Flip Flop Transportation Question

[trailsean]

I was curious if anyone could give advise on the best way to get from Maine back to Harper's Ferry if doing a Flip Flop to start the hike back south. Any advise would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Sean

[Lone Wolf]

Amtrak.................

[trailsean]

So there is a station close ish, that is nice to know, thank you Lone Wolf :)

[Slo-go'en]

The procedure is the same no matter where your going back to.
1) find a ride to Millinocket
2) take a bus to Portland or Bangor
3) pick bus, train or plane to get to where ever.

Specific details can be filled in when the time comes from the Guide book.

[Woodturner]

I'm planning on my entire trip to and from the trail being by train and bus.
The closest Amtrak train is Portland. My plans involve getting to either Charlottesville, waiting a day, and catching 51 (westbound Cardinal that will drop me off two miles from home) or getting on the Cardinal in D.C. In my case it depends on the day of the week and the possibility of renting a car, driving to Pearisburg, and hiking back to Rockfish Gap. I very much do not want to spend a lot of hours in D.C.
The problem it looks like you will run into is that there doesn't seem to be any connection that will get you to D.C. early enough to catch the westbound Capitol Limited, and you are looking at an over night and much of the next day waiting for the connection.

What I did was go to http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/forum/3-amtrak-rail-discussion/ and ask the best way to do what I wanted. These folk are well informed on train travel. I believe that the best advice I got was from an Amtrak employee. I printed out the reply an it will be in my last mail drop.

[twistwrist]

Getting a group together to rent a car is a cheap way to do it if split 4-5 ways. There's a bus station in Bangor, Maine, and there is ample shuttling from Millenocket to Bangor.