17 year old flip flopper

[Alrxirose101]

I really want to thtu hike the at for my gap year but I don't know if I should go by myself. Also do you think I can start at harpers ferry in June going nobo then go back and go sobo.

[ScareBear]

Yes. Yes....

[gracebowen]

You can do it. When I get to go im also doing a flip and starting alone.

[bigcranky]

Yes, and yes. Assuming you're talking about going right after you graduate in June? Starting in Harper's Ferry would work very well. It's generally safe to go by yourself, you'll pretty quickly meet people on the trail with whom you can hike and camp, and hikers look out for each other. It's certainly safer than the other popular choices of "freshman year at college" and "the Marine Corps".

[glenlawson]

I hop you won't be disappointed when you find that you aren't by yourself. Those who got an early start will be catching up with you so you will probably find a nice crowd to hike with.

[Bronk]

Believe it or not, most people hike the AT "alone." That is, they are not permanently tied to any other person or group. But you will meet other people out there and will likely find people that you will hike along with for a few days, passing each other throughout the day and camping in the same places. So you won't be "alone" but you won't be obligated to wait for someone or speed up to keep up with someone. Its the best of both worlds...you get to do your hike independently but there will also be lots of other people around and you will get to know them as you spend a few days or even weeks or months hiking with them.

The people I've seen that try to thruhike with a friend or group of friends or even father/son pairs mostly end up either parting ways or quitting the trail. Your chances of finishing are much better if you go it alone.

[LIhikers]

Since you are from Pittsburgh, let me make a suggestion.
How about you hike the Great Allegheny Passage to the C+O Canal trail and follow that to Harpers Ferry.
That way you'll get used to living outdoors and develop your trail legs on a trail easier than the AT that's got simple resupply along the way.

[Mr. Bumpy]

Since you are from Pittsburgh, let me make a suggestion.
How about you hike the Great Allegheny Passage to the C+O Canal trail and follow that to Harpers Ferry.
That way you'll get used to living outdoors and develop your trail legs on a trail easier than the AT that's got simple resupply along the way.

This is the Best Suggestion!

[imscotty]

I think a Gap Year thru-hike is a great idea. The maturity, experience and determination you develop will hopefully help you in college or whatever you pursue. I do not think you should commit to a hiking partner. Keep your own council, hike at your own pace, you will form relationships along the way. But please, to help insure your success, take a local shakedown hike over your April vacation. You will learn a lot, and probably make some adjustments.

Good luck!

[shelb]

I think this is a great idea! You might consider starting at Harpers Ferry right after graduation. (guessing that will be around May 25-June 5). You will be starting when the bubble is moving through.. Don't get disappointed if you aren't as fast as they are because they have about 1000 miles on you!

[Sandy of PA]

Just take Amtrak to Harpers Ferry and hop on the trail. I did it Memorial Day weekend in 2011. The train was 4 hours late and 62 people and 10 dogs were camped at the first shelter, but the boy scouts let me join them and a good time was had by all. The Allegheny Passage would be very boring with very few camp sites.

[full conditions]

This almost exactly what I did when I thru-hiked in '76. I was a 17 year-old high school student - got on the trail late in the season (May 15th) at Springer and went north to the Delaware Water Gap then flipped up to Maine and headed south finishing up on November 10th. It was a great way to go - no crowding anywhere but always folks to hike with when you want that. Seventeen is definitely on the young side for most folks but I had a fair amount of experience backpacking with my father and others and had already done some solo hiking so the transition wasnt that hard for me. YMMV>

[Kalaallit]

Exactly what I'm considering with a hike of the PCT. The one thing you'll have to consider is whether or not you think you will still have the drive and focus after taking a gap year. You could also take a semester off and start in the spring, which is what I'm considering.

[Hikingjim]

Go for it!

[Blue Mountain Edward]

Take greyhound to Hancock Maryland. It is cheap then 60 miles of C and O canal to Harpers Ferry. Or take Amtrak to Cumberland and 120 miles to Harpers Ferry. Or you could hike Pittsburgh to Harpers Ferry on the Great Allegheny Passage and C and O canal. There are enough campsites on the Great Allegheny Passage to get by. Or you could hike the Tuscarora Trail from Hancock Md to the Darlington trail and shelter in PA on the AT but that is way harder than that stretch of AT. You could make a loop and not take a bus or train. Or you could megabus to DC and hike 58 miles of C and O canal to Harpers Ferry. There are more trails than just the AT which is overcrowded in late spring and summer.

[Blue Mountain Edward]

That is a sweet hike I done it 4 times, and there are campsites within hiking distance.

[abigail_s]

Hi, I'm graduating (with my masters) and starting around Harper's (maybe a little more North) at the very beginning of July- Good luck and hope to see you out there!