Hey Everybody!

[Zeke14]

My name's Zeke. I'm planning on thru hiking Southbound as soon as I graduate from the University of Maine in mid May. Thought I'd post and say hi. As of now, it looks like I'll be doing this trek solo, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to make a couple friends online before hitting the trail. Maybe I'll bump into a couple of you.

I've been hiking my entire life, but never for this long, and never solo. I was wondering if there was someone out there that has hiked the entire length of the trail already that I could personally message with some of the more specific questions? There's a lot of great info on this site, but the layout is a little daunting and I haven't quite got the hang of it yet.

Thanks in advance everybody. Oh and sorry if I posted this in the wrong subcategory. Mods feel free to move it if you need.

[bfayer]

Double tap. See below.

[bfayer]

Just hang out on here and read. Just sign on and hit the "What's New" button.

You will make friends and many of them will have hiked the AT end to end at least once. Some you meet on here will have thru hiked it more than once.

I also recommend you read a couple of AT books to so you know what you are in for.

Becoming Odyssa (highly recommend)
Southbound by the Barefoot Sisters. (Maine'rs right out of college)
AWOL on the AT
There are too many others to mention.

Me, I'm just a weekend section hiker, so don't listen to a word I say

Welcome to WB!

[Slo-go'en]

Depending on how the spring shapes up, you might want to wait a bit and start sometime in June so the trail has some time to dry out, the bugs to die off some and the high water crossings in the 100 mile wilderness to go from chest high to knee high. Also, there will be a better chance of meeting other SOBOers. No one in thier right mind would leave before June 1st and many years it's a good idea to wait a little longer.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Deep snow can linger well into May in ME and NH, and when it does melt the streams will be swollen, roaring fast, ice cold, and be extremely dangerous and you will experience a lot of mud at best. Add that trail maintainers will not have been out yet in many parts. The rule of thumb used to be to start SOBO July 1, NOBO April 15. Hikers keep pushing these limits with earlier starts every year, but often pay the consequences. NOBOS have a bit more leeway, as they can bail to towns and wait out bad weather/trail conditions - but there is nowhere to bail out to in the 100 mile or most of western ME.

[Autummyst]

My name's Zeke. I'm planning on thru hiking Southbound as soon as I graduate from the University of Maine in mid May. Thought I'd post and say hi. As of now, it looks like I'll be doing this trek solo, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to make a couple friends online before hitting the trail. Maybe I'll bump into a couple of you.

I've been hiking my entire life, but never for this long, and never solo. I was wondering if there was someone out there that has hiked the entire length of the trail already that I could personally message with some of the more specific questions? There's a lot of great info on this site, but the layout is a little daunting and I haven't quite got the hang of it yet.

Thanks in advance everybody. Oh and sorry if I posted this in the wrong subcategory. Mods feel free to move it if you need.

Hi Zeke Congrats on your decision to thru hike!!! I am hiking nobo with my husband. Maybe we will cross paths in the summer.

[HikerMom58]

Congrats, in May, on finishing college! I know you will make lots of friends on and off the trail. Welcome to WB! We are a pretty friendly bunch!

[George]

does'nt the trail on Katadin open June 1 ?

[map man]

The Hunt Trail, the AT's route up Katahdin, varies in its opening date depending on how much snow and ice is on the mountain. It can open as soon as May 15, but very rarely does. It also can open as late, in recent years, as the first week of June. More typical is somewhere between May 20 and Memorial Day. TJ aka Teej, a WB member, posts every year in recent years when the opening date has been over the last dozen years or so. I will hunt for a link.

Edit: The first post in this thread has the pertinent info along with a lot of great advice on starting your SOBO in Baxter State Park:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...t=#post1469636

To the original poster, can you wait until late June to start (you will have more company then, for whatever that's worth to you)? Can you change your start date based on what kind of a winter and spring Maine has this year? It might pay to stay flexible.

[Astro]

Zeke, welcome to WB!
Another thing to consider if you really want to start in May right after you graduate is head down to Springer and go NOBO. A big advantage is that you will be walking towards home. You will probably be really excited at the beginning, but after a few months on the trail as you get farther north you could look forward to occasionally have friends join you. I totally hope everything will be successful, but just in case something goes wrong or you get injured and are not able to complete the whole thing, if NOBO another benefit would be that what you would have left would be closer and more convenient to pick up later. I am sure you will meet other recent college grad doing this (ran into a few myself this summer). Not for sure when in May you graduate, but naturally the sooner the better if NOBO (but even if you are on the slower side a flip flop from Springer-HF, Katahdin-HF is another option).

[wookinpanub]

Depending on how the spring shapes up, you might want to wait a bit and start sometime in June so the trail has some time to dry out, the bugs to die off some and the high water crossings in the 100 mile wilderness to go from chest high to knee high. Also, there will be a better chance of meeting other SOBOers. No one in thier right mind would leave before June 1st and many years it's a good idea to wait a little longer.

I've always known that I wasn't in my right mind, but now I have confirmation. I started at Katahdin on May 3rd. (I snuck onto Katahdin, but the statute of limitations has passed.) I was solo 100% of the time.
Good luck

[peakbagger]

Katahdin is normally not kept closed by BSP as much as the roads and trails up to the summit are impassable with snow to non technical hikers. The road on the west side to KSC usually takes quite awhile to dry out as it is used by snowmachines in the winter which tends to pack it down into a long strip of ice which is the last thing to melt, then it has to dry out.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Maine does have four distinct seasons. Unfortunately for hikers, winter starts sometime in October and ends in late May.

[Dahoyt]

Hey man, if you decide to go a little later, i"m leaving Middle of June, i"m 24, from Vermont, looking to partner up with someone my own age, if interested let me know, just inbox me!

[slbirdnerd]

Just hang out on here and read. Just sign on and hit the "What's New" button.

You will make friends and many of them will have hiked the AT end to end at least once. Some you meet on here will have thru hiked it more than once.

I also recommend you read a couple of AT books to so you know what you are in for.

Becoming Odyssa (highly recommend)
Southbound by the Barefoot Sisters. (Maine'rs right out of college)
AWOL on the AT
There are too many others to mention.

Me, I'm just a weekend section hiker, so don't listen to a word I say

Welcome to WB!

Good advice, and GREAT books! Welcome to WhiteBlaze, happy hiking!

[M C]

Hey Zeke - Welcome! Will hopefully see ya on the trail as I'm heading North.

[magneto]

Hi Zeke!

Good for you - deciding to hike now - before you get a business, a spouse, multiple kids and mortgage!

Good luck on your hike - keep us posted.