BMT difficulty vs AT/Pinhoti

I am planning on doing the BMT in November rather than my original plan of the Ouachita Trail. I ended up with more time off because of cancelled trips so the BMT works out as a better option this year. I am trying to set a loose plan for mileage as I am considering:
Doing no resupply NOBO, having a local friend drop off my SOBO resupply(if I yo-yo)
A yo-yo of the trail with minimal resupply
What kind of mileage should I realistically expect? AT/Pinhoti runs anywhere from 20 - high 30 mpd when I go out. I am considering trying to push 40mpd(a 7 day thru) but I don't want to pack light on food and end up short in the Smokies.

IMO, your biggest challenge is going to be navigation, especially if the trail hasn’t had a lot of maintenance recently. Not every area is blazed and it isn’t as well trod as the AT...plus there’s a fair amount of road walking and figuring out where to get back on trail. I’ve hiked it in all seasons and in November, had trouble seeing the trail with all the leaf litter. You have to really pay attention, definitely not like the AT in that respect.

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Originally Posted by Traffic Jam

IMO, your biggest challenge is going to be navigation, especially if the trail hasn’t had a lot of maintenance recently. Not every area is blazed and it isn’t as well trod as the AT...plus there’s a fair amount of road walking and figuring out where to get back on trail. I’ve hiked it in all seasons and in November, had trouble seeing the trail with all the leaf litter. You have to really pay attention, definitely not like the AT in that respect.

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Gotcha, the Pinhoti is similar then in that regard. Guthook saved my bacon at least twice. I have Sgt. Rocks guide and the Guthook map for the trail and not afraid to use them. The maintenance is definitely a concern though, that has slowed me down on the Pinhoti before. Appreciate the thoughts!

I have been wondering these things as well, I will be starting both this winter and was curious of the things above as well as terrain comparison. I have only done about 80 miles of the BMT and that was almost 10 years ago.

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Originally Posted by Gambit McCrae

I have been wondering these things as well, I will be starting both this winter and was curious of the things above as well as terrain comparison. I have only done about 80 miles of the BMT and that was almost 10 years ago.

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Let me know if you need any Pinhoti info as I can provide it or point you in the direction of someone who can usually. I had planned on doing the 72.1 miles from the Pinhoti Northern Terminus to Springer in 2018 but the flooding around Dalton ended up pulling me off trail for safety reasons.
I know that you know Ron Brown, he has shuttled me several times for Pinhoti hikes, one or two of those times was the first time he had ever been to some of the Pinhoti trailheads.

Did the BMT-AT loop right from our front door a few years ago. Our last journal entry contrasts the BMT and AT, so it might provide some of the answers you are seeking: https://www.trailjournals.com/journal/10946

Royalusa is spot on. You should be able to push the same mileage. It’s not that different save for the rare overgrown spot and perhaps some longer stretches without water. On average it’s flatter than the southern AT.

I’ve done the Pinhoti and a bit over half of the BMT (none of the smokies) and the biggest factor I can think of in terms of impact on mileage is the sheer number of blowdowns on the BMT compared to the Pinhoti. In my experience, expect more on the BMT. Like, a lot more. BMT also gets more overgrown in stretches than the Pinhoti but that may not be a factor in November. I struggled with navigation in spots on the BMT but with Guthooks you should be fine. Overall I’d say you should be able to approach your regular mileage, maybe hit it depending on trail conditions.

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Originally Posted by royalusa

Did the BMT-AT loop right from our front door a few years ago. Our last journal entry contrasts the BMT and AT, so it might provide some of the answers you are seeking: https://www.trailjournals.com/journal/10946

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Awesome, I will check that out!

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Originally Posted by Linesman

Royalusa is spot on. You should be able to push the same mileage. It’s not that different save for the rare overgrown spot and perhaps some longer stretches without water. On average it’s flatter than the southern AT.

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Appreciate it!

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Originally Posted by Slugg

I’ve done the Pinhoti and a bit over half of the BMT (none of the smokies) and the biggest factor I can think of in terms of impact on mileage is the sheer number of blowdowns on the BMT compared to the Pinhoti. In my experience, expect more on the BMT. Like, a lot more. BMT also gets more overgrown in stretches than the Pinhoti but that may not be a factor in November. I struggled with navigation in spots on the BMT but with Guthooks you should be fine. Overall I’d say you should be able to approach your regular mileage, maybe hit it depending on trail conditions.

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Good to know, I have had stretches of the Pinhoti with grass/weeds/thorns up to my shoulders and I'm 6'2". Those were in July/August I think on one trip and September on another.

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Originally Posted by Slugg

I’ve done the Pinhoti and a bit over half of the BMT (none of the smokies) and the biggest factor I can think of in terms of impact on mileage is the sheer number of blowdowns on the BMT compared to the Pinhoti. In my experience, expect more on the BMT. Like, a lot more. BMT also gets more overgrown in stretches than the Pinhoti but that may not be a factor in November. I struggled with navigation in spots on the BMT but with Guthooks you should be fine. Overall I’d say you should be able to approach your regular mileage, maybe hit it depending on trail conditions.

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After watching the videos that JC13 has posted so far from his BMT hike, you are spot on about the quantity of blowdowns. I seem to recall Benny (Plug It In Hikes) also mentioning this in his videos. My wife and I are preparing to hike the trail, so this was a good reminder of what to expect.

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Originally Posted by Brewskis

After watching the videos that JC13 has posted so far from his BMT hike, you are spot on about the quantity of blowdowns. I seem to recall Benny (Plug It In Hikes) also mentioning this in his videos. My wife and I are preparing to hike the trail, so this was a good reminder of what to expect.

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Thanks for watching!
You are right, I am glad I ended up pulling back from the original 40 mpd thoughts I had, there would have been very little fun had if I would have gone with that plan. I was initially stressed at only making a 20mpd average until I realized that every trail is different and when you head out right after a hurricane, all bets are off.
Hope you and your wife have a great time on the trail!

Hands down between the OT, OHT, PT, and BMT I'd thru the Ozark Highlands Tr in November. You'll have the place to yourself with lots of scenic camps. It's harder and more scenically diverse than any of the others. You're typical avg MPD is perfect for doing 25's daily on the OHT. Heck I'd thru the Sheltowee Trace a third time in November than do another BMT thru. If you're going to do the BMT and have that much time with your abilities just do the AT/BMT Fig 8 Loop at around 505 miles. I died that one early winter in late Nov/early Dec. It kept me more engaged than the BMT thru I did one fall.

Another option is hike the PT to it's northern terminus and hike the BMT NOBO or SOBO where it connects to the AT and GSMNP at a few junctions offering an abundance of lollipops.

I guess I never actually followed up on what I ended up doing.
I ended up doing the BMT NOBO but over the course of 16 calendar days(15 days of hiking). The hurricane had devastated large portions of the trail with blowdowns, which made for slow going(compared to what I had hoped). I also slowed the trip down as I had interest from a couple friends in joining me. The original two guys, it ended up not working out with their schedules. I had also talked to another friend who is working on his GSMNP 900, and he wanted to join at Fontana. I have very few friends that hike my same pace so I dialed back the pace to accommodate. He also volunteered to bring me my resupply at Fontana.
With the Approach Trail and the off trail road walk to Reliance Fly & Tackle, I ended up right at 300 miles.

As for Dogwood's comment: OT is on the list for this November. Sheltowee is on my list, not sure when I am going to do it though(sub 9 days is the plan for it). I need to look at the OHT again. The Pinhoti has been on my mind to do again, but I'm thinking a sub 9 day SOBO.