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  1. #81
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    This question is mostly aimed at Lauriep. The best flight I can get May 1 arrives at Reagan airport at noon. Is there train service from Reagan to Harpers Ferry?
    Thanks for the info about lodging.

  2. #82
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    Hey Squeezebox. I know you directed this to Laurie but since I am here, here's the Marc Train website. http://mta.maryland.gov/marc-train. You want the Brunswick Line from Union Station to HF. Take metro from airport to Union Station. Check metro maps to know what color line to take. Since May 1 is a weekday trains will be running west bound for the commuters in the afternoon at regular intervals. Good luck!

  3. #83
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    i'll be hiking NOBO from near the northern end of the SNP early to mid April.

  4. #84

    Default Transportation from DC airports to Harpers Ferry

    Hey Treehugger, thanks for helping out Squeezebox.

    Squeezebox, Treehugger has given you good advice.

    For anyone else looking into transportation, you can view a helpful map here that shows the 3 DC area airports, the 2 train systems (MARC Commuter train and Amtrak), and the MetroRail. The three airports are:

    Dulles (closest, but no public transportation, shuttles available, not cheap because it's 40 miles away)
    Reagan (closest to Union Station where you pick up Amtrak or MARC commuter train to Harpers Ferry, requires two short legs on the MetroRail)
    BWI (furthest, but MARC Penn line connects directly to Union Station)

    All trains from DC to Harpers Ferry run late afternoon or evening. The Amtrak is 4:05pm - 5:16pm daily (the schedule usually changes by a few minutes in the springtime, but never significantly). Faster, nicer, more expensive than the commuter train, be sure to check their baggage requirements (only small carryons allowed; unless you're ultralight your backpack probably won't qualify). The MARC has several trains on weekdays.


    Hey Jimmyjam,

    Good to hear of your plans! Keep us posted!

  5. #85

    Default 2014 Flip-Flopper "Nubbins" is joining us at the Kick-Off

    A 2014 flip-flopper, "Nubbins," has just accepted ATC's invitation to give a presentation at the Harpers Ferry Flip-Flop Kick-Off May 2 about her successful flip-flop thru-hike this past year. She will also participate in our panel discussion, which is up to 3 recent flip-floppers now.

    Nubbins is a 69-year-old woman who started in Pearisburg, VA (388 miles south of Harpers Ferry) on her birthday, April 5. She reached Harpers Ferry May 21. (Some time off was planned for a board meeting, some time off was for a sprained knee). On October 1 she climbed Katahdin, and then finished her final leg from Pearisburg to Springer on December 15. She was a pretty experienced hiker before she started, having completed the Long Trail in Vermont (which shares 100 miles with a moderate section of the A.T., but more than 100 north of the A.T. that is considered by some even tougher than the A.T. in Maine). Her trail Journal (unfinished, but she says she will be updating it) is TrailJournals.com/Nubbins.

    By the way, flip-floppers finishing in 2014 ranged from age 5 (the youngest thru-hiker ever) to age 71. The median age was 29.

  6. #86
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    Thanks for the info treehugger & Laurie. So Laurie are you saying my 65L + pack won't qualify for Amtrack? Does the MARC have restrictions? No reason to fly into DC and then not get my pack to Harpers Ferry. Or am I just confussed.
    How many people are you expecting for the flip flop kick off?
    This is getting real, I'll book my flight with the next paycheck.

  7. #87
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    Quote Originally Posted by squeezebox View Post
    Thanks for the info treehugger & Laurie. So Laurie are you saying my 65L + pack won't qualify for Amtrack? Does the MARC have restrictions? No reason to fly into DC and then not get my pack to Harpers Ferry. Or am I just confussed.
    How many people are you expecting for the flip flop kick off?
    This is getting real, I'll book my flight with the next paycheck.
    I asked my husband who rides the MARC train everyday from DC on the same line and he said he's seen luggage of all sizes on board. If it doesn't fit in the overhead bin then you have to find a place under your seat or next to you, even at your feet. He wasn't as sure about Amtrak but he has taken it before and has seen carry-ons of many sizes too. http://www.amtrak.com/baggage-policy should tell you what you need to know.

  8. #88
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    Lauriep,
    My wife and I are considering changing our thru hike plans to a flip flop from HF in late April or early May of this year. We have family that wants to be involved and would like to day hike some with us as well as slack pack us for a few days at the beginning. Based on your experiences can you suggest a slackpacking itinerary and some possible accommodations? It would be ideal to rent a conveniently located cabin or house for a few days since there will be 5 of us in our group. Thanks!

  9. #89
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    Quote Originally Posted by T-Rx View Post
    Lauriep,
    My wife and I are considering changing our thru hike plans to a flip flop from HF in late April or early May of this year. We have family that wants to be involved and would like to day hike some with us as well as slack pack us for a few days at the beginning. Based on your experiences can you suggest a slackpacking itinerary and some possible accommodations? It would be ideal to rent a conveniently located cabin or house for a few days since there will be 5 of us in our group. Thanks!
    T-rex,
    I came across this site during my research. It looks like they have a couple of family rooms and offer slack packing services.
    http://www.teahorsehostel.com/Rates.html

    I hope to see you on the trail!

  10. #90
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    Thank you very much for the info. semicolon. I hope our paths will cross.

  11. #91

    Default Awesome photo of Harpers Ferry (awesome info, too)

    Hey guys, I just noticed Harpers Ferry National Historical Park has a gorgeous new photo of Harpers Ferry on the banner of their website. Check it out at nps.gov/hafe.

