Harpers Ferry report

[Jack Tarlin]

I've been here in HF for the better part of a week. A lot of this time has been spent in the ATC office or the Outfitter shop. Consequently I've met quite a few thru-hikers......tho fewer each day. The vast majority of folks has passed through town already, and while there are certainly folks still coming, they're starting to run out of time. (It takes most folks 80-90 days to get from here to Katahdin). It is, of course, perfectly possible to summit AFTER 15 October, but most folks try and avoid this; a lot of the folks I've met this week are talking about flipping, and several actually left for Maine from Harpers. Actually, this might be a bit pre-mature as one could STILL get to Katahdin by 15 October by averaging less than 13 miles per day, but I think some folks are concerned about maintaing this average as they get further North.

In terms of the rest of the trip, it takes most people

2-3 days to hike Maryland
15-18 for Pennsylvania
5-6 each for NJ and NY
3 for CT
6 for MA
10-12 for VT
12-13 for NH
22-26 for Maine

Throw in 4 or 5 zero, or really abbreviated days and you get between 80 and 90 days hiking time.

In that one can hike Southern New England quite late in the season, if it were up to me, I'd keep going for a few weeks, and flip, if necessary, in CT or MA, as I'd rather finish in Kent or Williamstown......I REALLY would rather get PA, NY, and NJ out of the way and not have them hanging over my head
after getting to Katahdin; on the other hand,these states are probably a lot more pleasant to hike thru in October than they are in July.

As far as numbers go, there seems to be a slight drop according to the folks at the ATC office, but it's not that significant; there are between 30 and 40 fewer thru-hikers reported in to HF as of 12 July as compared to that same date last year.

Final "completion" rates will most likely be about the same as last year, or perhaps a bit higher as the Spring was quite mild down South this year, meaning fewer early drop-outs. All in all, I think the 2007 final numbers will be very similar to last year's, i.e. there'll be a slight drop in reported numbers at Harpers, but the number of folks to report a complete hike at the end of the year will be very close to last year's figures, with a similar completion percentage.

[emerald]

An exceptionally informative post filled with good advice for those still looking to become a 2000 miler this year! Thanks, Jack.

[StarLyte]

Great post Jack.

I love Harpers Ferry, and it's a hop, skip and a jump to Blackburn and Bears Den.

[Yahtzee]

Almost time to make my yearly register entry at a carefully chosen (depending on date) shelter. It usually reads something like,

"ATTENTION NOBO'S. CONGRATULATIONS ON A REALLY GOOD HIKE. YOU GAVE IT A GOOD TRY BUT NO HIKER HAS EVER REACHED KATAHDIN FROM THIS POINT AFTER THIS DATE. DON'T LET ANYONE DIMINISH WHAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T REACH KATAHDIN. YOU HIKED TO THE BEST OF YOUR CAPABILITIES. EVERYONE ISN'T MEANT TO BE A THRU-HIKER. IF YOU NEED A RIDE TO THE BUS STATION, GIVE ME A CALL."

As someone who summitted on Oct. 16th, I heard enough riffs of a similar theme to feel compelled to pass the love on.

[Scaper]

I agree with Jack. I arrived in Harpers Ferry on July 27. I had to make it to Hanover for a wedding on Sept.1 . I averaged 22 miles a day with no zeros and arrived in Hanover on August 28 and rested for a day then flew out for wedding and came back on Sept 2 and averaged about 15 miles a day to Mt. k The fall colors in Maine were great Had to wait a day to climb Mt K due to weather and finished on Oct 9. Hikers coming thru Harpers still have time but they have put in the daily mileage.,

[Jack Tarlin]

Yahtzee---You misunderstood me entirely, I think.

I made it quite clear that people who were flipping a few days ago from Harpers were, in all likelihood, doing so prematurely. I absolutely think folks that are in town right now have plenty of time to continue their northbound hiking.

But this can't go on indefinitely, unless folks plan to hike a lot faster, take much less time off, or both.

