Hey everyone, I seen this subject brought up on WB a while back by Dr Doyle.I dont think anyone has pulled it off YET.but a double yo-yo of the AT in a calander year.Hmmmmm..90 days each way...sounds feasable..and the opprotunity to spend all 4 seasons on the trail..how or what would be the best course of action to attempt this.comments and suggestions please

Hi Don,

Interesting idea for sure. I assume you're thinking about this?

I've never done the AT but I've done some hiking up in Vermont and I know how much snow they get up north on the AT. How would you handle that? It would certainly slow your progress.

I guess my question is, has anyone ever done a winter thru hike of the AT? What's it like in January?

Doug,

Justin Licher hiked the AT in the winter of 05-06 as part of his big hike. He went southbound starting around Novemeber 15th and ending around march 1st. Here is his journal:

http://www.granitegear.com/trauma/2006/updates/index.html

Edited by burkest on 07/01/2007 06:29:17 MDT.

Doug actualy it is something that I have been considering for about a year and a half now..I have done some research and tentitive planning to weigh the pro's and con's of such a hike..ie..timeing through the whites and Katahdin summit time cutoffs and ofcourse heavy snow posibile all through the smokeies..@ 90 days each way there is some wiggle room for unforseen set backs.would it still be a success if I arrived at big k to early to summit or arrived to late or in bad weather on the 2nd pass??? still lots to consider..but I do want to do something not run of the mill..along the lines of skurka,williamson,jordan,robinson..something BIG

Hey Don,

I understand where you are comming fom when it comes to wanting to do something big. I also have some big, BIG plans for in the future. my reasoning behind wanting to do such a long odyssey are first, to shatter the limits of what seems possible, and to do something never done before. also, when doing such a long trip, you learn things others are not able to, you adapt and grow mentally, and are able to share your experiences with others. you are able to see more, do more, and within a shorter period of time.

a double yo-yo, is nothing I have heard of before, and I encourage you to try for it, are you planning on trying for any sponserships?

I would be interested in what kinds of gear you will be planning on bringing.
I hope it all works out for you, I still have quite a few years before I would be able to embark on a long expedition, I hope that my dreams dont change, and I am able to put my mark on the outdoor world.

Don, have you considered the idea of developing and thru-hiking a route that no one's hiked before? A first completion is forever yours, and the route can then be presented as a gift to the hiking community. To make a route worth knowing is to make a route worth defending.

Best of success with your dream.

Hi Don,
Been in the Whites over the past few weekends and according AMC site supervisors first wave of thru hikers started coming through first weekend in June, start dates were March 1st to get to the 1800 mile mark. Could see yo-yo easily being done, seems like you would need a very mild winter to logistically pull off a double yo-yo, this year we had a nasty storm system blow in late April, early May dumping 3 1/2' to 4' of snow on trails in NH & ME, most snow fall in northern N.E. usually happens February through March, something to work into your equation.
Best of luck on this one, keep us posted.

well 1st thanks to everyone who has responded to this thread.as I stated in a prior post , I am new to bpl but had spent lots of time on wb. and finding this site was great and refreshing for the soul. GREAT SITE..although it would be nice to see who else is on the site, while I am. I think that would be helpful for certain questions. you get a feel for every person's style and strenghts or maybe they could hit upon someone that could answer their question if we knew who was here..that's all..anyway ..glad I am here, I look foward to learning about getting a better more refind system. and it seems this is the place..thanks again

I assume you'll plan on a snowshoe or ski mountaineering period or two. See Skurka's UL in the Icebox.

well I am sure to need snow shoes and crampons for some of the beginning..ie ..the smokies and a few other places.but hopefully these mild winters will hold true and I don't get a heavy winter, then spring and summer and hopefully be far enough south to escape the worst on the final leg. but yes I am very much takeing the snow into account.that is really my only concern, the pace grinding to a crawl and falling off pace due to postholeing and storms.I need to avg 24.5 miles a day,which is totaly doable.but not in 4ft of powder.still planning so we will see...thanks for feedback.KEEP IT COMING