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IronGutsTommy
08-31-2010, 15:51
Just curious if anyone on WB has done back to back thru hikes. Im sure its been done before. Im sobo thru hiking in late sept which would put me on course for completion in GA in late feb or early march, just about the time alot of nobo thru hikers may be starting off. Toying with the idea of doing a ME>GA>ME. I have the time and the money, just more curious than anything as to the opinions or insights of those who have done this or attempted such a task.

Lone Wolf
08-31-2010, 15:54
most folks are just plain tired of hiking after 2000 miles

snowbound
08-31-2010, 16:00
most folks are just plain tired of hiking after 2000 miles

My thoughts exactly. This is worth a look if you havn't seen it... http://www.theinitiativesite.com/

sixhusbands
08-31-2010, 16:21
When you finish the AT hitch across the US and do the Pacific Coast trail. This way you have both sides of the continent done!

Danielsen
08-31-2010, 16:24
I've thought about doing something similar. I may actually end up doing so over two seperate summers, since it'd be a lot cheaper for me to take a bus to NYC, get on the trail, head north to katahdin and back to NYC then home, then the next summer do the same thing but to springer, than it would be for me to travel to or from either of the terminuses. Termini?

I'd say, do your thru, and if you feel like turning around at the end and heading back north, by all means do so. If not, who cares? You just thruhiked the AT!

Helios
08-31-2010, 17:21
Not knocking your thoughts any, but if I may suggest concentrate on finishing the one task first before considering doing a yo-yo hike.

The one dude I knew who did a yo-yo hiked to Maine, climbed Katahdin, then simply felt like hiking back South and did so. Upon reaching Springer he then had the urge to return to Maine once more, and did so. Upon this third completion he finally went home satisfied.

kayak karl
08-31-2010, 17:37
just hike on down to Florida. there are connecting trails.

IronGutsTommy
08-31-2010, 17:55
Karl.. may just do that as i have family in fla.. didnt know of a connecting trail tho.. thanks for the thoughts guys

restless
08-31-2010, 18:03
My thoughts exactly. This is worth a look if you havn't seen it... http://www.theinitiativesite.com/

first of all, I believe several people have yo-yo'd the AT so it has been done before. If you have the money and the stamina, I believe you'd find the nobo to be somewhat easier due to being in trail shape already.
Second, I looked at the aforementioned site, crunched the numbers and it comes out to a little over 34 miles per day for 365 days. no zeros, no time to meet locals, no time to ???? Just hike. I never have and still dont understand the drive to hike so many miles at once. The trails aren't going anywhere. there is help available for those ocd souls out there:D. Take a breather, slow down and enjoy the view. I hike to get away from work, not to turn it into a job.

kayak karl
08-31-2010, 18:13
but why 365 days????

Roughin' It
08-31-2010, 18:23
Last year an older woman named Nature thru-hiked, came out again this year to just to Springer -> Fontana, and just ended up going the rest of the way again this year. So yes, people do it.

restless
08-31-2010, 18:26
but why 365 days????

The owner of the site I was alluding to and was mentioned in an earlier post, stated it was his intention to hike the 4 longest National Scenic Trails in 1 calender year, hence the 365 day number.

sbhikes
08-31-2010, 19:13
Some people have yo-yoed the PCT, too. And some have hiked the triple crown in succession. You can do anything you want to, you know. Me, I get to wanting to go home after about 3 months or so.

IronGutsTommy
08-31-2010, 22:46
yeah if i was to yo yo, id give myself 18 months to do it, not 12.. i dont want to go thru it so fast i miss everything along the way, and id definitely want to throw some zeros in there, maybe even a 2 or 3 week break in GA between thrus. not that i am looking past my first thru, just wanted to hear the ideas and comments about such an undertaking.

DaveSail
09-01-2010, 01:42
Read these two books from Lucy and Susan Letcher ,
AKA Isis and Jackrabbit :


http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Letcher/e/B002NH1SKE/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_1

IronGutsTommy
09-01-2010, 02:33
dave.. thanks for the link. ordered a few of those books, looks like an interesting read

Different Socks
09-04-2010, 12:33
first of all, I believe several people have yo-yo'd the AT so it has been done before. If you have the money and the stamina, I believe you'd find the nobo to be somewhat easier due to being in trail shape already.
Second, I looked at the aforementioned site, crunched the numbers and it comes out to a little over 34 miles per day for 365 days. no zeros, no time to meet locals, no time to ???? Just hike. I never have and still dont understand the drive to hike so many miles at once. The trails aren't going anywhere. there is help available for those ocd souls out there:D. Take a breather, slow down and enjoy the view. I hike to get away from work, not to turn it into a job.
Gotta agree with you on that. 365 days at 35 miles per day?!! First 4600 miles in the winter and 35 miles per day!! This I gotta see!

