Flip-flop: Harpers Ferry to ME, Harpers Ferry to GA, what date would YOU start?

[Second Half]

(ten characters)

[ezdoesit]

(ten characters)

Probably around the first or 15th of April.

[Slo-go'en]

Springer to Harpers Ferry / Kathadin to H.F. is more practical, weather wise.

You don't want to start too early at H.F or you'll run into the mud and bugs in New England, but if you start too late it will be wicked hot when you get back down south. I guess I would start around the beginning of May NOBO at H.F.

[Hot Sauce 2011]

Interesting way to do it, but why not? Start in early May, that puts you with most of the early thrus, you miss the worst of the blackfly and mud season in Maine and you have decent weather awaiting you on the SoBo leg. Hope you have a good hiking partner, that last half will be mighty lonely since you'll be ahead of most of the southbound thrus and past all the NoBos too. If you're lucky you'll get to share shelter space with leaf peepers in the Smokies...Wait- didn't Slo-go'en just say all the same stuff? Well, +1

[Cookerhiker]

I agree with starting early May for the same reasons stated by Slo-go'en and Hot Sauce.

For your second half, have you considered going down to Springer and hiking NOBO to Harpers Ferry? I consider HF a great place to end a thruhike and you'd be ending closer to home.

[Zipper]

Early June if you want to be with the pack of thrus leaving Harper's Ferry.
I flip-flopped from May - September - but started a little south of HF around Roanoke, VA. Summitted in the third week of Sept - but I was a slow hiker and took a week off. Then hiked the last 700 miles SOBO and finished November 19. So 2/3 NOBO, 1/3 SOBO.

[Odd Man Out]

This (and other) alternate itineraries are discussed on the ATC Thru Hiking web pages. HF-ME/HF-GA is what they call "Head Start: May", suggesting a mid May start at HF. They cite a number of advantages:



Start in easiest part of the Trail that very gradually gets more difficult.
When you start do not expect to keep pace right away with thru-hikers who started in Georgia.
Start in mild, pleasant weather.
Start amidst spring wildflowers and walk north with spring.
Hike through the mid-Atlantic before it gets hot, humid and water sources become scarce.
Reach the White Mountains in July, before the peak crowds.
Reach Maine in August, when black flies are gone (but expect crowds the last hundred miles of Maine).
Plenty of time to reach Katahdin before it closes.
Walk south with fall colors on the second half of your hike.
Companionship with early northbounders the first half, then finish the Trail with early southbounders.


http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/thru-section-hiking/when-where-to-start

[scree]

Springer to Harpers Ferry / Kathadin to H.F. is more practical, weather wise.

You don't want to start too early at H.F or you'll run into the mud and bugs in New England, but if you start too late it will be wicked hot when you get back down south. I guess I would start around the beginning of May NOBO at H.F.

If you were to plan a flip flop for the hottest weather possible at each section, when would you start and how would you structure it? I prefer hiking in the blazing heat and hate winter/cold weather hiking and camping. My main concern would be dry water sources, but other than that hot sounds good.

[Second Half]

Thanks for the advice! I was thinking a bit later than most advised but am reconsidering based on the suggestions. I do have plenty of time to think about it, the earliest I can make the attempt is 2016.