Has anyone in this forum actually done a flip-flop? If so, would you do it again or settle on a NOBO or SOBO? Pro’s, con’s, or random thoughts welcome. Not interested in whether Katahdin closes or not…
icantsleep
Flip-Flop - Appalachian Trail
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#2
I know someone who flopped. Me-Harpers Springer-Harpers. Started late when the fall leaves were just coming out. Hiked alone a fair amount but had a ton-o-fun. Hooked up with us in Georgia and were still buds.
Bushwhack
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#3
A flip flop allows you to do the entire trail, if you think that otherwise you won’t be able to do it in one season. i.e. slow hikers or late starters or someone who has been side tracked by injury. The pro and con can be that you are probably not hiking with the crowd, but not necessarily. WE had a friend who started in late May in Damascus, hiked north to Katahdin, then flipped and hiked south to Springer. She got to meet and hike with both the northbound crowd and the southbound crew. She had autumn in New England and again in the Smokies. I know some slow hikers who flipped who enjoyed meeting everyone they had met previously, and a lot of folks they had only read about in the registers. For others, they may hike alone most of the time - which is both good and bad in different ways. For those who care about such things, you may lose the sense of continuity and you won’t experience the joy of finally reaching Katahdin as the final summit. Harpers Ferry isn’t nearly as satisfying a destination. But it can be more practical, if your goal is not Katahdin, but just hiking the whole trail, whatever it takes to do so. An advantage is you don’t have time pressure - though that’s not such a big deal on the AT for most people. A disadvantage is that some people will consider what you did as somehow less than a ‘real’ thruhike. But that’s their problem not yours unless you let it be.
Ginny
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#5
Yes, I did my hike in two spring/summers. Because of committments, I couldn’t start until late May. So, I hiked from Harpers north to Katahdin with the early thru-hikers. The next year, I started in Springer in late April and hiked to Harpers with the back of the pack.
3 months was long enough for me to be away from family and such. Both times, I was tired when I finished, but not burned out. If I do it again I would plan the same thing.
And I disagree with Wolf. Katahdin is not just another mountain. It’s a goal that everyone works for all the way through Maine. And the closer to the goal, the more the talk and enthusiasm grows. On a clear day, you get your first glimse of Katahdin from Saddleback. Thereafter, everytime you get up to top of a mountain, you look ahead and wonder if you can see Katahdin, and if so, which one is it on the horizon. Until finally you hike over White Cap in the 100 miles and there it is, with nothing but lower hills between you and Katahdin. It’s a great feeling. Finally, the last night at Dicey Pond, (now the Birches), there is excitement in the air about the next day’s climb. For me, it was like the night before Christmas. Katahdin is a kick a$$ goal. No doubt about it.
Peaks
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#6
I have been thinking of doing a flip in '05. My plan is to start in Harpers Ferry on April 1st and hike to Springer then flip back to Harpers and hike to Big K with the Nobos. I think that although it will be cold to start the low elevations should not make it much worse then GA in April. The crowds will be small, shelters empty and terrain mild to start and get my hikers legs back. If my milage projections are correct I should get to Damascus for trail days and go through the Smokies after the big surge of nobos but before the summer crowds. The flowers should be all in bloom by that time also.
Big B
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#7
I flip-flopped on both of my hikes (AT '99 and PCT '02). The big advantages are having time alone on the trail (we flipped after Trail Days made the AT feel like a constant party) and the chance to see the whole trail (we flipped on the PCT because fires in Oregon made hiking pointless- no views!). It is actually pretty cool, too, because you get to see who is left on the trail- all the people you met when you started you pass on the way back. There are always enough people to hike with. I have tons of friends from both trails, including thru-hikers, section hikers and other flip-floppers. Ending is every bit as exciting and fulfilling, there doesn’t have to be a summit at the end…the feeling is more like completing a circle than just abruptly ending at a destination.
Cross Country
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#8
Well, I finished my thru-hike at Harper’s Ferry. I had the satisfaction of completing the trail. But, it was hard to share the excitement of the accomplishment there. It was much better when I finished 1/2 of the hike at Katahdin previously because of the group’s goal all the way through Maine.
Peaks
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#9
I really appreciate all the feedback. It always helps to gather as much info as you can!
icantsleep