PDA

View Full Version : Southbound or flip flop?



truckindust
02-13-2009, 13:59
Was wondering what is thought about whether to do a Southbound or a flip flop Thru hike. Live in Georgia but can't leave until June 16, 2009 and want to enjoy the hike rather than run it. Can't make up mind. Thinking it might probably be a bit more quiet on a SOBO due to economy and few doing AT at all this year either way! But it puts more walking in cooler temps lower south (Nov and Dec) and walking with the black flies up north...Argh! Flip Flop makes missing Springer until the end and picking up where we think others will be, walking with the crowd and getting to Katahdin on time but flipping back and walking with the fall colored leaves back to Georgia. It's just not a thru hike....basically. It's six of one, half dozen of another....what's the thought as to which is preferrable.

Ender
02-13-2009, 14:08
I would southbound.

Jack Tarlin
02-13-2009, 14:37
1. You could do a regular Southbound hike and have a great time.

2. You could leave Harpers Ferry Northbound in mid/late June, you'll have
great company, and you'd get to Katahdin in mid-September, the best
time to be there. Then, return to HF and hike South back to Georgia,
also with good company.

I like the second option.......no insect season in June in Maine as you won't be there; easy hiking to start your trip (Maryland, PA); you'll hit Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine at the best time of year to be in those states, and you'll get to enjoy the fall in the South. Plus, once you leave Harpers heading South, every step you take will bring you closer to home, and by finishing up in Georgia, your return home will be quick, simple, and inexpensive.

Whatever you do, have a great time.

Slo-go'en
02-13-2009, 20:46
I second Jack's second option. You don't want to be in either Georga or Maine in mid June! Plus you get to go to Kathdin with the NOBOers and finish at Springer with the SOBOers, some of whom you'll have already meet.

Blissful
02-13-2009, 20:59
Either way you do it, have fun. Though starting SOBO in ME is a challenge with the pretty tough terrain up front in lower ME and NH, bugs, plus no real outfitters for weeks, etc. Need to have your gear pretty well set.

Tinker
02-13-2009, 23:00
I third Jack's opinion. It'll still be a thruhike, just not an end-to-ender.
It sounds like a winner, weather-wise.

Lone Wolf
02-14-2009, 06:58
Was wondering what is thought about whether to do a Southbound or a flip flop Thru hike. Live in Georgia but can't leave until June 16, 2009 and want to enjoy the hike rather than run it. Can't make up mind. Thinking it might probably be a bit more quiet on a SOBO due to economy and few doing AT at all this year either way! But it puts more walking in cooler temps lower south (Nov and Dec) and walking with the black flies up north...Argh! Flip Flop makes missing Springer until the end and picking up where we think others will be, walking with the crowd and getting to Katahdin on time but flipping back and walking with the fall colored leaves back to Georgia. It's just not a thru hike....basically. It's six of one, half dozen of another....what's the thought as to which is preferrable.

go SOBO. it's a much better hike. a little buggy at first but a lot more rewarding in the long run

truckindust
02-14-2009, 10:47
Favoring the flip-flop for all the given reasons and it allows me to walk with a group and feel like part of "The class of 2009". I've done Springer and Blood Mt. anyway but I intend to do it again at the end...wouldn't be complete without it. I just didn't want to feel like I hadn't done it the "real way" as some might say, you know... end to end...a thru hike. If I'm going to spend the time to do it, I don't want anybody denigrating it later making me feel like somehow I had not done it the "only way to do it is end to end" or "a flip flop's NOT really a thru hike"...you know? I may never get a chance to do it again like some of the lucky ones so I want to make the right decision for this one.

4eyedbuzzard
02-14-2009, 11:21
The "real way"?

Hiking 2000+ miles is as real as it gets.

