Big news- I'm hiking north bound!

About 3 days ago I received an email from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy advising me that there is still mountains of snow on Katahdin, meaning that a June 1st southbound hike is most likely not going to happen. It was suggested that I consider a flip-flop instead. This would involve starting at the southern terminus of the trail hiking north to the halfway point and then getting a ride up to the northern terminus and hiking south back to the halfway point. 

Although this would still be considered a thru-hike, my mind was having a hard time accepting this alternative route. To me a thru-hike starts at point A and ends at point B. So jumping around and ending in the middle wasn't going to work for me. 

So in a dramatic turn of events I'm changing plans entirely: I am hiking north bound starting a week from today. Logistically this is going to take quite a bit of re-planning. I need to reorganize all my mail drops (I'll post a new "send us mail" asap). I also am skipping out on the last 2 doctors' appointments I was supposed to go to next week. 

This might be a crazy idea, but I feel confident I am strong enough to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in 5 months so that I can get to Katahdin by October 15th when the park closes again for the winter. 

I'm currently in Boston for my little Brother's graduation, I'll be back in northern Indiana some time tomorrow. Then it is back to southern Indiana for 3 more days of work. On Saturday I'll head back up to northern Indiana to pack my gear and on Sunday I'll drive down to Springer Mountain in Georgia. On Memorial Day I'll be on the trail. This is probably a crazy idea, but I can't wait to get on the trail.