[at-l] How to do it? was "Merlin walks again"

[bullard@northnet.org (James Bullard)]

At 11:43 AM 2/11/01 -0500, The Weathercarrot wrote:
>Hi Sly - you write:
>
>>You've been on Wingdings list too long!  The Appalachian Trail is 2167 
>>miles long, does it really matter what way you walk it? <
>
>I think WF is beside the point. Every hiker can think of hiking styles 
>that wouldn't be for them, so ultimately, when choosing how your hike will 
>be, it does matter. For a lot of people, there is an important element of 
>continuity in doing an AT thru-hike all in one direction, especially when 
>doing it the first time, and sometimes even in subsequent hikes. Yes, it's 
>the journey, not the destination and all that, but having done AT hikes 
>both straight through and as a flip, I can fully identify with the 
>emotional motivation to do a fully one direction hike. Any way of doing it 
>is valid, and preferring one method over another is also valid. Just a 
>thought.  Take care,

I've thought a lot about how I would like to hike the AT. I've considered 
sections and flip flopping. I even thought about flip flopping with Mt 
Washington as the 'middle' so I'd end on a summit but somehow a Springer => 
Katadhin thru is what *feels* right. I think it is a psychological 
requirement that a journey has a beginning and an end, not a beginning, a 
big skip and back to the middle. The physical reality of a thru is more 
congruent with the  inner journey than the alternatives.

Saunterer