Something like this happening can be a letdown, but I really feel that when one thinks about it, it isn't very easy being able to find other's who are willing to undertake a 5 to 6 month thru-hike. Usually, it winds up being something that you yourself have as a dream to complete, and unless you are really lucky and can find friends or family who share that same dream, that same drive to undertake the hike, that same dedication of will and effort, it always seems that for one reason or another, of which there are so many, people a lot of times will tend to wind up backing out of such a huge undertaking. The bottom line is, as other's have said, this may be a blessing in disguise. Actually committing to thru-hike a long trail, such as the AT, is what is going to seperate the truly serious from the not-so-serious. Plan to go anyway. Start out from Springer Mountain heading Northbound sometime around the end of March, beginning of April. There will be many people around, and many hikers just starting out. You will most likely fall in with other's who are just starting their thru-hikes, other's who are dedicated as you are and who are planning to complete their hikes. These are the people you want to be around. There are other's here on Whiteblaze who are looking for hiking partners, or who are looking to communicate with other's about their pending hikes next year. You can also attempt to correspond with them. Maybe you can find one or two others whom you can meet with to begin your hike down at Springer Mountain. I think one of the hardest parts about going solo would probably be just getting down there and beginning the hike. Once one would start hiking, they would most likely be sorry they ever were worried about having to start the hike solo in the first place.