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Thread: Yo-Yo Hiking

  1. #1

    Question Yo-Yo Hiking

    I am planning a Yo-Yo hike for 2010, I live in Ga and if im gonna walk to maine i figured I might as well walk back!! Im not using bounce boxes, or mail drops plan on carrying the same equip at the start as I do at end. I have my sleeping gear and other things laid out for just this purpose for example I will be using a 0 degree bag (over kill maybe but I dont like sleeping cold!) and a 11 degree liner so if i get to cold i can use that or in the summer I can use the liner as a summer bag, my base weight minus food will be about 30ish pounds so a 45 pound pack is a good target. Im wondering though how often people yo-yo this thing I have not heard much about it any ideas? oh and Im also leaving Febuary the first. I am ex millitary and have been hiking since I was 15 and will be turning 30 on the trail next year how cool is that!!

  2. #2

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    ok i forgot to get email notifs so this is just a garbage post sorry peeps

  3. #3
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    your chances aren't good

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    Registered User kayak karl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tatertot View Post
    I am planning a Yo-Yo hike for 2010, I live in Ga and if im gonna walk to maine i figured I might as well walk back!! Im not using bounce boxes, or mail drops plan on carrying the same equip at the start as I do at end. I have my sleeping gear and other things laid out for just this purpose for example I will be using a 0 degree bag (over kill maybe but I dont like sleeping cold!) and a 11 degree liner so if i get to cold i can use that or in the summer I can use the liner as a summer bag, my base weight minus food will be about 30ish pounds so a 45 pound pack is a good target. Im wondering though how often people yo-yo this thing I have not heard much about it any ideas? oh and Im also leaving Febuary the first. I am ex millitary and have been hiking since I was 15 and will be turning 30 on the trail next year how cool is that!!
    whatever floats your boat
    I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.

  5. #5

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    Good luck, have a great hike. . .

  6. #6

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    lone wolf why dont you tell me why my chances are not so good?

  7. #7
    Registered User hikergirl1120's Avatar
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    I would say worry about going one way first....I not trying to discourage and I am FAR less experienced than most on here. I just think going 2179 miles is incredibly challenging never mind 4358 miles....

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    Registered User hikergirl1120's Avatar
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    then again who am I to say....I say go for it...set your goals and put your whole heart into it!! Hike your own hike taterot!! Woooo HOOOOOO!!!!

  9. #9

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    thanks hikergirl, I have often heard shoot for the stars and if you miss at least you will land on the moon, if I only make it halfway i would have already been further than most!!
    I figure if you can make it to maine by that time you are in really good condition so lets see where it goes. I do want to know how many people have tried and how many have succeeded.

  10. #10
    Registered User hikergirl1120's Avatar
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    From what I have heard and read once hikers reach Maine sometimes they are in pretty rough shape...the New England terrain beats people up...but I guess that depends on the person.

    If I were you I would try and talk to people who have actually thru hiked or even yo'yo'd (which I think is the obvious purpose of this thread)

    There is ALOT of good advice to be had on this site, for me it helps to hear about other people's experiences.

  11. #11
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    I expect you could trim that pack weight a fair bit without sacrificing anything. That might help you succeed and have fun.
    "It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss

  12. #12
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    I don't personally know any AT yo-yoers, but I've met the successful PCT and CDT yo-yoers. They had drastically lower pack weight than you're planning, below ten pounds base weight, and they all had very extensive previous long distance hiking experience. None of them did a yo-yo their first time out. They also experienced pretty extreme hardships in the early and late seasons.

    I believe a yo-yo is way more than twice as hard as a one-way. I think the extra pace requirements grow exponentially, if that makes any sense.

    With a 20% +/- completion rate for a one-way hike, your skeptics are just saying that the odds are against a first-timer being successful with a highly ambitious hike, especially with a traditional pack weight. I tend to agree. But we all start somewhere. You may buck the odds, learn a lot as you go, and make it. Or try again the following year. Best of luck.
    "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning

  13. #13

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    When you say things like, "I figured I might as well walk back" and "Im wondering though how often people yo-yo this thing I have not heard much about it any ideas?" it tells people like Lone Wolf and myself that you haven't really researched or fully grasped what a yo-yo attempt entails. Don't mistake what I'm saying! I wish you all the best. People definitely yo-yo the AT. You will not be the first. But, remember you haven't even AT thru-hiked one way yet never mind completing a yo-yo. Do you truely grasp what it means to be backpacking/living on a trail for 5 months or longer through changing seasons and conditions? You need to rethink what you are going to try. A yo-yo takes considerable time, finances, lifestyle changes, exertion, physical and mental prep and..., and..., and...,etc What I'm trying to get across to you is that seriously attempting or inquiring to finish a yo-yo should not be approached with a cavalier attitude. I'm telling you these things not because a yo-yo is impossible for you, but so that you don't approach this kind of journey unprepared. Some of the biggest reasons for such a high drop-out rate for those attempting a thru-hike of the AT, 1/2 of a yo-yo, is because thru-hikers start out unprepared with the mindset that a thru-hike can quickly or easily be finished or they have this overly romantic view of trail life. This will go double for a yo-yo.

  14. #14

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    Thank you dogwood for your concern, however I fully realize that their are times that it is truly going to suck!! There will be rain,snow, slick trails, tired legs, gear failure, mental anguish etc and I do know what it means to live five months in the woods I have given much thought to this I came to the decesion to yo-yo yes because Im walking there I might as well walk back, but since that time I have given serious consideration to the cost and the burden. After spending 6 months in a war zone called Iraq I am pretty sure I can handle the mental and physical aspects of the trail. What Im wanting to know is the seasonal changes and if the stores have seasonal hours ETC what extra steps need to be taken? I am not concerned about the time that it takes to complete so long as I get as much out of the northeast as I can before winter headed south. I do have a romantic view of the trail but that romance includes the hardships as well. Nothing worth doing is ever easy, makes sense, or seems possible but with a faith in God and a feeling that God is leading me here for a reason is what drives me on. Oh im scared beleive you me there are so many unknowns yet I have got to try!! Moses had his time in the wilderness I too must have mine.

  15. #15
    Registered User Ridge Rat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tatertot View Post
    Thank you dogwood for your concern, however I fully realize that their are times that it is truly going to suck!! There will be rain,snow, slick trails, tired legs, gear failure, mental anguish etc and I do know what it means to live five months in the woods I have given much thought to this I came to the decesion to yo-yo yes because Im walking there I might as well walk back, but since that time I have given serious consideration to the cost and the burden. After spending 6 months in a war zone called Iraq I am pretty sure I can handle the mental and physical aspects of the trail. What Im wanting to know is the seasonal changes and if the stores have seasonal hours ETC what extra steps need to be taken? I am not concerned about the time that it takes to complete so long as I get as much out of the northeast as I can before winter headed south. I do have a romantic view of the trail but that romance includes the hardships as well. Nothing worth doing is ever easy, makes sense, or seems possible but with a faith in God and a feeling that God is leading me here for a reason is what drives me on. Oh im scared beleive you me there are so many unknowns yet I have got to try!! Moses had his time in the wilderness I too must have mine.
    Not for anything, but there are quite a few people on the trail that have been a veteran of quite a few wars. Iraq is nothing to get you ready for the trail really. I think when I was deployed at the start of both wars, I was lazier than ever when it comes to being in true hiking shape. I applaud your gung-ho'ness of a yo-yo, but the trail isn't as easy as people would like to think it is. I personally have not thru'ed but know a lot of people that have and I think if you want to look at it realisticly attempt a thru-hike. If/When you reach katahdin then consider yo-yoing. Most of the people here giving you and I and all of us advice know far more about the trail that you and I. I take what they say pretty seriously and heed their advice.

  16. #16

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    I heed their advice as something to watch for yes, however my final decesion will be made upon my arrival in maine but I still need to plan for it nonetheless. I have no delusions about the trail being easy I expect it to be hard really hard and I cant wait I love a good challenge. I am throughly prepared but i know there are some things that I may be forgetting thats why i posted this. I do appreciate the tips and I do think I am going reduce my bag weight some thanks

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tatertot View Post
    I heed their advice as something to watch for yes, however my final decesion will be made upon my arrival in maine but I still need to plan for it nonetheless. I have no delusions about the trail being easy I expect it to be hard really hard and I cant wait I love a good challenge. I am throughly prepared but i know there are some things that I may be forgetting thats why i posted this. I do appreciate the tips and I do think I am going reduce my bag weight some thanks
    Unless you are as big as an ox, reduce it a lot, with 3-4 days food plus 1 liter of water (more water in summer in dry areas) you don't want to be over 30 pounds I imagine. 25 would be better. That's a lot of miles to cover between the deep snow, north and south, so you should plan on long days, including cooking dinner and hiking some more, maybe after dark as the days shrink.

    One thing is for sure, it will not be fun or romantic unless you are really crazy.

    Best of luck and health.

  18. #18
    Registered User cowboy nichols's Avatar
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    If you have the time go for it. After Iraq it will be a piece of cake. Good Luck and Thank you for your service.

  19. #19

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    It sounds like a great trip.
    Have fun.

    One small piece of advice: When you are hiking in the summer (July and August) the 0 deg. bag is going to be a bit overkill.
    Don't rule out a mail drop or two to ship yourself another sleeping bag (and get the other one back in Maine or somewhere)

    Don't worry about all the naysayers. Cyber hikers love to but a stone in your shoe. (or rock in your pack)
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by fiddlehead View Post
    It sounds like a great trip.
    Have fun.

    One small piece of advice: When you are hiking in the summer (July and August) the 0 deg. bag is going to be a bit overkill.
    Don't rule out a mail drop or two to ship yourself another sleeping bag (and get the other one back in Maine or somewhere)

    Don't worry about all the naysayers. Cyber hikers love to but a stone in your shoe. (or rock in your pack)
    did anyone mention bounce box? definitely want one of those if one is spending that much time alone.

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