I am planning a thru hike and got to thinking has anyone done what is referred to as a yo-yo hike where you start say GA and go to MA then back to your original starting point in GA..........So the question is can anyone tell me if anyone has done such a thing and where can I find info. on the statistics of those who have attempted as apposed to those who have completed it?
Steven "YoYo" Nuckolls is credited as first to do this back in the early 80's. Probably best to concentrate on finishing a normal thru (which is challenging enough with a 20% or so success rate). I'm not aware of any statistics.
You would need an early start and make good time so that you can past the whites before winter hits on the return trip. That would probably be the biggest obstacle. There are many others.
A guy named PJ Wetzel aka "Seeks it" completed a YoYo hike in 2012. I could try to get you in touch with him if you'd like. You might find him on the internet if you google his name.
At least seven people have reported yo-yo hikes to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (which has been keeping records on those who have completed the A.T. since 1936). At least two (maybe three) have done double consecutive yo-yos (four consecutive thru-hikes, turning around at each terminus reached to continue). Max Patch is right about the first person to do a yo-yo.
Setting a goal to simply complete the A.T. is a pretty challenging one in itself. Ditto what Max Patch said.
I don't think what Wetzel did should be called a YoYo based on the usually accepted definition of the term. It deserves a term of its own. Any suggestions?
mp... I'm not sure, then. I believe people if they claim to have accomplished something like that... not sure.
Okay.. I'll see what I can do..I'll get right back to ya. I'll PM you later.
To make sure there is no confusion.
A YoYo starts in GA, hikes to Maine, turns around and hikes back to GA. Or vice-versa.
What Wetzel did, greatly simplified, was to park his van at (for example) a trailhead at mile marker 10, hike south to springer and then turn around and hike back to his van where he spent the nite. The next day he would hike to a trailhead at mile marker 20, and then turn around and hike to his van at mile marker 10 where he spent the nite. The next day he would drive the van to a trailhead a mile marker 30 and repeat the process until he finished the entire trail. I believe he called this a "double thru hike".
Again, the above is greatly simplified. He spent every nite in his van, it was important for him to not spend a single night camping outside. He also did not hopscotch up the entire trail this way from terminus to terminus, he bounced around some. In the Whites I believe he had to return to his van using other trails on occasion.
I hope it did not sound like I was denigrating Wetzels hike in any way as that was not my intent. I just wanted to point out that this deserves it own term, as "YoYo" does not describe IMO what he did.
He is on this website so a PM will reach him next time he logs in. I was intrigued by what he did and asked him some questions and he got back to me next time he was on the site.
I'm not much for labels because no two hikes are the same. What I did in 2012 was 270 individual yo-yo day hikes. Each day I did a piece of trail both ways until I had completed the entire trail that way. Paschen, I started January 1st and finished November 3rd. It is a major serious commitment. It's not the physical challenge that is likely to lead to failure, it's the dogged, bull-headed sense of 'mission' that you need to stick with it. You'll be miserable, lonely, flat-out bored, and constantly tempted by civilization. I guess that's why, as Laurie P said, only seven people have reported accomplishing this. I wish you well.
I remain intrigued about how Wetzel went about his hike, and am considering doing what he did in a modified fashion at some point in the future. Rather than out and back in the same day, I'd probably go out for 2-3 days and return. Negative - have to carry a full pack. Positive - get to sleep outside and not in the car in the gaps. Also never have to hitch to town!
Thank you PJ!! :>) 4,368.4 miles all done in less than a year.. AMAZING!!
"He spent every nite in his van, it was important for him to not spend a single night camping outside."
That would be pretty much impossible to do in Maine, no?
When are you planning to leave for your yo-yo hike? I was thinking about doing a yo-yo hike for a while in 2015 but now I'm thinking of doing the eastern continental trail and possibly the great american loop. It's more to hike if you really just want to be alone with nature.
Maine, is ME. MA is Massachsetts and it wouldnt be a complete yoyo of the trail if you turned around there.
IMHO, Wetzel did not do what is considered a thru hiking yo-yo. He said it himself, "270 individual yo-yo day hikes". By that definition, technically speaking, anybody that does any trail round trip like he did, then can be considered a yo-yo hike.