Steepest mile

[Kerosene]

There is no NOBO climb up Dragon's Tooth as you're already walking the ridgeline of Cove Mountain. The SOBO climb is like a StairStepper on level 10 that just keeps going and going; the amount of rock-work involved is amazing. I went up on a warm afternoon and really felt it, even though I had already been on the trail a week and was in great shape. Here's a picture of the last scramble to the top where they decided to forego additional rock steps.

[partly cloudy]

We started on a NOBO section from Duncannon in early April 1974 with 50-pound packs as high school juniors, so it was a pretty tough climb up. The old bridge across the Susquehanna was really narrow, with the traffic whizzing close by.

I drove big truck acoss that bridge in the 70's and 80's. Ya always worried about your mirrors. Had to be the worst bridge in the country for a mojor highway. Couldn't imagine walking across it with all the traffic.

[maxNcathy]

Nice picture Kerosene

Max

[vortex]

I did my Thru-Hike in 1995 so my memory may need some jogging, but isn't the climb north out of Stecoah Gap a real monster Maybe it seemed worse than it really is because it is early in game for a NOB.

Vortex Ga-Me 95

[gsingjane]

Does anyone who has done many of these climbs know how they compare with St. John's Ledges in CT? I thought that was awful tough (the 90 degree weather in early June didn't help, either), but am curious to know if that's just a minor thing next to some of these other climbs?

Jane in CT

[Cookerhiker]

Does anyone who has done many of these climbs know how they compare with St. John's Ledges in CT? I thought that was awful tough (the 90 degree weather in early June didn't help, either), but am curious to know if that's just a minor thing next to some of these other climbs?

Jane in CT

I've hiked St. Johns Ledges twice, both times downhill and agree it was very difficult but that may be because they're like nothing encountered in the previous several hundred miles. Most previous steep ascents/descents (West Mountain NY comes to mind) don't feature the rock structure of St. J Ledges which makes them difficult. You mentioned 90 degree heat which certainly is a factor but I can tell you that hiking them in late Fall which I did has its own problems with the dry freshly-fallen leaves rendering the footing very treacherous.

When a friend of mine who's gradually section-hiking her way north approached them last Fall, I filled her head with cautionary statements, especially since she had thought Lehigh Gap, PA was absolutely scary. I hiked with her in southern CT; it took us over an hour to descend St. Johns' ledges. When anyone asks, I tell them it's a good tune-up for Northern New England.

So I'd rank them tough but not as much as some others including my own citation previously in this post of Pleasant Pond Mt. in Maine. At least the St. J Ledges ascent or descent is short. In Maine alone, there are probably at least 10 ascents/descents which are tougher and that's before Katahdin.

[Krewzer]

I did my Thru-Hike in 1995 so my memory may need some jogging, but isn't the climb north out of Stecoah Gap a real monster Maybe it seemed worse than it really is because it is early in game for a NOB.

Vortex Ga-Me 95

I don't know when it was done, but the trail north out of Stecoah Gap was relocated. You may have passed through when it was famous for being a very hard section of the AT, especially in the south. There's still lots of up, but not as strenuous as it once was. The old trail route is still visible in places as you go up.

[patrickwittman]

The profiles on the AT maps are a complete fiction. Some of them are for mountains that are no longer even on the AT. It would be hard to beat the Big K.

Sorry to resurrect such an old post, however I came across this while looking for some elevation profile maps that had actual slope. As Blue Jay mentioned the profiles on the AT maps are very deceiving because they are trying to cram them on to the page along a section that is actually much longer. The ratio of width to height is way off with the width being far too narrow and thus making the slope look much worse than it actually is. I'm wondering if anyone has created more realistic profiles with more accurate slopes? I'm about to start a SOBO thru-hike and when looking at the hunt trail profile I nearly had a heart attack with how steep it looks. Then I did some math and noticed the scale of rise to run was no where near 1:1 so I felt much better.

[tdoczi]

Sorry to resurrect such an old post, however I came across this while looking for some elevation profile maps that had actual slope. As Blue Jay mentioned the profiles on the AT maps are very deceiving because they are trying to cram them on to the page along a section that is actually much longer. The ratio of width to height is way off with the width being far too narrow and thus making the slope look much worse than it actually is. I'm wondering if anyone has created more realistic profiles with more accurate slopes? I'm about to start a SOBO thru-hike and when looking at the hunt trail profile I nearly had a heart attack with how steep it looks. Then I did some math and noticed the scale of rise to run was no where near 1:1 so I felt much better.

a 1:1 scale would be useless as it would be nearly flat for most of the AT. its vertically exaggerrated on purpose to make it useful. in spite of the exaggeration you can still accurately read elevation gain over distance

[hikerboy57]

mahoosuc arm s**ked, was downright scary in parts.

[rocketsocks]

Down to Lehigh Gap,PA is pretty steep,and the Red trail up to the top of Mt Tammany,DWG,NJ.

[10-K]

One step at a time... You don't have to hike the entire climb at once. Just that next step.

[peakbagger]

I havent looked at a Maine AT map for while but the last map with Kathadin on it used to be all at the same vertical scale. It was a farily flat profile running along the bottom of the page and then profile expanded upwards to about 1/4 of the page to show the climb up Katahdin.

[hikerboy57]

I've done the hunt trail what about to be abol trail?

[Majortrauma]

I SOBO hiked "The Priest and althouhg that was not the highest/steepest, it was pretty tough I thought.

[Kerosene]

I SOBO hiked "The Priest and althouhg that was not the highest/steepest, it was pretty tough I thought.

Interesting how people experience the AT differently. I climbed The Priest SOBO in mid-October 2002 after hammocking at Tye River. I started out at 8 am after a big breakfast, planning to take a break at the rocky overlook of Silver Valley 2.8 miles up. It was a lovely morning, albeit a touch humid, and while I started slowly to give my Achilles the chance to warm up, it only took me an hour to get to the overlook. I ate a Clif Bar while chatting with my hiking partner while he was eating breakfast, moving on after an hour in the morning sun. It took me another hour to reach the summit. Certainly breaking up the climb into two parts made it feel a lot easier than the imposing elevation profile and 37 switchbacks implied. A nice sunny morning on a full stomach helps a lot also!

[10-K]

When I hiked up the Priest it was snowing like mad. I passed a boy scout troop on their way to the shelter about halfway up - mostly wearing jeans and non-hiking clothing.

Evidently, the leaders called off the trip and they turned around because they never showed up and I know they didn't stop and camp somewhere.

Good thing.. my thermometer said it was 13* the next morning.

FWIW, I didn't think it was a hard climb but it went on and on. The snow made it a bit easier probably by filling in the holes and covering the rocks.

[Crash! Bang!]

All answers outside of New Hampshire or Maine are irrelevant.

[LIhikers]

The trail from the top of Wildcat Mtn. peak E down into Pinkham Notch is pretty steep.

[DavidNH]

the climb of Mount Katahdin for sure. There are quite a few runners up but I can't think of any part of the AT where one goes from 1,500 or less feet to 5,280 feet mostly in three miles. Keep in mind, out of the 5 miles from K Stream Campground to Baxter Peak, the first mile is relatively easy, the last mile is a cake walk, and the middle three miles up and at 'em over the rocks!