Some reasons for and against hiking SOBO?

[1Pint]

I'm looking at pushing back my March/April NOBO start. But, I don't want to hike the AT with a feeling of a deadline hanging over my head (need to summit K before it's closed.) A friend who knows nothing about hiking suggested I go SOBO. Which got me to thinking.... yeah, why not? So, could you help me out?

I know there are fewer people SOBO. Beyond that, are there really any major things I should think about before changing from NOBO to SOBO?

Thanks for any input,
Laura

[Sly]

Four quick reasons I can think of against. Black flies, it's colder, the sun being in your eyes and Katahdin being the ultimate finish.

[Cuffs]

1Pint,

Im in the same situation and have the same thoughts on finishing "in time."
I'll be watching this thread, thanks for getting it started!

[Jack Tarlin]

Advantages to a Southbound hike:

*More solitude, fewer hikers. Less crowded shelters, campsites, hostels.

*You won't be doing the mid-Atlantic and Southern New England at the
height of summertime heat and humidity

*You'll miss out on the bad weather frequently found in Georgia and
North Carolina in the early Spring.

*Southbounders tend to make fewer friends, but the bonds between them are
very strong.

*The early fall is very pleasant in the South

*Your trip can last til quite late into the fall or even winter if you need the
extra time; Northbounders pretty much MUST be done by mid-October.



Dis-Advantages to a SOBO hike:

*Horrible early insect season in Northern New England.

*Risk of horrible weather in parts of Maine and New Hampshire.

*You entirely miss the southern Spring; in fact you miss almost all of Spring.

*You miss the fall in Northern New England, which is a great time to hike.

*You'll be hiking well into the fall, or even into early winter; you'll see a lot
of cold, wet, miserable weather, especially in North Carolina and Georgia.

*Many good lodging places, such as hostels, will be closed when you arrive.

*You miss most of the continual cameraderie; most of the year's hiker
special events, gatherings, parties, etc.

*In all likelihood, you won't be home for Thanksgiving, and maybe not even
Christmas.

*You finish on Springer, which is a pretty unclimactic mountain compared to
Katahdin.

[weary]

Four quick reasons I can think of against. Black flies, it's colder, the sun being in your eyes and Katahdin being the ultimate finish.

I would add that water tends to be scarce during the heat of the southern summer as streams and springs start to dry up, though the growth of trail magic in recent years tends to alleviate the problem a bit, people tell me.

[Creek Dancer]

The good thing is that you would be going downhill the whole way south.

[fiddlehead]

Most hikers probably do a SOBO because they can't get started in early spring. A later start is necessary.
Sly beat me to it as the big reason i can think of AGAINST a SOBO is that the Sun is in your eyes (the 2 % of the time you can see it)
In other words: southbound is the way i would prefer simply because of the numbers of people NOBO. I hike to get away from crowds, and be in tune with nature. that is almost impossible on the AT although a SOBO can be rewarding. Western trails are more for me, or a winter SOBO AT Hike.

[1Pint]

Are the blackflies likely to be done with their season by July 1st? or around then?

Hmmm... never thought I'd be hiking into the sun. Okay... forgive my complete ignorance... sun rises in the east and sets in the west, with a slight southern angle.... is that angle enough to be an issue?

If I'm missing the best of the seasons (walking with spring and a New England fall color display)... is it worth doing a SOBO? I guess I'm really asking if there's enough beauty hiking SOBO to compensate?

Thanks!
Laura

[Sly]

If you can start by mid April and just keep a steady pace, without taking too many days off, you should be able to reach Katahdin before October 15th. Also by leaving a little later, you'll miss the crunch down south as most are starting earlier.

You can even start out slow, adding a couple miles each week and still be fine. If need be flip-flop.

Another reason I wouldn't particularlly like to go SoBo is that it's harder in the 1st 450 mile break in period.

[Phreak]

Are the blackflies likely to be done with their season by July 1st? or around then?

From the hikers I've talked to, the flies are still a pain in the arse through most of July. I was going to start my SOBO on July 4th, but pushed it back to August 4th to avoid the flies.

Any input on the flies is greatly appreciated!

[Dancer]

after seeing the sheer volume of people planning to NOBO I wouldn't think of going that way. I'm not 'antisocial' or 'out of it' but I just get tired of traffic and dealing with idiots at home. I don't want to do the same on the trail. Anywhere there are lots of people there will be jerks and idiots.

I have my own reasons for going SOBO but mainly because I'm a southern girl and I don't want to face the New England fall. I'm more comfortable being near home when it starts to get chilly. Also want to start on my birthday and I know if I can make it through New England the rest will be no sweat. I kind of think that hiking into the sun thing sounds fishy, all the southbound trail journals didn't mention that.

[Cuffs]

Looks like theres going to be a small group of gals going SOBO next year! See you all there!

[Sly]

I kind of think that hiking into the sun thing sounds fishy, all the southbound trail journals didn't mention that.

I doubt you'll find many of the NoBo journals telling how they hiked with the sun mostly at their back either.

