I'm at the very beginning stages of planning a thru-hike this year. Long been my dream, and with the intersection of good career timing, finances, and need to get away from whatever "normal" is now, it feels right.

I want to avoid crowds and strain on the trail and to start a little later in the season, so I like the idea of a flip-flop. But I would love to finish on Katahdin - I live in NH and it would be special to end in the Whites and Maine. None of the ATC's recommended flips end north, though. It came to me that maybe a start at the VT/NH border could work, going south and then coming back up to finish NH and ME.

I was thinking May 1st as a start date. That would give 5.5 months to finish by Oct 15th. Concerns: still mud season in Vermont in May, hiking the South in the heat of the summer, maybe not giving myself enough time to finish.

Good or bad idea? Is there another way I could do a flip-flop and end at Katahdin?