Date: 2008-01-11
To: The Uniqueness of a SOBO Hike
Miles today: 0.0

A couple of hikers I know are planning to do a SOBO (MEGA) hike this summer. They asked me earlier for my thoughts/experiences about such a hike. Although I have completed a SOBO, I¢m kinda reluctant to go into specifics about such a hike. I feel like everyone ought to have their own opportunity to experience a hike without being spoiled with the details beforehand.But what I can and would like to do is describe in general terms why a SOBO is a lot different than a traditional NOBO. Here are (in my view) the major factors of difference:1)        Start & finish times2)        Season(s) hiked3)        Social life4)        Physical conditioning5)        Psychological conditioningNOBOs traditionally start between March 1st and April 15th. SOBOs typically won¢t be able to start until the snows have pretty much melted off the Whites and Katahdin. At the earliest we are probably talking about the middle of May. I don¢t think Baxter State Park even opens before that. But if you do start from Katahdin in late May/early June you have to deal with the black flies and other flying critters that are out in force. You also have to deal with all the mud and marshy ground from the snow melt. If you start in late June or early July the insects aren¢t as bad (although I¢ve experienced them well into August) and the ground is more solid. One exception to the solid ground are the bogs in western Maine that have bog logs to cross over. Often those bog logs can easily sink under water while you are crossing.I asked Wingfoot one time what he thought was the latest a SOBO could start from Katahdin. He said a hiker needed to allow one month from Katahdin to get through the Whites. In other words, the start date was dependent upon how soon snow began to fall on the Whites. Wingfoot estimated that the latest he would start such a hike would be around Labor Day.On the other end of the ¢start/finish¢ equation is when you plan/hope/want to get to Springer. For a typical SOBO (a six-monther) that can range from the middle of November to the middle of February. The cold, ice and snow can become an issue from Christmas onward (and anytime in the Smokies or Roan Mountain or Mt. Rogers area). Doing a SOBO means you probably will be doing something NOBOs don¢t do ¢ purposefully hiking through that fourth season ¢ winter. This can mean slower daily mileage, greater equipment requirements, necessity to ¢bail-out¢ to a trail town due to bad weather. All of these can delay your finish. I can remember several years ago, in late January, hiking north near the NOC when I ran into two SOBO hikers. We talked for a bit and they said they were the last of that year¢s SOBO thru-hikers. About a week later (into the month of February) I met another hiker near Fontana. She said she was the last of the SOBOs. I don¢t think any of them knew who the last SOBO was for that year ¢ and it looked like whomever it was, that person probably did not finish until around March.What about social life? Well, most significantly, there are a lot fewer SOBOs than NOBOs. Pros and cons regarding that. On the plus side, you will seldom find a shelter full (maybe on weekends in popular spots). You will tend to find in the shelters quite a bit of ¢stuff¢ that northbounders have left as they get closer to Katahdin. There is ¢junk stuff¢ and there is ¢salvageable stuff¢. You will get PLENTY of opportunity to be alone and enjoy the scenery.But the negatives can also be significant. Especially if you are young and enjoy kicking back with others both on the Trail and in town. That opportunity will seldom exist. Your best chance will be when a herd of NOBOs passes you along the way. By nature some people don¢t do so well alone. They may not be a party animal but they need the ability to interact with others on a regular basis. This is not to say that SOBOs can¢t hike together. It¢s just that however big your little SOBO social group is, that¢s probably all it will be.Physical conditioning (for me, anyway) is indeed more of a factor when starting from Katahdin. For one thing, Katahdin itself is not easy for anyone to climb. And it is going to be a lot easier for a NOBO after he/she has done all those miles. It can be a cruel shock for a SOBO. The middle portion of the Katahdin climb (at least on the Hunt Trail) has an awful lot of large boulders you have to go over. Both up & down is a challenge. So you get past Katahdin and then you have the Whites, probably within three weeks. Not only is there the physical difficulty but also the risk of injury.Psychological conditioning came into play for me on a daily basis. I had to get used to hiking alone. I saw fewer local or section hikers to talk to. There were some other SOBOs out there ¢ but consider this: The year I completed my SOBO there were fewer than 80 SOBOs who completed an entire thru-hike. Also consider that each day the sun starts to set earlier. That reduces the amount of time you have to hike and makes for a longer evening to pass the time away before going to sleep. The hiker ¢support community¢ is less evident. There are fewer trail angels leaving sodas or snacks for you. Some of the hostels that NOBOs use may very well be closed when you pass through during the off-season. Even some stores or outfitters may not be open. For me, there was frequently the thought of just chucking it all and going home.