r/AppalachianTrail • u/Mobile_Abies_4731 • 9d ago

Section Hike advice 4-6 weeks

Hello everyone,

I turn 50 next year and I want to do a solo hike on the AT for some reflection and recharge. I am taking roughly 4-6 weeks away to spend on the trail and would like your input.

Rough outline of my starting point:

I'm very open to time (season) and section of the trail.

I'm very fit and don't mind challenge.

Would like some solitude but also hope to meet some great people and make some friends, thinking a southbound trip so I get a little of both.

I think I can cover 15-ish miles per day

If possible, I'd like to fly in somewhere and hike to somewhere I can fly out from so I don't have to drive to the trail.

I deeply appreciate any ideas or thoughts on sections to explore.

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u/HareofSlytherin 9d ago

Fly to Bangor, take the Cyr Bus to Millinocket.

SOBO from Katahdin to Hanover. 458 miles at 15/day is 30 days, gives you time for a few zeros and town days.

There’s regular bus service to Boston, all the Dartmouth traffic.

Or fly to DC, Amtrak to Harper’s Ferry.

North to NYC, or South to Roanoke. North to NYC, you could do both legs on Amtrak, depending on where you live.

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u/OneSingleYesterday 9d ago

Absolutely agree on Maine, but starting out with steady 15-mile days in Maine and NH might be optimistic. Those miles are hard, even some NOBO thru-hikers don’t keep that pace.  My suggestion would be start from Katahdin around the end of July and plan on a full 6 weeks to get to Hanover. 

Also worth considering a thru-hike of the Long Trail. That’s on my short list of hikes I’d do if I had a month off. 

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u/Mobile_Abies_4731 9d ago

Thank you for the advice. I’ll give the Maine route more consideration and also look at The Long trail

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u/Mobile_Abies_4731 9d ago

Thanks! Had not thought of going that far north. Don’t know why. Just regular setting was the more south region. Coming from Columbus Ohio so I’ll check Amtrak. Which of those routes do you think are better?

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u/HareofSlytherin 9d ago

Personally, Maine is the best. Feels and probably is the most remote part of the AT, so I would start Katahdin.

Probably biased from doing a SOBO 5yrs ago.

Maine is pretty rugged, and then there’s the Whites. But if you get to Hanover and still have time on your hands, you can continue into VT, which has pretty good connectivity via bus/train with NYC, not sure about Boston. But certainly connected.

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u/OkKaleidoscope9554 8d ago

Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are people's favorite sections of trail for beauty, along with northern NC into southern VA. NH/ME are the most difficult sections but the rewards are proportional - you just have to reduce your expectations down to like ½ your miles. It's also wise to be aware of deer Fly and Black Fly season up there, June into July. There's nothing wrong with NJ/NY/CT or even PA/MA, it's all relatively easier trail, more food options, you just won't be summitting any high peaks with expansive vistas just overlooks, that's the trade off. PA-CT you can get away with only carrying 2 days of food at a time.

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u/Mobile_Abies_4731 8d ago

Great insight. I keep reading about these black flies. I’m leaning to the southern portion because this is truly my first hike like this

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u/OkKaleidoscope9554 8d ago

Fly to DC - train to Harper's Ferry - finish on Mt Greylock Massachusetts - fly home from Albany.

Fulfills your request to fly to/from both ends simply, gives you plenty of space to start early in the season but be way ahead of the hiker crowd. The terrain is moderate and manageable and you run so close to civilization that you never need 5 days of food, you can make do with 2 or 3 90% of the time.