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  1. #1
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    Default Flip Flop Class of 2015 Unite!

    Hello Follow Flip Floppers.

    After reading the various thru hike strategies, I know a Flip Flop was the way to go for me.

    http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiki...where-to-start

    Brian

  2. #2
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    That's my plan too, but I can go until 2018. Would love to follow you and any other flip floppers next year though. Good luck!

  3. #3
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    I'm seriously considering a head start from Harpers Ferry about May 1. The train from Maine to Harpers Ferry should not be too bad. And the flight to Wash DC should be cheaper than a flight to Maine.

  4. #4
    Registered User dink's Avatar
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    2018 for me too ...doing a flip flop...thinking of starting mid may because I don't want to hit maine before the black flies settle down a little bit...nasty little buggers!!!

  5. #5
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    Well... my first WB post! On October 2nd, I committed to a 2015 thru hike. I decided that a head start itinerary would be best for me. Leaving Harpers Ferry May 1 (or there-abouts) and headed NOBO. Then HF SOBO to Springer. I appreciate all the info and support from the AT/WB community! More posts and lots of questions to follow.

  6. #6
    Registered User semicolon's Avatar
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    Squeezebox .... Pm 'd you, but your message box is full.

  7. #7
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    Semicolon & Squeezebox - My wife & I are hoping to do the same, but will be starting 100 or so miles south of you (hwy33/SNP) and a few weeks earlier (no later than April 15). Should put us in HF about the time you take off (planning on taking it really easy the first 2-4 weeks...no reason to rush and blow an achilles :-)).

  8. #8
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    I have vacillated between a NOBO and flip-flop for months and have finally decided once and for all that I doing a flip. I am basically doing the Cool Breeze with a twist. Sounds like a yummy drink! Anyway, in early April it will be Troutville, VA to Gt. Barrington, MA, then off for a quick visit home, then from MA to ME by August. Then back to VA and SOBO the rest of the way. Done by mid October or so. I should hit the trail with some hikers in both directions so I hope to see some of you early starters and lots of SOBOs later on. This is my plan and I am sticking with it come hell or high water!! I can NOT wait!!

  9. #9
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    Did I hear that the ATC is doing a flip-flop workshop May 2? or was that just part of a strange dream?

  10. #10
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    Let's make sure one of us starts a thread about Apr. 1, to collect info about start places and times, share contact info etc,
    I'm not looking to get married, or bubble, but having someone watching my back would be good.

  11. #11
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    Sounds good to me squeezebox!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  12. #12
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    hey great plan, that's probably the way I'll go too, maybe see you on the trail. Best of luck!

    Quote Originally Posted by semicolon View Post
    Well... my first WB post! On October 2nd, I committed to a 2015 thru hike. I decided that a head start itinerary would be best for me. Leaving Harpers Ferry May 1 (or there-abouts) and headed NOBO. Then HF SOBO to Springer. I appreciate all the info and support from the AT/WB community! More posts and lots of questions to follow.

  13. #13
    Registered User semicolon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by squeezebox View Post
    Did I hear that the ATC is doing a flip-flop workshop May 2? or was that just part of a strange dream?
    Not a strange dream...I too saw Laura's post that the ATC was planning a May 2nd Flip Flop kick off. And, given all the conversations about traditional NOBO/SOBO hiker impacts, I hope that we can heighten the awareness of alternative thru hiking itineraries. The Head Start has always been my first preference.

  14. #14
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    Anyone who chooses to flip flop is going to give themselves one big pat on the back. Here's an overlooked advantage to alternative thrus: you may very well be the first hiker(s) of the season for the hostels, businesses, and trail angels you pass through. Much more accommodating in every way.

    You're doing a great thing for the trail too.

  15. #15
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    I am seriously considering an alternative thru, bailing on the Pack of Fools to help mitigate the Bubble. I'm trying to get the other Fools (here of WB) to reconsider as well. I'll be reviewing my choices and make a choice that seems right for me.

    I really wanted to do a NOBO, but I'm retiring, and my options are open, so it seems like a wise choice for me and the wilderness. I want to do my part for future hikers.
    AKA "DANGER" AT Thru-Hiker Class of 2015

  16. #16
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    I talked to Dave at the ATC info desk for quite a while this morning. They are planning a flip-flop kick off around May 1. He really did not know much about what it would involve, but was certain it will happen. I'm hoping for workshops and discussions. I plan on going to it and leaving for north the next day. It might create a small bubble, but I'ld like to hike with some folks the 1st week, someone to watch my back. I'm sure we will spread out quickly. So drop the huge crowd at Springer Apr 1 and join a reasonable sized group at Harpers Ferry May 1.