You have to go with the time you have. No reason not to hike in the best weather and conditions possible. You are supposed to enjoy this, not worry about what others may think or say later.

sticks&stones
02-14-2009, 11:43
I have to agree with going southbound, you definitely will get into some bugs, but in hind sight you'll never have a puzzled look on your face when another sobo tells you their blackfly horror story's haha.

truckindust
02-14-2009, 11:58
Had a taste of those black flies last year in minnesota, at the boundary waters...no thanks! Not peak season, but enough to hold my own in conversation about them. lol

Lyle
02-14-2009, 12:43
Either of Jacks suggestions would be fine. For me personally, a SOBO thru would be most rewarding.

emerald
02-14-2009, 14:17
I like the bidirectional hike idea. Hiking on Pennsylvania's A.T. is better in June. You may catch the tail end of the mountain laurel display, it will be easier on your body starting out and you are apt to encounter better conditions than in August when it's often hotter and natural water sources are less reliable.

New Hampshire and Maine should be enjoyed when conditions there are best for hiking. You may not have the good fortune to visit there again. Besides, black flys and bug dope don't add anything IMO.

truckindust
02-14-2009, 17:06
:sunHey...thanks for all the ideas! I'm favoring NOT doing any mail drops, but trying to keep it realistic as far as buying my food along the way and not over indulging at every re-supply so I guess I get the luxury of having a bit more time to make up my mind, more so than those starting in March. Thanks again everyone!

UGASlotMachine
02-14-2009, 22:06
I personally think it depends on what you want out of your thru-hike. Either way, the last half of your hike will be SOBO in potentially cooler weather without a whole lot of people around you during the week.

If you want the camaraderie of being in the main NOBO group, then do the first half NOBO. Going SOBO to begin with is quite difficult, as I found it hard to see people you bond with drop out week after week. However, there is definitely a bond with other thru hikers you get from being SOBO all the way (all 60 or so of us).

I ended up hiking from Greylock to Bear Mtn. Bridge with a Flip-flopper (No Car) that did GA->NY, ME->NY. He seemed to really enjoy it, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy my straight SOBO either.

All I can say for sure is that going WV->GA, WV->ME is much easier than ME->GA for all the reasons you probably already know. It's certainly not an easy decision, but either way, it'll be the experience of a lifetime!!!

Slot Machine
SOBO '08

Blue Sky II
02-15-2009, 00:56
Had the same questions in 2003 and I started a flip-flop on June 22 from Harpers Ferry. Glad I did, but some start from the Delaware Water Gap which has round the clock bus service from NYC. You also get to hike the Pennsylvania rocks SOBO when your feet are tougher.

Balding Runaway
02-28-2009, 20:02
With such great advice getting passed around...

Any extra thoughts on this one: essentially the same situation and question, available to begin an '09 2000-miler between 5/1-5/15-ish. Originally I wanted to do Springer->Mt. K beginning 4/1 but that isn't going to happen due to work etc.. Would anyone agree that say 5/5 is too late to go north in 6 months? I do like the fall but don't want to get [dead] frozen either... Still something about NOBO really appeals to me.

(More background: I'm I'd say ~average fitness, quite a bit of weekend spring/summer/fall backpacking experience in NY & VT, previous max single trip distance 100mi/8 days. To quote someone else I like crowd-free but also like to know there's someone not too far away... )

So I was thinking I could either
A) Go south starting 6/1 if I don't go *crazy* waiting or
B) Do a flip-flop (north to NY... arriving in late August I'm guessing... take the train home for a week and then ME south, train home one last time)

I really can't decide, thanks much for any input given.

ARambler
02-28-2009, 22:32
With such great advice getting passed around...

Any extra thoughts on this one: essentially the same situation and question, available to begin an '09 2000-miler between 5/1-5/15-ish. Originally I wanted to do Springer->Mt. K beginning 4/1 but that isn't going to happen due to work etc.. Would anyone agree that say 5/5 is too late to go north in 6 months? I do like the fall but don't want to get [dead] frozen either... Still something about NOBO really appeals to me.

(More background: I'm I'd say ~average fitness, quite a bit of weekend spring/summer/fall backpacking experience in NY & VT, previous max single trip distance 100mi/8 days. To quote someone else I like crowd-free but also like to know there's someone not too far away... )

So I was thinking I could either
A) Go south starting 6/1 if I don't go *crazy* waiting or
B) Do a flip-flop (north to NY... arriving in late August I'm guessing... take the train home for a week and then ME south, train home one last time)

I really can't decide, thanks much for any input given.