    The view is from Maryland Heights, which is not on the A.T., but it shows you the route of the A.T. below. Your first steps northbound will be through that little town and across the bridge across the Potomac (in the foreground) on the left. Southbound, you cross the bridge over the Shenandoah in the upper left of the photo.

    The HFNHP website has a wealth of information about the history of the area, and some excellent maps showing the many day-hikes in and around the town. There's no place I know of where so much history is blended with so many scenic overlooks, river walks, and battlefields. The flip-floppers starting out this year are probably too focused on their thru-hike to really be interested in this, but for those who might want to come to the kick-off to get information for a future hike, you might want to build a day or two extra into your trip.

    The one thing this website does not have is information about commercial businesses and other things outside of the park (which surrounds Harpers Ferry in three states). The one for that is historicharpersferry.org.

    There are other questions raised in this thread I want to address, but I'll have to get to them later.

  12. #92
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    Thank you, Laurie. I can't speak for the others, but you are making me feel like the Flippers are a special group, deserving of recognition. I must agree.

    Makes me wish the time would pass more quickly. I find myself getting even more excited with this fine event to mark our departure. The chance to meet and bond with others prior to stepping off is no doubt a highlight of the ATKO down south. We can only hope that enthusiasm swells, and this event becomes just as popular in the coming years. Harpers Ferry is also the closest point on the trail to my home, so the possibility (presuming a successful thru) of being involved in future kick-offs is very appealing.

    My dear classmates, it's going to be an awesome year!
    AKA "DANGER" AT Thru-Hiker Class of 2015

  13. #93

    Default Benton MacKaye and The Path Less Traveled

    Dave,

    You guys *are* a very special group. I really can't think of any precedent in the history of the A.T., where a diverse group of thru-hikers has deliberately set out to hike the A.T. in a way that will help preserve it and sustain it.

    The number of intentional flip-floppers is very small. The vast majority of flip-floppers in the numbers you see on our 2,000-miler stats page are flips that were unplanned. Most of these hikers were originally northbound, many starting in March and early April. Most flipped because they felt they would not have enough time to complete a northbound thru-hike. We celebrate those hikers, because generally they have done a slower hike and have chosen to do the responsible thing--not risking rescue somewhere in New Hampshire or Maine or when the snows set in. And we love it when hikers choose to end here. The rest of the world tends to laud and be impressed by the fast hikers. Our heritage at ATC is different.

    Benton MacKaye, the A.T.'s founder who helped create ATC, said he wanted to give a prize to the slowest hiker. The purpose of the A.T., he said, is "to walk, to see, and to see what you see."

    Any hiker can choose a hike more focused on the natural world around them, but I do think the alternative itineraries are more conducive. They don't have the crowds and distraction of frequent opportunities to party. Nobos often talk about how their faith in humanity has been restored, so clearly they are seeing beautiful things too. And as for fast hikers, they can be observant at any pace. Jennifer Pharr Davis, who has the fastest reported hike of the A.T., has talked about seeing more wildlife than any other hiker I can recall--probably because she was always hiking at dawn and dusk.

    Just the same, ATC is going to champion the flip-floppers, because you are doing good things for the Trail. You are a model we hope more people will follow.

    Have you guys seen The Path Less Traveled article on Appalachian Trials (posted Jan. 4) by Liz Kibby? She's saying she's starting in Virginia in May and says, "I would love to hear from anyone else who is planning on flip-flopping, leapfrogging, or any other non-traditional hiking method."

    There are more than a dozen responses, including a number of folks planning flip-flops in 2015.
    Last edited by Lauriep; 01-23-2015 at 17:38. Reason: Correct link

  14. #94
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lauriep View Post
    Have you guys seen The Path Less Traveled article on Appalachian Trials (posted Jan. 4) by Liz Kibby? She's saying she's starting in Virginia in May and says, "I would love to hear from anyone else who is planning on flip-flopping, leapfrogging, or any other non-traditional hiking method.".
    Corrected link: The Path Less Traveled
    Remote for detachment, narrow for chosen company, winding for leisure, lonely for contemplation, the Trail beckons not merely north and south, but upward to the body, mind, and soul of man.


  15. #95

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    I think what you guys are planning is awesome. If I had it to do over again I definitely would flip my hike - the only reason I can think of for not flipping was a serious failure of imagination on my part - it never occurred to me that that was an option. I suspect that what you all will find is an experience that thru hikers used to have many decades ago -a greater adventure with a handful new friends. Let's face it Georgia to Maine has been done - many, many times. What you all have in mind is new(er) and special. Frankly, I'm eating my heart out. Best of luck to all of you,
    Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.

  16. #96
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    OK. My official plan is to attend the May 2 ATC meet up, workshop? I not actually 100% sure it will be but I'll be there. Then hike out the next morning.

    So I figure if anyone other flipper has the same plan, we could get toghether for a pizza.

  17. #97
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    I think I'm going to delay my start just a little so I can arrive there in HF on the 2nd for the festivities and have some hiking company leaving HF. Now will the end of April please Hurry UP and get here!!

  18. #98
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    Hi Flip Flopppers. I've been following this thread with great interest, I think it's very good to see more interest in alternate ways to hike the AT while decreasing impact to the trail. There is also a chance I might join you, but that is not in my control. If I can my start date would be a little later, end of May or early June, NOBO from HF. Any thoughts on starting in early June? Regardless of my participation I hope you all have an adventure of a lifetime out there. Good luck!
    "Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all" Ernest Shackleton​

  19. #99
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    Wild blue; would starting in New York City be an option for June 1?

  20. #100
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    Squeezebox, yes I'd consider starting further north, NYC or another point. I can't do a traditional hike, this year at least, so I'm open to a lot of options.
    "Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all" Ernest Shackleton​

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