop them an email! Look like they could be very helpful if I do decide to do the HMW.

4eyedbuzzard - I see what you're saying and it would probably far more sensible for me to pick a more accessible area of the trail for a section hike. I have kind of romanticised the idea of the HMW in my head now. Even just saying it sounds cool... "Oh yeah, I'm just heading off to the States to hike the hundred mile wilderness..."

Perhaps I am being painfully naive though. South bounders start their thru hikes with this part of the trail - do lots of people bail out?

Right now it sounds like a fantastic adventure but perhaps in reality, with my lack of AT experience, 100 miles without a single pancake breakfast might be a bit too much of an undertaking...

I'm fit, confident and enthusiastic - what do you reckon?

[Cookerhiker]

It seems that you're set on the 100 Mile Wilderness, but given your early September start, you're not likely to see autumn colors, not even in Wilderness. And as you're aware, it's not easily reached and time is precious.

I suggest starting at Hanover, NH and hiking south in to Vermont with a goal of reaching Williamstown, MA. Both Hanover and Williamstown can be reached by bus. By hiking south, you'll encounter a few straggling NOBOs. You'll experience the views from Killington, Stratton, Glastonbury, and other peaks and revel in the lakes. You'll also enjoy stopping at the Inn at the Long Trail for genuine Irish music, live on Friday and Saturday.

[ratfaceraines]

I would recommend the triple crown of va., dragons' tooth, mcafees' knob and tinkers' cliff. You might consider starting at Grayson highlands. I shuttle out of pearisburg, va., feel free to call anytime @540-921-7433(RIDE). I'm well-versed with your travel options available(getting to and from the trail.

[fiddlehead]

Maine.
It's the best.

[hit_theroad_jack]

Thanks all for your help and suggestions. Still undecided but it's great to have some more information.

I kind of agree with those of you who said that HMW is probably not great logistics-wise but I feel like I am more likely to be moving along with some thru hikers which is important to me as I want to get a taste of what I'll experience when I actually do a full thru hike myself.

Going to email the AT Lodge and see what they think on the matter.

Thanks again

[Slo-go'en]

The logistics of the White Mountains is a bit complicated for the section hiker and it's pretty hard hiking. Similar problems with the HMW, especially arranging to get there and back.

Logistically, the southern end of Vermont (the AT section) would be ideal. That's about 100 miles and can be done in 10 days without being rushed. Fly to Boston, take a bus to Williamsburg, MA (effectively the southern end of Vermont), get off at Rutland, VT where you can then get a bus over to upstate NY, probably through Albany, NY.

[shelb]

South from Harpers would be great because you would go through Shenandoah National Park, which is awesome!

[colorado_rob]

I sure hope you stick with the HMW, really a fantastic stretch. The White in NH were my favorite 100 miles of the trail, but the HMW a close second, with none of the hassle of camp sites, etc, as with the whites. With the extremely hiker-friendly hostels on both ends of the HMW, the logistics are easy. We used Shaw's in Monson for a mid-HMW resupply, worked great, and everyone loves the AT lodge in Millinocket on the other end.

All those other options are OK, but not nearly as cool as the HMW. And early September is probably as good as it gets for time of year there.

One other note: try to time it to spend a night at the Antlers campground. My wife said to me the next day that the Antlers was her favorite all-time night of camping anywhere, anytime, and we do a LOT of this stuff. Try to stay as far out on the little peninsula as you can, you can catch both the sunset and sunrise on Jo Mary lake from the same spot. Glorious!

[peakbagger]

Let look at the logistics, (an observation is that a lot of Europeans underestimate how big the US is when planning trips), Upper state NY is very large it can take 6 to 7 hours to drive across the state so where you need to be in upper state NY could make a big difference. Unfortunately VT, NH and ME has no good east west highways unless you go a couple of hours south and then have to drive north again. The usually approach would be take I-90 east to I-87 and then US Rt 4 to I 91 and then east on US RT2 until Skowhegan Maine then north on US 201 and then Me 16 to wherever your shuttle driver is going to meet you. The shuttle will take a couple of hours. For most folks a drive from the NY VT border to Monson would be a 7 hour drive plus add in up to 7 hours to go east west in upper state NY. That's a long one day drive for anyone. That's means you are spending a night somewhere and catching a shuttle the next day. The only real convenient place to drop off a rental is in Bangor Maine so that means you need a shuttle at the beginning and end of the trip to or from Bangor. The alternative is to grab a flight from NY to ME but that most likely means a trip via Philly or NYC due to the way the airline routes run.

This means you may be spending possibly four days to get you to and from the 100 HMW. The whites are bit closer and the logistics are bit easier (but still not that friendly). If you can get to Boston there are daily buses that will get you to Lincoln NH where you can connect up with the AMC shuttle and then take a bus back to Boston from Gorham NH. If you catch a private shuttle to Glencliff NH from Lincoln you can add in two more days and if you arrange a shuttle from Grafton Notch you can add in the Mahoosucs. The whites are decidedly busier than the HMW but the terrain is definitely more interesting. You are hitting the area at peak popularity so overcrowded campsite and lots of dayhikers is the norm.

One option to consider is visit the AT north of the whites and Western Maine. There is a private shuttle service that can pick you up in Gorham NH http://www.trailangelshikerservices.com/shuttle.html and drive you up to Stratton Maine (note the $230 cost). You would then hike south on the AT back to Gorham NH. Depending on your timing you can cut out a couple of days by heading off trail in the western end of the Mahoosucs (Austin Brook trail at Gentian Pond) or add in few days by continuing on into the whites. The whites deservingly get the reputation for above treeline vistas but western Maine has quite a few stretches that are pretty special but don't get the PR. Fire up google Earth and take a look at Bigelow, the Saddlebacks, Bemis, Baldpates, Mt Speck and the stretch from Fulling mill to Goose Eye mountain. Andover Me is located roughly in the center of this region and a good spot to resupply. At least one local firm in Andover offers slackpack options which is nice break in the middle of a trip. The usage of the AT drops precipitously once you head north of Gorham until Monson. Realistically you will find far less use of this section than the HMW which has become a major destination . The major downside is that this hike is mostly on ridgeline with steep "notches" almost daily. The developed campsites tend to be on top of the mountains so you need to plan a bit to camp by wilderness ponds. There are a few and a couple of nice wild streams in the valleys but the eastern of the HMW is hard to beat. The ponds to visit are Gentian Pond, Speck Pond, Sabaday Pond, Edy Pond and Horns Pond.

Some folks might suggest the AT in VT (southern Long Trail). It is nice but its mostly "green tunnel" great easy hiking but the vistas aren't there like they are north of Glencliff all the way to Katahdin.