You are too late to do a nobo, and become close to the rest of the nobo class. Every year, there there are one or two tough students, that start in early May and finish ahead of 3/4 of the class. However, even though they see a lot of nobo's, they don't get to hike with them more than a day. If you are closer to average, you will never close the 6 week gap. However, at the end you will probaby have a lot of people summiting on one of the last good days.

I like Ghost's 04 flip. He hiked sobo Dalton, MA to VA (I forget, but Harpers Ferry, Charlottesville, Roanoke and Marion had buses/trains). He then hiked Katahdin to Dalton, and then finished the southern part with the sobos. This hike gives you even more time than the slowest sobos, but Ghost didn't need it. He took pictures of most of the nobos, and posted them at: at04.com. This is not much better than the standard Harpers Ferry flip discussed above.

For both posters, although a flip sounds neat on the internet, there are a lot more sobos than late starting nobo flip-flopers. You must decide whether to trust a hiker or a typer.

Rambler

DapperD
02-28-2009, 22:46
Was wondering what is thought about whether to do a Southbound or a flip flop Thru hike. Live in Georgia but can't leave until June 16, 2009 and want to enjoy the hike rather than run it. Can't make up mind. Thinking it might probably be a bit more quiet on a SOBO due to economy and few doing AT at all this year either way! But it puts more walking in cooler temps lower south (Nov and Dec) and walking with the black flies up north...Argh! Flip Flop makes missing Springer until the end and picking up where we think others will be, walking with the crowd and getting to Katahdin on time but flipping back and walking with the fall colored leaves back to Georgia. It's just not a thru hike....basically. It's six of one, half dozen of another....what's the thought as to which is preferrable.From what I have read, if you feel the need to do a "through" hike as in starting at one end and ending at the other, it is best to do just that. If you flip-flop, it can be a lonlier hike if your timing is off from the rest of the masses of through-hiker's, most of whom are hiking in the traditional way of terminus to terminus. I think if you start a Southbound thru-hike, and wait until at least July to begin, from what I understand the blackflies begin to not be as big an issue and the trails are not as muddy. As you have stated, there will be people who will "diss" your hike(if you choose to flip-flop) as wrong and as not a real "thru-hike", wether or not this would bother you or wether you will pay this credence only you yourself know. If it will, then it is best to do the straight through-hike Southbound.

RITBlake
02-28-2009, 23:03
We were faced w/ the same challenge in 2005. We went back and forth, Flip Flop or SOBO. We probably changed our minds half a dozen times.

In the end we ended up going SOBO and couldn't have been happier w/ the choice.

There's something to be said about doing an end to end hike, the continuous journey........not hiking to a point, then jumping in a car or train and jumping ahead 1000 miles.

Yes you will face bugs and mud in Maine in June, but that all makes the challenge all that more rewarding. But you'll also get the Southern section in the fall which can be pretty magical.


Was wondering what is thought about whether to do a Southbound or a flip flop Thru hike. Live in Georgia but can't leave until June 16, 2009 and want to enjoy the hike rather than run it. Can't make up mind. Thinking it might probably be a bit more quiet on a SOBO due to economy and few doing AT at all this year either way! But it puts more walking in cooler temps lower south (Nov and Dec) and walking with the black flies up north...Argh! Flip Flop makes missing Springer until the end and picking up where we think others will be, walking with the crowd and getting to Katahdin on time but flipping back and walking with the fall colored leaves back to Georgia. It's just not a thru hike....basically. It's six of one, half dozen of another....what's the thought as to which is preferrable.

Razor
03-01-2009, 03:38
I dida flip last lear starting 4-27 and fliped at HF .It worked good for me . I did travel with several groups and a couple in the south sections and enjoyed the company at shelters and camps. In the north half I saw many of the southern hickers and walked with afew sobos but the group is much smaller and during the last 2 weeks I was mostly solo.It was like two different situations ,but both fun and exciting in diferent ways.Given the logistics I liked my outcome but could have done it different if rides,transportation,and other obligations had worked different. My advice would be to figure your options and pick one and dont look back and start walking.It is too easy to over analyze this stuff. There are pros and cons to every possible answer.Figure those posibilities and pick the best for you. Good luck

Balding Runaway
03-01-2009, 10:30
Thanks all. I might just do the terminus to terminus/south.. I really might go nuts waiting to begin though!