Not to mention the fact, he has to hope for a low snow tear in the Sierra's and the Rockies.

Dogwood
09-04-2010, 17:43
You already got me asking myself, "do I really want to comment?'

There are several ways to define back to back thru-hikes. I think what you are referring to are yo yos. That is, hiking entirely from one terminus to the other, AND, THEN, hiking back to where you originally started basically on a continuous non stop trek. For the AT that's more than 4300 trail miles alone!

Several thru-hikers have done that on the AT and PCT and think one on the CDT. Might be wrong about the CDT though. Might now be more than one thru-hiker who has yo yoed the CDT. Either way you can check at ALDHA. They keep a list of yo yoers.

There have been a few thru-hikers who have claimed to have thru-hiked all three Triple Crown Trails in a 365 day period. How exactly they did that I would like some more details about!

Then, there are those who thru-hike one OR MORE long distance trails one season and then thru-hike another long distance trail the next season OR thru-hike one long distance trail and then continue onto another thru-hike somewhere else on a different trail. I guess this can also be defined as hiking back to back thrus. Some of those kind of fanatics around. I know one personally!

Just out of suspicion and curiosity have you:

1) Ever hiked a long distance trail before? It's 2170 or so miles fro Mt Katahdin To Mt Springer.

2) What's the longest time or miles you have hiked for on one continuous hike? Like I said, it's 2170 miles or so from Mt Katahdin to Mt Springer.

3) Have you ever hiked throughout the winter? Uh, let me say it another way. "Did you know it's also about 2170 miles or so from Mt Springer to Mt Katahdin?"

With what you are "toying with", doing a yo yo, YOU FIRST, have to do 1), 2), and 3). ONLY THEN, can you turn around and hike entirely for 2170 miles or so BACK to Mt Katahdin!

CARPE DIEM! AND, THAT INCLUDES COUNT THE COSTS TOO!

IronGutsTommy
09-04-2010, 23:37
most ive done is the tamiami trail yoyo, about 600 miles total. wasnt ready to stop when i was done. im aware an at yoyo is about 4 times that number, but theres always zero days to look forward to. i plan to hike 6 days, zero the seventh.. even God rested on the seventh day. yes im aware of the mileage. its been done before, who is to say i cannot besides myself? besides, the nobo thru ill have 1. plenty of company 2. warmer weather 3. trail days to look forward to and 4., ill be in some amazing shape by then. besides, my thread ended in a question mark, as in this is merely something i am curious about. im not putting the cart in front of the horse. Ill see if i can do the sobo thru, then, if and when i am on springer mountain, ill decide whether or not im up for a second go.

restless
09-05-2010, 08:08
most ive done is the tamiami trail yoyo, about 600 miles total. wasnt ready to stop when i was done. im aware an at yoyo is about 4 times that number, but theres always zero days to look forward to. i plan to hike 6 days, zero the seventh.. even God rested on the seventh day. yes im aware of the mileage. its been done before, who is to say i cannot besides myself? besides, the nobo thru ill have 1. plenty of company 2. warmer weather 3. trail days to look forward to and 4., ill be in some amazing shape by then. besides, my thread ended in a question mark, as in this is merely something i am curious about. im not putting the cart in front of the horse. Ill see if i can do the sobo thru, then, if and when i am on springer mountain, ill decide whether or not im up for a second go.

tommy- A few Questions about your previous post:
1) Is this the same Tamiami Trail that is a road in S Florida? The main problem in comparing the Tamiami and the AT is that over the course of a thru hike, you will experience an total elevation change of roughly 500,000 feet or to put it another way-90 miles. Considerably different than s. Florida.

2) I commend you for planning zero days into your schedule. So many hikers just keeep pressing on with no breaks. I would also keep in mind that there will more than likely you could be off the trail for several days at a time. The winters in the Appalachians caan be exteremy harsh and as off the past several years, we have had our fair share of hard winters. It could be possible that land managers could close the trail in areas if major ice storms occur. The thing you dont want to have happen is to put yourself in a position where you require some organization to come rescue you. Things like that have a tendency to increase the overall cost of a thru hike by several thousand dollars.

3) Do not discount the mental challenge that lies before you or as you said, "dont put the cart before the horse". The mental demands on a southbound winter hike can be just as greeat and often greater than the physical challenges. People seem to think that the Appalachians cant be all that bad in winter. To be cold for the better part of six months requires a mental fortitude that not all thru hikers posess. I notice you are from Michigan and are probably used to the cold. That could work to your benefit. But the mental challenges, being seemingly separated from the rest of the world, not having many of the services available that typical thru hikers do, and having to get up cold and go to bed cold after hiking all day in the cold and snow, are things that only you can decide if you are prepared to face.

