Are 6 months enough to plan a SOBO from Italy?

[Math]

Hi evrybody,
title says all, I discovered the AT last year reading the Bryson book, and since then I can't stop reading more books about it. I'm a quite experienced hiker, since I live close to Alps, and I'm out for a hike/climb/ski touring almost every weekend. So I think I've almost all the gear I need (but i'm still looking for more specific tips).
Since the best (and probably the only) time for me to hike the AT is the Jul-Dec 2011 "window" I'm considering a SOBO hike. This add concern about lonelyness to the ones I already have about doing a 5mo hike in a foreing country. Hiking alone it's not a problem, actually, since I do most of my easyer hikes here in Dolomites alone, but I'm bit scared of not being part of a "pack", especially during the unavoidable hard days, when cultural and linguistic issues could easy push me to give up..
OK, I'm writing too much..
I know it's not an easy question, but.. would you think about hiking the AT SOBO, with a 6mo planning, if you where me?

[Bati]

Six months should work for a backpacker. Many of the faster estimates include slackpacking, trailrunning, or "good weather only" hikes. You should have mostly good weather on that schedule, but you'll likely see some snow starting from Mt Rogers in Virginia southward.
As for being lonely, you may be able to find another southbounder who walks (or is willing to walk) at about your pace. I've seen it happen that southbounders are much likely to try to match a pace even when there are a lot of people on the trail, simply because most of the people are moving in the opposite direction.
To answer your question (it's an easy one, not a hard one), yes, I would definitely go southbound for 6 months if I were you!

[Luddite]

There really isn't that much to plan. A thru hike costs about $2500-$6000, there are plentiful resupply points so you don't have to do mail drops un;ess you want to, most people use aqua mira for water treatment, its a good idea to carry a pack that weighs 30 pounds or less.

[IMG]The Thru Hiker's Handbook[/IMG]

[Luddite]

ooops I meant to give you this link http://www.trailplace.com/hb_2010edition.html

[Luddite]

ooops I meant to give you this link http://www.trailplace.com/hb_2010edition.html

... http://www.trailplace.com/hb_2011edition.html

[warraghiyagey]

If you SOBO from Italy you're going to get wet very quickly. . .

[bigcranky]

Hi, Math, welcome to Whiteblaze. A six month southbound hike should give you plenty of time. You'll see lots of other hikers in the summer -- not all thru-hikers, of course -- then fewer in the fall and winter.

I'd recommend The Thru-Hiking Papers for a good discussion of different aspects of hiking the trail.

And may I be the first to say, "In bocca al lupo!"

[Lone Wolf]

he's askin' if 6 months is enuf time to plan for a hike not if it's enuf time to do the hike. 6 months is plenty of time to plan. just walk

[rickb]

I seriously think you could do all the planning needed in about weekend.

Not including what you need to do at home and get your visa and wrap things up on the home front, of course.

Remember that south bounders don't get an automatic reservation in Baxter State Park like those finishing the AT do, so getting reservations might there be one thing to get done well in advance. All the logistics questions leading up to your first night on the Trail can be answered here in short order.

Once that done and you pack up your first week (or a bit more) of supplies everything else will fall into place along the way.

I think there is something to be said for not knowing everything that is around the next corner before you get there.

[bigcranky]

You can download the Companion here:

[URL="http://aldha.org/comp_pdf.htm"]ALDHA Companion online.
[/URL}

That will give you all the information you need about how to get to Baxter State Park in Maine, how to make a campsite reservation, and then it'll provide good info on where to resupply food along the way.

[Blissful]

A southbound hike is tougher than going northbound. You need to make sure you have your gear pretty well set when you get to Maine as there is few options for changing it early on. You will get through the tough terrain first, so you need pace yourself in the beginning for the first six weeks. Resupply in Maine and for SOBO is tougher too (northbounders hike more miles so they can go farther between resupply points than a southbounder). A stop at White House landing in the 100 mile wilderness is important, but plan accordingly with your money so you have enough.
You will see plenty of people early on. In fact the 100 mile wilderness in July has tons of groups, esp Frenchcanadians, so you won't be alone with language, culture, etc. You will see plenty of hikers going north, but there will be some southbounders out there. The isolation really doesn't begin until later on in the hike.
SOBO in July is ideal. The bugs are much less, the water crossings easier. I enjoyed starting at Katahdin July 1.

[Math]

And may I be the first to say, "In bocca al lupo!"

Crepi il lupo!

[Mags]

I'll plug my doc again...answers a lot of the common questions.
http://www.pmags.com/a-quick-and-dir...alachian-trail


Yes... "In bocca al lupo!"

...or in American English "Happy Trails"

[Math]

Thanks all for the replies.
I already knew about reservation in Bexter park and I already downloaded the Companion, and this was very encouraging!!
On the other hand, I was unaware of the AT Guide (also if the AWOL's book is on the way from Amazon). Have you ever compared the two? Which one would you carry with you? Beside that, do you suggest maps? I have no idea of the detail they have.. does a digital sample exists somewhere?

Grazie mille, again

[Math]

Bexter

Baxter..

[moytoy]

Crepi il lupo!

but there are no wolfs on the AT....

but ...good luck anyway!

[garlic08]

A southbound hike is tougher than going northbound. You need to make sure you have your gear pretty well set when you get to Maine....

Blissful has a good point. Planning is one thing, preparation is another. Hitting a 100-mile section between easy supplies right off the bat is something you should be ready for, with some knowledge hopefully (but not necessarily) beyond weekend backpacking experience. If you can get in at least one 100-mile hike without resupply before you hit the AT, that would be good preparation.

Planning for the AT can be whatever you want. You can make a detailed spreadsheet for every day and obsess over ever detail for months, preparing every meal in mail drops. Or you can load XX days of food in your pack along with your guidebook and just start walking, buying what you need as you need it--you can do that on the AT.

[Mizirlou]

"In bocca al lupo!"

uh, Math...you might want to strike that reference to killing the wolf as you approach Damascus.

[bigcranky]

I have the 2010 AT Guide, and I like it. I'd probably use it for a thru-hike, since it has all the info close together, and I like the elevation profile that's shown with the mileage on each page. The Companion is also good. Not sure it really makes any difference.

I love maps, so I'm biased toward carrying them. I like knowing the names of the places around me, and having a "big picture" view of the trail. They help a lot if there is an emergency, too, since you can more easily find civilization.

[Blissful]

I used the ALDHA companion. Worked ok for me.