>>1362396>What is the AT like? It's physically fairly challenging. The terrain varies from well groomed trail to scrambling. The weather can be one of the hardest parts as getting extended periods of rain and damp is not uncommon. It's a busy social trail, however, I had a very quiet hike near the middle as I had hiked ahead of the bubble. From the SOBO crowds I met I don't think going SOBO will give you a quieter hike. Logistics are super easy, no real planning needed there and the shelters mean you can avoid camping in most the bad weather if you want.
>On average people take like 5-7 months to do it, how long did it take you? Took me 101 days. I was at Khatadin and ready to summit on day 100 however, the forecast was terrible and I hadn't hiked ~2200 miles to summit in the clouds.
>Worth it?Yes. It's not as obviously stunning as most the routes I've hiked, however, there is plenty of subtle beauty. The crowds can be pain, however, I met lots of cool people. It's a great achievement. I don't buy into the whole 'thru hiking will change your life' stuff. Maybe if you are young, fresh out of high school or something it will have a bigger impact on you. However, I'm 28 and have hiked long trails before. I love long distance walking, and this was a really long walk that passed through some beautiful areas. Don't get too pumped about hiking through wilderness though. This is not a wild hike.
>>1362445During the first 1/3 of the hike when I was looking to enjoy the social aspect a bit more I hiked shorter days and a small group that I was hiking around. We camped together most nights. The other 2/3 were spent occasionally seeing people who were hiking at roughly the same pace as me. We never actively arranged to camp together, but would, from time to time, find ourselves camping in the same place and it was a pleasant surprise when it happened.