  17. #17
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    I'm also looking at flip-flop options. I'm retiring from teaching (maybe a sabatical?), but can't cut the strings until May 1. Harpers Ferry makes sense, or possibly somewhere a bit further south in Virginia. I want to have several weeks before hitting the Whites and other challenges to the North plus I've done a fair bit of the trail in North Carolina, so I'm OK with hitting that later.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rockdr View Post
    I'm also looking at flip-flop options. I'm retiring from teaching (maybe a sabatical?), but can't cut the strings until May 1. Harpers Ferry makes sense, or possibly somewhere a bit further south in Virginia. I want to have several weeks before hitting the Whites and other challenges to the North plus I've done a fair bit of the trail in North Carolina, so I'm OK with hitting that later.
    Waynesboro would be a logical place to start a bit south of HF. Pretty easy to access and you would start with the relatively easy SNP, although I don't know how many of the seasonal facilities there would be open on the first week of May.

  19. #19

    Default Flip-Flop Kick Off May 2 at ATC in Harpers Ferry

    Yes, ATC is planning a Flip-Flop Kick Off in Harpers Ferry on Saturday, May 2. I'm so excited to see this thread!

    The goal is to promote flip-flop thru-hikes (that begin anywhere other than Georgia in March and the first half of April), provide information about the benefits of flip-flopping, and support those who choose to start out in Harpers Ferry May 2. The purpose is to disperse thru-hikers along the A.T. in time and space so that the Trail will be less crowded and negatively impacted, and, at the same time, allow more people to experience a thru-hike among uncrowded conditions.

    We already have some recent flip-floppers lined up to participate in a panel. One is Emily "Fiver" Mishler, who did a flip-flop thru-hike starting in Harpers Ferry in May 23 last year. There was a nice article about her hike in her hometown newspaper, The Waynesboro Record at therecordherald.com/article/20141201/News/141209996/?Start=1


    Through-Hiker Reflects on Appalachian Trail
    By Nancy Mace/The Record Herald
    Posted Dec. 1, 2014 @ 10:15 am

    Thinking about hiking the Appalachian Trail? Just go for it, advised a Waynesboro woman who recently completed the 2,180-mile journey.
    “If the idea appeals to you, don’t wait for the ‘right’ moment to present itself before you try it,” said Emily Mishler, 24. “Chances are low that the timing will ever be perfect to disappear from your life for five to six months.”

    Her other advice — “You don’t have to be in shape to start — you’ll get there soon enough.”

    Flip-flop hike
    Mishler, the daughter of Neal and Lorraine Mishler, grew up on South Mountain less than a mile from the trail.
    “I’d walked small sections of it when I was younger and I always thought it would be a fun adventure but I never expected to actually through-hike the entire trail. It wasn’t until returning from a study abroad trip in New Zealand that I really decided to make it a reality,” noted Mishler, a graduate of Waynesboro Area Senior High School and Grove City College. “After being able to travel on my own in another country it seemed a lot more realistic to be able to hike the trail by myself. I also did a lot of hiking while I was there.”
    Mishler said she originally intended following the standard route, starting in Georgia and hiking the whole trail north to Maine.

    “Due to financial reasons and scheduling conflicts my start date was too late to begin in the south so I decided on a flip-flop hike. A flip-flop is any through-hike that doesn’t begin at either terminus but rather somewhere in the middle. I chose Harper’s Ferry due to its fairly central location and first hiked north. Once I reached Katahdin (Maine), my parents came to pick me up and I took a short break before going back to Harper’s Ferry and hiking south.”


    Read more: http://www.therecordherald.com/artic...#ixzz3Mpij8YSS

    Please tell me about what you'd like to see happen at our event that would encourage you to come (whether you're coming as a thru-hiker starting out, a dreamer, or a supporter), and would make it beneficial for you.

    For many years I've made it my goal to learn everything I can about flip-flopping and what works best by interviewing thru-hikers who've done various flips and learning their perspectives. The comments I've heard have generally been very positive, but I want to make sure we give prospective thru-hikers as much information as possible so they can make an informed decision about what kind of hike is best for them given their goals for the hike.

    Laurie Potteiger
    ATC
    Last edited by Lauriep; 12-24-2014 at 12:46. Reason: Hit the submit button before I was finished.

  20. #20
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    Hi Laurie, my wife and I decided last year that a flip-flop works for us and for the AT. We hope to set off N from HF on May 9, 2015. If all goes well, we will finish at Springer in October, but we're prepared to cut off the southbound leg if we are behind schedule (I have an obligation to attend to the first week of November). Because we are 60 and 61 yrs old, we have scheduled a leisurely pace. I'm hoping we can make better time than we anticipate and finish the whole sobo leg, but it seems to me that our situation allows us to just walk...and see where each day takes us. I'm waiting on the 2015 companion and data book to see if I need to make any adjustments. We are looking forward to our trip, have some key family support in MD, ME and GA for logistics, are now just trying to shave weight from our gear.

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