Here’s What to Expect Hiking Southbound on the Appalachian Trail
Come March, the campsites along the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail swell with starry-eyed hikers intent on walking 2,180 miles north to Mount Katahdin, Maine. Some 3,600 hikers begin their trek at Springer Mountain, Georgia and move in packs northward on their way to Maine. With this number of hikers, the northbound thru-hiking experience on the trail is fundamentally social. This is not the case for those hikers that start in Maine and hike southward. In fact, there’s a lot of differences between a northbound and southbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
Why Hike Southbound?
The most common reason hikers decide to start their Appalachian Trail thru-hike in Maine is their schedule. In order for northbound thru-hikers to complete the trail before Mount Katahdin closes in the fall due to dangerous weather, they have to start their hike in March or April. If you schedule doesn’t allow such an early start, a southbound hike can begin in June or July.
The northbound hike has a reputation as being crowded and a traveling party. If this sounds lame to you, then you might consider a southbound hike, as well. That being said, there are some things about a southbound hike that make it more challenging—especially for beginner hikers.
The Challenges
The 100-Mile Wilderness Shakedown is Less Than Ideal
Unless you’re already a seasoned hiker, you’ll require a “shakedown” period before you have your thru-hike gear kit finalized and sorted out. A shakedown hike is a period of time where you learn what gear you actually need, which gear to get rid of, and gain insight into your strengths and weaknesses as a hiker. For most thru-hikers, this happens when they begin hiking the Appalachian Trail. Your pack is as heavy as it’s ever going to be. Your shoes aren’t even broken in yet.
This can be a problem as a southbound thru-hiker because your hike begins with the 100-Mile Wilderness just south of Baxter State Park. So whatever mistakes you make, you’re stuck with them for over one hundred miles of trail. This can be catastrophic. What if you discover your boots rub. Or you packed way too heavy. Hiking stores are limited in trail towns throughout Maine, so even once you know what gear you need to replace, you may not be able to replace it until you get to a gear shop.
Southbound thru-hikers begin on the hardest portion of trail
It’s not uncommon for new hikers to push themselves too hard too early. So before their bodies have the chance to adapt, they’ve given themselves serious injuries like tendonitis or shin splints. A lot of hikers leave the trail early for this exact reason.
When my brother and I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, we agreed to hike only ten miles a day for the first month. This was our attempt to prevent these types of early injuries. We broke our rule more often than not, but we knew enough not to let our egos push our bodies beyond our abilities.
The challenge for southbound thru-hikers is that the trail in Maine and New Hampshire are the most rugged portions of trail. So before you get in proper trail shape, you’re confronting some of the most technically challenging, steepest sections of trail.
Southbound hikers will hike alone more often
A southbound hiker will spend weeks alone—if they want. Though in practice, southbound thru-hikers that come to the trail alone tend to pair up.
Come New Hampshire and Vermont, you’ll pass by waves of Northbound thru-hikers. And by Virginia, you might bump into the occasional weekend hiker. But you’ll mostly have the trail and shelters to yourself. For some personality types, this could sound great. For others, not so much. You know yourself best.
How to Improve your Odds of Success as a Southbound Thru-Hiker
The southbound thru-hike attempt is less forgiving to newbie hikers than it is for northbound hikers. So the most important thing any inexperienced hiker can do to prepare for their southbound thru-hike is, well, hike. Before you even set foot on the trail, put at least 100 miles on your hiking shoes while wearing your pack at its base weight (all gear minus food). This will serve two ends: First, you’ll quickly know whether or not your boots are suitable for your feet. It’s better to know this at home than half way up Mount Katahdin. Second, the reality of your pack weight will have time to sink in while you still have the opportunity to replace your gear.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through the contact form. And if you’re interested to hear one southbound thru-hikers experience on the Appalachian Trail, pick up a copy of Waking Up On the Appalachian Trail:
