Originally Posted by
TV
thanks for the responses.
so now i'm seriously considering heading north from HF instead of south last of april, beginning of may. i can't leave until then and if i head south from HF like i originally had planned, i might not get to katahdin in time.
i'm not thrilled at the prospect of starting out in the "rocks" but it WILL give my legs a chance to acclimate, and i will STILL get a big crescendo, it will just be after 1000 miles instead of 2000. i also will get to hike with the surviving northbounders.
the hike from HF to springer should be beautiful from august through november, and i might get to hike with surviving south bounders. if not, i will be more than used to the trail by then, and hiking alone with the solitude won't bother me at all.
so it's either this or do a full southbound thru starting the first of june, black flies, raging streams, and all. but truthfully, though the almost immediate immersion into wilderness, post the katahdin climb would be strange, amazing, and dreamlike, i'm not sure how confident i feel about starting my hike in such tough terrain.
guess my heart will tell me which way to go as i draw closer to leaving.
TV