4) one final correction to your post:

"most ive done is the tamiami trail yoyo, about 600 miles total. wasnt ready to stop when i was done. im aware an at yoyo is about 4 times that number"

An AT thru hike alone is 2170 miles. A yo-yo would be 8 times the Tamiami trail yo yo.

IronGutsTommy
09-05-2010, 11:41
yeah i said 4 times because he hammered the one way distance onto the post over and over. Thanks for all the insight. nice to have people challenge your ideas without resorting to the usual forum habit of talking down to someone. Ive got about 12,000 to dispose of , although id like to do the trail for considerably less. im sure the sobo will be almost twice as costly as the nobo, due to weather conditions out of our control. im hoping the plan of a hostel or motel stay every two weeks will help with an occasional warm, heat cranking zero day. Plan to bring another type of pot besides my cooking vessel, so hopefully that will help a bit with the mental aspect. Also hiked in colorado, so i know the elevation changes are a big challenge.

restless
09-05-2010, 14:26
Sounds like you';ve given the whole idea some amount of reasonable consideration. I would like t ochallenge your notion of a SOBO being more expensive. While there are some variables that wont change regardless of direction-ie food, laundry, etc., I think you might find they could be done for about the same price. One fatcor that comes into play with a NOBO is what is often referred to as "pack mentality". When you get to hiking with a group and freindships are formed, the group tends to closely follow one another including town stops. And often more money is spent in town stops and zero day activities than actually spent towards trail essentials-those unchanging variables I spoke about. It sounds as if finances won't be a problem but it would be nice to have a little left at the end. As I and others have said though, play it by ear. Don't leave Katahdin wit hthe idea of yo-yoing. I probably wouldn't even seriously consider the idea until you get to the VA/TN line. That way yoiu would be a month out from springer and if it's something at that time you want to do, you could start making plans for the return trip at that point . I will probably be in the Shenandoahs when you come through, let me know if theres any thing I can do., Good luck and keep in touch.

IronGutsTommy
09-05-2010, 14:55
thanks restless. yeah Im definitely putting any thoughts of a yoyo out of my mind before I set out on the trail, wont entertain the idea until around tennessee, North carolina even. Ill definitely let you know how its all going.

Bags4266
09-05-2010, 17:02
There are many people who hike the trail continuously... there called bums.

IronGutsTommy
09-05-2010, 22:58
sounds like a decent life to me

Danielsen
09-06-2010, 08:47
sounds like a decent life to me

The less decent part involves begging for food and supplies, which tends to alienate people, so you either end up with food and no friends, or friends and no food, or both. If you have some source of income that's sufficient to sustain you while you hike the trail continuously on the other hand, go for it and have fun. You just won't qualify as a bum. :p

jersey joe
09-06-2010, 08:50
I never attempted back to back thrus, but at the end of my thru hike I was fairly emaciated. I think it would be a challenge to do back to back sub 4 month thru hikes because of the calorie deficiency alone.

Kernel
09-06-2010, 10:07
Should you be interested in connecting trails, there is an international extention from the AT to Canada which starts north of Newfoundland and connects to Katahdin.
http://www.internationalat.org/Pages/index

Danielsen
09-06-2010, 21:39
Should you be interested in connecting trails, there is an international extention from the AT to Canada which starts north of Newfoundland and connects to Katahdin.
http://www.internationalat.org/Pages/index

And soon enough on to Greenland, Scotland, and Morrocco. ;-) The Ouachita mountains in Oklahoma, as well, are technically part of the original appalachian lineup and already have some trails through them as well. The Benton Mackaye Trail, of course, also continues a bit further south on the Appalachians of the eastern seaboard. So much more of the appalachian orogeny that one could possibly hike! :sun

IronGutsTommy
09-13-2010, 06:19
yeah theres no way id try sub 4 month thrus, even one at a time.. i just dont see the rush. 6 months for a thru is fine by me.. yeah danielson, i pay my own way. i didnt mention the bum word, it was rags..hmm, bums have lots of rags...i have enough saved that i plan to do some trail magic on my second thru even.

IronGutsTommy
09-13-2010, 06:20
oops its bags.. well bums carry those as well

rambunny
09-13-2010, 12:07
i hiked 3 years straight.Ga-Me. The 1st person to yo-yo was Dorthy Laker in the 50's or 60's.Her story is in the James Hare Rodale Press "Hiking the Appalachian Trail". I think this is more common than you know. I can think of 4 during my hikes. All 3 of my hikes were completely differant and i learned differant lessons from each.Best of luck on your journey.

