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stephanD
12-07-2014, 15:47
Planning to flip-flop from Bear mountain, NY south to Springer April first 2015, then from Bear mountain to Kathadin August-September. Can i claim that i thru hiked the AT? I guess the question is whether "filp-flopping" the AT can be considered a "thru"?:rolleyes: Also, ordered today my AT "passport". Just wanted your input about the passport idea, who started it and how long it been around.

Slo-go'en
12-07-2014, 16:10
Yes, flip flopping is considered a thru. It doesn't matter how you break it up so long as it's one continues trip. Starting at Bear Mt April 1st could be a bit rough weather wise. There is a reason everyone else is starting in Georgia April 1st.

I believe the "passport" thing was started last year.

Abatis1948
12-07-2014, 17:14
Check this page for ideas.
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/thru-section-hiking

Abatis1948
12-07-2014, 17:16
Also, this page:
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/thru-section-hiking/when-where-to-start

rafe
12-07-2014, 17:19
The passport idea is pretty new, it's really just for your own amusement and satisfaction. As to flip-flop being a thru, absolutely, yes. No conflict at all there.

map man
12-07-2014, 19:30
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy considers your itinerary to be a thru-hike, and if there is any kind of authority on the matter, they are it.

Lone Wolf
12-07-2014, 21:04
being the contrarian that i am, through hike to me is starting at one terminus and walking to the other uninterrupted. on the LT you're called an end to ender if you "thru-hike" it

Colter
12-07-2014, 21:19
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy considers your itinerary to be a thru-hike, and if there is any kind of authority on the matter, they are it.

What he said. I agree that a flip is a thru-hike if you hike the whole trail. It's a classic case of hike your own hike.

I think that the passport idea is just for fun. If you think it's fun, do it. It's optional.

rickb
12-07-2014, 22:08
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy considers your itinerary to be a thru-hike, and if there is any kind of authority on the matter, they are it.

Not sure the board takes a position on trivia like that. They have some smart people working as editors on their website and answering the phones, though.

freightliner
12-07-2014, 22:13
Ok i am going to stand on the soap box for this one. The word though means from the beginning to the end. I guess the question should be what is the beginning and what is the end. I can say for sure you hiked the AT in '15 and I can say for sure you flip-flopped the AT in '15. It is up to you to decide. The ATC gives you credit for hiking all the trail not how you do it. One thing I do know is it will be the best time spent in your life. One thing I don't know is are going to be able to handle the peace and quiet of the woods coming from Brooklyn? I wonder if I should have thrown in a couple of ights in there naw for get about it. Just imagine I'm pointing a lot with a cigarette in my hand. Sorry had to go there. Love Brooklyn

rafe
12-07-2014, 22:30
From: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/thru-section-hiking


Hikers who complete the entire Appalachian Trail are called 2,000-milers. Those who hike the Trail in less than one year are called "thru-hikers," those who hike the A.T. in sections over a period of years are called "section-hikers."

They go on to suggest (perhaps even encourage) several alternatives to the standard end-to-end approach, here: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/thru-section-hiking/when-where-to-start

No doubt in my mind, it must be very satisfying to start at Springer and finish at Katahdin -- we've all seen hundreds of those photos of triumphant finishers at the Katahdin summit sign. But that way has a few disadvantages as well, as explained in the links above.

stephanD
12-08-2014, 00:49
Well, that's exactly why I go upstream; to avoid the crowds and enjoying the woods, at least at the beginning.

LIhikers
12-08-2014, 01:07
Realize that anyone who completes the entire trail is a 2000 miler, according to the ATC.
There is no "official" thru hiker.
So hike it any way you like.

rickb
12-08-2014, 08:11
Well, that's exactly why I go upstream; to avoid the crowds and enjoying the woods, at least at the beginning.

As someone who hiked alone virtually the whole way (SOBO), I can appreciate that. That said, here are some random thoughts that should probably not be given too much weight:

Hiking end to end provides for a unique (and I would argue special) kind of motivation.

The first weeks and month of a traditional NOBO or SOBO hiker provide some special milestones that provide for a special sense of achievement and motivation.

Hiking is an inherently solitary activity.

One can be alone in a crowd.

You may be hiking the least interesting section of trail first.

Starchild
12-08-2014, 09:28
IIRC the ATC check boxes for the thru hiker is NoBo (Springer Mtn to Katahdin), SoBo (K to S) or flopflop (which states something like 'any other way' that you completed the entire trail in one season). So unquestionably a thru hike.

As a flip flopper you will have your choice to have your AT certificate state Springer Mtn to Katahdin or Katahdin to Springer Mtn (NoBo's and SoBo's obviosuly don't get this choice as they made their's already).

Grampie
12-08-2014, 11:00
Doing the whole trail in one season is considered a thru-hike. After hiking you will soon discover a lot of hikers who spend time hiking on the AT, don't matter how far they hike, will say they thru-hiked. I met one guy who said he thru-hiked but only went from Springer to Neels Gap.

Slo-go'en
12-08-2014, 11:59
I met one guy who said he thru-hiked but only went from Springer to Neels Gap.

Maybe he meant he was threw with hiking :)

RED-DOG
12-08-2014, 12:18
bro your plan sounds good but i would change it a little bit i would start in NY and hike to Springer but i would start a bit later like may 1st the winters up north can be quit rough then i would do ME to NY since you live in NY it would be like hiking home.

NY-Springer and ME-NY and yes this is a thru-hike and you will be a 2000 miler upon completion.

the Pass-port thing got started last year, some one "STOLE" the idea from the Camino de santiago.

kushtakaa
12-08-2014, 13:03
I've been in the midst of the southern masses (early 90's) and, taking that and north vs. south weather patterns (as well as other factors), my wife and I have decided that to avoid the masses and the extreme cold possibilities at either end in early spring & late fall...we will be starting in the SNP/VA (heading north in a flip-flop) between April 1 & 15.

I can definitely appreciate the psychological coolness of going it all in one direction, but there are definitely benefits of the flip-flop. From the research I've done...heading north from NY on April 1 seems to negate those benefits (weather). I think RED-DOG's advice of heading south from NY first would be sage...

Lauriep
12-08-2014, 22:55
Among some quarters of the Trail community, special status is given to the thru-hiker who goes in one direction all the way. But, you know, Benton MacKaye, the Trail's founder, said that the purpose of the Appalachian Trail is "to walk, to see, and to see what you see." He did not care what direction people hiked, as long as they weren't doing the A.T. as a stunt to impress people.

While some, including Earl Shaffer (who was ATC's corresponding secretary for a period), have maintained that a flip-flop was not a true thru-hike, I don't know of anyone within ATC leadership in the last 25 years that I have been on staff who has thought that way.

To conserve the A.T., we must disperse use. Fifty or more people a day leaving Springer, day after day, for weeks on end, is simply not sustainable for the A.T.--particularly the overnight sites. With the movies Wild and A Walk in the Woods in theaters this year, there will be even more.

We just want to encourage hikers to consider these alternatives. They may not be for everyone, but most of the people I talk to love them. I try to talk to every flip-flopper who comes through Harpers Ferry, and I study the 2,000-miler applications of flip-floppers closely.

There are other points along the Trail where large crowds of thru-hikers together have caused a variety of problems. From what I hear talking to hikers and reading online accounts, sure, the hikers inside those groups seem to love and celebrate the large numbers. Those who are present when those groups are there, but are not part of the inner circle, may or may not feel as joyful. And those who are responsible to taking care of the land or facilities after the hikers leave, seldom view those large numbers of people as positively as the hikers themselves.

Laurie P.
ATC