I need Advice on an alternative thru-hike idea.

[David Alan Lane]

I am thinking about a flip-flop hike starting in Harper's ferry in late March and going to Springer and then going back to Harper's Ferry and then Hiking to Katahdin. Is this a good time of year for this? Will many people be going this way? How about the weather? I want to start easy and work our way up to more difficult to get into hiking form. Thank you for your thoughts and advice.

David & Erin Lane
A.K.A. Squarepeg & Sassypants

[Slo-go'en]

There are trade offs as you would imagine.

I guess it's a toss up weather wise. Its cold and wet during April and May all up and down the Appalachians.

It's unlikely there will be anyone else going the same way. You'll be lonely at first. But it won't last. Before long you'll start to meet the early NOBOs which will at first be a trickle and then become a flood. Then it will stay that way pretty much all the way down to Springer.

Northern VA is not exceptionally hard and that point NOBO thrus are starting to call it down right easy. But VA is not a cake walk either. It has some serious ups and downs which start in earnist after the SNP.

Personally, I see no advantage in starting at the middle SOBO and flipping.

[WeShallSee]

I'm doing the same start but after the southern half I am going to go north and finish Katahdin back to Harper's Ferry. The reason is to not have any deadline worries at Katahdin. I am leaving on April 17. No there will not be "many" people starting this way but there will be some of us. It won't take long before we start crossing paths with the early starting northbounders. As far as the weather, maybe somebody else can help us out here.

[Odd Man Out]

Have you seen this page from the ATC?
It outlines a number of alternate itineraries, comparing the pros and cons of each.

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

[bigcranky]

Is there a particular reason you don't want to just start at Springer? Starting at Harper's Ferry sobo isn't really starting easy and working up to it. If you started in HF on June 1 and went nobo to Katahdin, that would be starting easy. Then flip to HF and hike sobo to Springer and finish around Thanksgiving. (Fall hiking in the South is great.)

Starting at Springer in late March would be fine from a "working up to it" perspective -- just do sub-10 mile days for the first few weeks. You'll have a lot of support if you want it.

[Statue]

I'm doing the same start but after the southern half I am going to go north and finish Katahdin back to Harper's Ferry. The reason is to not have any deadline worries at Katahdin. I am leaving on April 17. No there will not be "many" people starting this way but there will be some of us. It won't take long before we start crossing paths with the early starting northbounders. As far as the weather, maybe somebody else can help us out here.

I started my thru on April 17th. It was myself and 3 other people, we all finished. It's a good day. :)

[Cookerhiker]

I am thinking about a flip-flop hike starting in Harper's ferry in late March and going to Springer and then going back to Harper's Ferry and then Hiking to Katahdin. Is this a good time of year for this? Will many people be going this way? How about the weather? I want to start easy and work our way up to more difficult to get into hiking form. Thank you for your thoughts and advice.

David & Erin Lane
A.K.A. Squarepeg & Sassypants


I like the idea of starting in the middle and hiking to Springer - I've recommended it on other threads. But for the northern half, I'd follow We Shall See's advice except I'd take a few weeks off in between the halves.


I'm doing the same start but after the southern half I am going to go north and finish Katahdin back to Harper's Ferry. The reason is to not have any deadline worries at Katahdin. I am leaving on April 17. No there will not be "many" people starting this way but there will be some of us. It won't take long before we start crossing paths with the early starting northbounders. As far as the weather, maybe somebody else can help us out here.

[Lauriep]

Hi David and Erin,

There is a lot of additional feedback on this active thread: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?98731-Head-start-thru-hike-from-HF-VA-beginning-in-April-rather-than-May (http://http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?98731-Head-start-thru-hike-from-HF-VA-beginning-in-April-rather-than-May).

Laurie P.
ATC

[turtle fast]

I have to agree that it really makes no sense to do a flip flop hike with your start date. I would start off with the rest of the hikers in late March hiking Northbound. You have more hiker services available to you, the weather down south is normally nicer earlier on as you "walk with Spring" as well you have the ability that if you get to Harpers Ferry and you think that if you won't make it to the big K in time, THEN you can flip flop. It gives you more options as if you wish to hike on and don't fee like taking time off you can easy, also if you wanted some time off you can as Harpers Ferry is a good access point to Washington...remember that Amtrack has a station there.

[Cookerhiker]

I have to agree that it really makes no sense to do a flip flop hike with your start date. I would start off with the rest of the hikers in late March hiking Northbound. You have more hiker services available to you, the weather down south is normally nicer earlier on as you "walk with Spring" as well....

I think saying it "makes no sense" is over-the-top. I'm saying the OP's proposal is the only way but it makes a great deal of sense to me.

I disagree about the weather in the south being "normally nicer earlier on." The higher elevations in the south offset any warming effect from the more southerly latitude. Snow is more likely to be deeper, and temperatures colder, at the 4,500-6,600' elevations of the south than the 3,000-4,000' elevations in Virginia all the way down to Chestnut Knob.

[SawnieRobertson]

Big Cranky and Cookerhiker gave good responses. All did, of course, but theirs appear to me to be helpful. Additionally, there is a journal online with a successful (made it all the way) hike doing what you are thinking about doing except that he excused himself from beginning with the roller coaster as a part of his first weeks. You might find it helpful: Ponderer's trail journal, 2004.

[Praha4]

I'm not a thru hiker, but the only advice on flip flops I would give is try to time it so you don't get to Vermont or New England during mud and black fly season if possible. This summer they had record rainfall in the northeast, so most of the summer thru hikers had a lot of mud and bugs to deal with along the AT, so it was kind of hard to avoid. Unless thru hikers have some pressing deadline to get home by a certain date, I would try to do Vermont, NH and Maine in August/Sept. Good luck.

[David Alan Lane]

:) Thank you all so much for your thoughts and advice. I guess we will go traditional and start from Springer and head north.

[turtle fast]

Good luck on your hike!!! As you can see from every ones posts their are many ways to hike the entire trail...no one is more right than the other and are all personal preferences.