[Johnny Swank]

Good responses. Jack hit most of the highlights. I started on July 1, after the worst of the blackflies. Those that started June 1 sounded like they got ate up. There's still enought of a "crowd" for company if you start mid June-early July, IMO. Not the full-blown social scene that a NOBO experience is, but different strokes for different folks. Finishing on Katadin would be cool, but starting up there was pretty cool as well. An ass-kicker for the first few hundred miles, but the rest of the trail seems "easier" by comparison.

A mid-June start gets you home around Thanksgiving if you're remotely consistant in hiking. I finished January 11th but I'm a total slacker. Damn cold in those southern mountains!

PM if you have any questions.

[weary]

southbound is the way i would prefer simply because of the numbers of people NOBO. I hike to get away from crowds, and be in tune with nature. that is almost impossible on the AT . .....

Not really, things can get a little hectic in the late winter/spring in the south. But if you camp away from the shelters. you can easily escape crowds on the AT.

The crowds thin quickly, even in the south. A third quit in the first few hundred miles. The rest are scattered over several hundred miles. By Harpers Ferry half have quit and even the shelters are rarely filled.

Thru hiker wanna be numbers are declining towards decade old numbers. In '93 I rarely met more than an occasional hiker on the trail. The crowds were at the shelters and popular camping spots. Avoid those and you are approaching the western "crowd" numbers -- at least the numbers I have seen on the western trails I have hiked.

Weary

[RITBlake]

I thru hiked SOBO in 05 and I would happily recomend it to anyone. Sure you miss out on hiker feeds, crowds of smelly hikers, competing for hostel/shelter space but other then that it's great

A SOBO hike has unqiue challenges and obstacles as does a NOBO hike. SOBO's generally begin hiking in the heat of summer while NOBO's begin hiking during the winter, or the very early spring.

From a social perspective the SOBO's I hiked with weren't weird or antisocial as someone commented, but rather a very upbeat and positive group. So many of the NOBO's in Maine and New Hampshire had this dull stare and were just ready to be done. They were no longer having fun. The group of SOBOs (10 of us) that we hiked on and off with never got to that point. And by the way, 9-10 of those SOBO's finished.

SOBO's also tend to be generally a younger group. Most of sobos we met were college aged kids who had just finished school, were about to finish school, or had gotten out of school a year or two before.

The trail will be an emptier place but for me (and many others) this is nice. During the day I enjoyed the quiet solitude the trail offered and at night I would roll in to camp and see my friends.

On the downside I think Baltimore Jack covered it pretty well.

If bugs and flies bother you don't hike SOBO. The first couple weeks are bad, it's no lie. But if you can suck it up for a few weeks then you'll be good to go.

You do miss Spring but you do get to hike with fall down South which is very nice.

You can hit snow and ice but its no different then the snow and ice NOBOs get at the begining of their trips and you just get it at the end.

I do disagree with Jack about 'many' hostels and lodging places being closed. We found this very rare and I can only think of 2 or 3 places that were closed by the time we got there. It was never a problem

The point is....

Either way, nobo or sobo it's an amazing journey.

[1Pint]

I'm glad WB has this subgroup. You have all given me stuff to think about. I'll try to check out some trail journals and maybe that will help too.

All the rough calculations I've done make it a 6 month journey for me. I like to plod along, slow and steady. To finish before 2007 becomes 2008, I'd have to start July 1st. But that puts black flies in attack-mode and helicopter-sized mosquitoes in my face and elsewhere.

To ask an indelicate question.... does going to the bathroom become a major issue? Especially for women who expose more just to pee than men?

[weary]

I'm glad WB has this subgroup. You have all given me stuff to think about. I'll try to check out some trail journals and maybe that will help too.

All the rough calculations I've done make it a 6 month journey for me. I like to plod along, slow and steady. To finish before 2007 becomes 2008, I'd have to start July 1st. But that puts black flies in attack-mode and helicopter-sized mosquitoes in my face and elsewhere.

Most years the worst of the black flies are over with by early July. May and June are the serious attack months.

As for peeing, I haven't noticed either sex having much difficulty finding an out of the way spot. I think you will find it's a non problem.

Weary

[Heater]

The water at the hostels flushes in a counterclockwise motion when you hike soutbound.

[Nean]

Are the blackflies likely to be done with their season by July 1st? or around then?

Hmmm... never thought I'd be hiking into the sun. Okay... forgive my complete ignorance... sun rises in the east and sets in the west, with a slight southern angle.... is that angle enough to be an issue?

If I'm missing the best of the seasons (walking with spring and a New England fall color display)... is it worth doing a SOBO? I guess I'm really asking if there's enough beauty hiking SOBO to compensate?

Thanks!
Laura

Yes -it is possible that the blackflies will be gone.

Hiking into the sun? Never crossed my mind. I think Fh is joking!

Never trust the pros and cons of a northbouder!!!

I've done it both ways, and honestly, sobo is an incredible, wonderful, never to be regreted way to do the trail.