Old Hiker
09-13-2010, 12:10
.................. The Ouachita mountains in Oklahoma, as well, are technically part of the original appalachian lineup and already have some trails through them as well. The Benton Mackaye Trail, of course, also continues a bit further south on the Appalachians of the eastern seaboard. So much more of the appalachian orogeny that one could possibly hike! :sun

Might as well include the Florida Trail, as it stretches over much of the ORIGINAL Appalachian Mountain matter.

ZeroLozen
09-13-2010, 12:12
Wow. That is impressive. Good job!!!

Old Hiker
09-13-2010, 12:15
Wow. That is impressive. Good job!!!

I assume you were responding to the previous post.

I didn't do it, no one saw me do it, you can't prove I did it. I'm just old enough to remember how tall and majestic the Appalachians were at first. Kinda like the Rockys today.

Geez, I'm old.

max patch
09-13-2010, 12:17
i hiked 3 years straight.Ga-Me. The 1st person to yo-yo was Dorthy Laker in the 50's or 60's.Her story is in the James Hare Rodale Press "Hiking the Appalachian Trail". I think this is more common than you know. I can think of 4 during my hikes. All 3 of my hikes were completely differant and i learned differant lessons from each.Best of luck on your journey.

IIRC, Laker did 2 ga-me thrus and 1 other ga-me hike which took about 10 years. No yo-yo's. Steve Nuckells is considered to be the first to yo-yo.

Dogwood
09-13-2010, 12:42
yeah i said 4 times because he hammered the one way distance onto the post over and over. Thanks for all the insight. nice to have people challenge your ideas without resorting to the usual forum habit of talking down to someone. Ive got about 12,000 to dispose of , although id like to do the trail for considerably less. im sure the sobo will be almost twice as costly as the nobo, due to weather conditions out of our control. im hoping the plan of a hostel or motel stay every two weeks will help with an occasional warm, heat cranking zero day. Plan to bring another type of pot besides my cooking vessel, so hopefully that will help a bit with the mental aspect. Also hiked in colorado, so i know the elevation changes are a big challenge.

I support back to back thrus if that's what you decide upon IronGuts Tommy. Not intending to talk down to you just across to you by pointing some things out that you may have failed to consider, that's all.

A thru is challenging enough, paricularly for someone with limited or no experience. Now you make it even more challenging by hiking throughout winter, which can entail new considerations and complications, and double the challenge further if you decide to yo-yo.

It's sometimes quite different to talk about doing a thru-hike or wanting to do a thru-hike and actually doing it. A thru-hike is not something accomplished in a quick let me check off that goal fashion. Just look at the drop out rate on the AT. That should tell you that many of those prospective wanna be thru-hikers failed to account for something, that is the reality of completing a thru-hike was quite different from wanting to thru-hike.

Whatever you decide I support your decision.

10-K
09-13-2010, 13:43
I would love to thru hike but after 800 miles I was ready to shoot my face off.

Maybe one day? I won't rule it out and say never.

10-K
09-13-2010, 13:46
Isn't it fair to say that "most" thru hikers hike the trail once and when they've accomplished their hike they're done hiking?

Just being on White Blaze for a few years I've seen the thru hiker classes come and go a few times.

A new user will create an account, write a few thousand messages gathering information and planning - then go hike and you never hear from them again.

Granted there are a few veteran hikers that post regularly, but by and large I'd say the section hikers are more into hiking on a regular, ongoing, year in and year out basis.

IronGutsTommy
09-13-2010, 13:48
thank you. if i fail, i fail. if i make it i make it. not looking for accolades, just challenges along the way. i wont entertain the idea of a yoyo til i can almost smell springer. theres a big dropout rate, this is true. theres also a big mortage foreclosure rate, divorce rate. i guess after the preparation going into it, it comes down to simply whether you want it or not, whether its as important to you on day 85 as it was on day 5. paid my 15 year mortgage off in 4 years. i can do this

10-K
09-13-2010, 13:53
thank you. if i fail, i fail. if i make it i make it. not looking for accolades, just challenges along the way. i wont entertain the idea of a yoyo til i can almost smell springer. theres a big dropout rate, this is true. theres also a big mortage foreclosure rate, divorce rate. i guess after the preparation going into it, it comes down to simply whether you want it or not, whether its as important to you on day 85 as it was on day 5. paid my 15 year mortgage off in 4 years. i can do this

Just do it.

It's not a pass or fail thing.

IronGutsTommy
09-13-2010, 13:57
heck yeah! also 10 k, i am very interested in section hiking, unfortunately michigan is not exactly close to any part of the AT. so while i enjoy shorter hikes, thats why im a lil thru hike oriented as far as the AT goes