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Hiking half of the AT - 2022

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    • Hiking half of the AT - 2022

      Hi!

      I am planning to hike half of the AT next year, starting sometime in August.
      My idea is to start in Harpers Ferry and walk SOBO to Georgia.

      I wonder what your thoughts are about this plan (about the starting date, choosing that section of the AT, how crowded/lonely it will be, the climate...).

      Thank you so much in advance!
    • mdb1 wrote:

      Hi!

      I am planning to hike half of the AT next year, starting sometime in August.
      My idea is to start in Harpers Ferry and walk SOBO to Georgia.

      I wonder what your thoughts are about this plan (about the starting date, choosing that section of the AT, how crowded/lonely it will be, the climate...).

      Thank you so much in advance!
      Other than weekends you will probably find a lot of solitude. Some SoBo's might be passing you as you go, you will not be all alone during the week. Can get colder around November.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • For me, one of the biggest differences between the north half vs the south half is that a lot more is the south allows dispersed/wild camping. Don't know what your thoughts were wrt shelters, but I rather like the idea on not hiking to a fixed daily schedule dictated by where the shelters or designated camp sites are, especially since I don't know in advance how many miles my body will want to hike on any given day.
    • The ATC advocates a flip flop thru hike; Harper's Ferry to Katahdin starting a few days before May, and then returning to HF for the hike south to Springer. This is what they say about the southern part of the hike. (The later in August you start the more relevant these comments will be.)

      • Walking south with fall colors on the second half of your hike in late September and October.
      • Trees will be bare by end of October except at the lowest elevations, potentially making the forests less interesting but opening up more views.
      • Companionship with early northbounders the first half, then finishing with southbounders.
      • Hiking through the fall hunting season, requiring extra caution and displaying blaze orange.
      • Cold nights and cold-weather gear needed starting in October, with the possibility of snow or ice starting at the end of October, especially in the Smokies.
      • November is often consistently cold (temperatures may stay below freezing for multiple days) with rapidly shortening daylight hours and light snowfall a possibility in higher elevations.
      • December is even colder, the chance of deeper snowfall is greater, and nights are very long.
      2,000 miler
    • Hello MDB1, and welcome to the Cafe.

      Your plan sounds perfectly reasonable to me. You have a nice moderate stretch south of Harpers Ferry to get your trail legs on. As long as you maintain a reasonable pace and don't take too many zeros, you should reach Springer sometime before the end October. A Fall finish in the southern mountains should be beautiful.

      Probably plenty of NOBO's to give a brief hello to at the start of your journey, but later on I bet there will be a handful of SOBO's that you see on a more regular basis.

      And then you can look forward to the northern half the following year?

      Wish you luck!
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Your plan sounds like a good one. So good in fact that my wife and I are talking about doing the same thing, but starting in September.
      Do you have any experience with long distance, or even short hikes?
      Great question, you can learn a lot of valuable things from shakedown hikes!
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Thanks everyone for your amazing responses, it´s been really helpfull!

      I have some experience with short distance hikes (up to a a week), but not that much yet. I´m extremely excited and can´t wait to experience something amazing like the AT.

      And maybe the northern half will be something new to look forward to the following year haha!
    • mdb1 wrote:

      Thanks everyone for your amazing responses, it´s been really helpfull!

      I have some experience with short distance hikes (up to a a week), but not that much yet. I´m extremely excited and can´t wait to experience something amazing like the AT.

      And maybe the northern half will be something new to look forward to the following year haha!

      Just go do it.
      You will learn as you go it'll still be hot thru october often

      .