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I planned for a long time to do a SOBO CDT hike after leaving the army but my out date just got moved to early august so an AT Sobo is my last option for this year.
I’m familiar with the southern portion of the AT in fall/winter but I’m very unfamiliar of what to expect in New England in August and would appreciate any advice.
Expect beauty and general awesomeness!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by wperrott92
I hiked in Maine last July/August and it was perfect. I will be hiking this year late September/October in Vermont, maybe we will cross paths.
Early August in Maine is hot and you still have extra daylight. Dependent on your pace you need to hustle to get to NH and the whites by mid to late September unless you want to gear up big time. Plan on hammock or tents as lots of thruhikers in the shelters and campsites.
I was planning to hammock until it gets cold, part of the reason I wanted to do the CDT was for the solitude so I know I won’t do well with the shelters.
I'd expect that Maine will be full of NOBO thrus trying to finish in August and that by the time you get out of New England you won't see many hikers the rest of the way.
That being said, once I went for a Christmas vacation day hike in the Smokies and ran into a SOBO thru who started in August.
As you will learn in Maine, unlike the AT south of New England where the AT runs on long ridges for days with occasional interruptions to switch ridges, the AT in Maine tends to hike "across the grain" of the mountains so most days you will go up and over a mountain or two and into valleys. The ridgelines are usually dense spruce/fir but once you drop down there are plenty of hardwoods. The shelters are convenient as there is usually a nearby watersource and privy but with just a short walk in the hardwoods you can usually find a place to camp. Note at BSP its not optional to camp without reservations so make them as soon as you can as doing the mountain and hiking out of the park on the same day is a very long day, inevitably if you try your next day will be very short.
In Maine I would often eat my supper at a shelter with the picnic table (or at least shelter floor) and water source, and hike on a few more miles and dry camp where ever. The next morning would usually hit another shelter with more water.
Appreciate the help, I’ll start planning for early to middle of august. Either way I could go way slower than expected and still easily clear the whites by the end of September.
Thank you for serving,hope your hike goes well.