Also, of course one can finish a thru-hike at Katahdin after 15 October, but very few folks WANT to do this: One's chances of encountering bad weather go up dramatically after the 15th of that month, and one can only legally use the Park as a "day-use" visitor after the 15th. It is cumbersome and difficult to do this.....one either has to have a VERY long last day, or one has to finish up one's Baxter miles over the course of several days. (Assuming that these folks want to hike every mile. A lot of folks that summit after the 15th actually skip the section from Abol to Katahdin stream, thus rendering their thru-hike incomplete). Most folks don't want to have to deal with any of this, so they make every effort to get there by the middle of the month.

Giving people the facts on how long the second half of their trip is likely to take isn't fear mongering; I'm merely offering information and an opinion. For SOME folks, flipping ahead at some point is a sensible option; for other folks, this is something to be avoided unless they see no other alternative. But pointing out that for most folks,time is running short, is hardly a bad thing to be doing. I actually think the info I posted above may prove useful to some folks, as well as being instructive for the folk splanning to hike next year.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Excellent info, Jack. Thanks for sharing it.

[thestin]

Jack, great post and nice explanation of what is required to finish.
What are the actual numbers of thrus that have come through HF so far?

[Jack Tarlin]

Wow,I forget, now that you mention it, but I seem to think it was in the mid 400's. This does, of course, include lots of folks who haven't actually hiked all the way from Springer but somehow managed to be in the 2007 thru-hiker book anyway. (Hmmmmmm. ) In anycase,the numbers were very close to 2006,at least as 0f 12 July, the last time I looked. The ATC will provide complete numbers at the end of the year, as soon as they're sure Southbounder season is over.

[thestin]

Thanks for the follow up.

I have heard (but don't know to be true) that some people have finished their hikes in November and even early December. By then, short days and chilly fords would make it a real challenge.

[Jack Tarlin]

There are Sothbounders who don't finish til well into January, or even later. I've run into SOBO's in Georgia, on their way to Springer, in mid-March!

Which is, of course, why prudent and wise people tend NOT to be SOBO's!

(For RickB and other humor-impaired Whiteblaze visitors,that was a joke).

[thestin]

Jack, I ran into a group of guys in May of 1992 in Georgia who were finishing up a SOBO.

Are there any online journals of NOBOs who finished after 10/15? It'd be interesting to see how they fared.

[Jack Tarlin]

I'm sure there are, tho it might take you awhile to find 'em. I don't think they're listed there by finish dates. You could always check the START dates of hikes or journals..... unless people flip, or unless they're hiking really fast, anyone who started after 20-30 June from Georgia will most likely be finishing in the snow.

[rickb]

Which is, of course, why prudent and wise people tend NOT to be SOBO's!

I thought the reason was that SOBO thruhikers generally feel a need to hike the entire Trail, despite the inconvenience.

[Jack Tarlin]

Thanx, Rick.

And here I was all this time thinking they did it that way cuz they actually like getting devoured by blackflies; they like spending Thanksgiving in a little wooden box in North Carolina, and they like hiking til Christmas.

Thanx for clearing all this up, I knew you'd show up sooner or later.

[camojack]

Which is, of course, why prudent and wise people tend NOT to be SOBO's!

SOBO's are doing it right; every reference I've seen to the A.T. says it runs from Maine to Georgia...just ask the ATC.

[warren doyle]

In my opinion, walking from just outside the park boundary near Abol Stream to the summit of Katahdin and down the Abol Trail (18.3 miles total) for a seasoned northbounder is not a VERY long last day.

[ms doolittle]

22-26 days for ME?

Really?

Crap.

[mudhead]

Going down Abol Slide after 15mi sounds like an elegant way to maim yourself. Just because it's doable, does that make it prudent? Add 1mi or so and just backtrack the Hunt trail. Same trail-time. Supposed to be fun...

[camojack]

Going down Abol Slide after 15mi sounds like an elegant way to maim yourself. Just because it's doable, does that make it prudent? Add 1mi or so and just backtrack the Hunt trail. Same trail-time. Supposed to be fun...

Conditions permitting, I'd recommend doing what I did...The Knife Edge.

If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space...