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Slo-go'en
05-09-2016, 21:47
I just arrived at the Delaware water Gap, 23 days since leaving Harpers Ferry on April 17th. My sister happens to live near-by so I am zeroing at her house. Nearly 2 weeks of cold, wet early spring like weather hampered progress and made the PA rocks even more treacherous then usual. Hiking had to be slow and careful under those conditions and still beat me up quite a bit.

As far as I can tell, I'm one of the few of the Sunday April 17th Flip Floppers to make it this far. We were a group of four until a few days ago, when one had to speed ahead to try and do 160 miles in 12 days to meet his girlfriend, one suddenly developed knee problems yesterday and the third continued onto NJ today as I'm visiting my sister for a day and a half.

I hope there are still many more flip floppers still stumbling up the trail as I'll need a new group to hike with now that my PA family has broken up. We've seen maybe a dozen early thru hikers pass us during the last month, most started late February.

All in all, I'm just glad I managed to make it through PA and will be happy to see it in my rear view mirror :D

Kaptainkriz
05-09-2016, 22:15
Glad to hear you are still moving!! I was at the Flip Flop festival to see the group off this year. There should be more coming up behind you, I continue to see Northbounders on the trail in MD. :)
-KaptainKrunch (Beware of the Yeti)

Lauriep
05-09-2016, 22:32
Thanks for the report, Slo-go en! Congratulations on making it through Pennsylvania. The cool, continuously rainy weather has been tough on all the hikers, and I don't envy you doing the PA rocks in wet weather. You may have heard some hikers at higher elevations down South got snow while you were getting rain.

The rocks don't disappear at the New Jersey border, but overall, the worst of the rocks is over.

I ran into a threesome of young (20-something, I'd guess) flip-floppers who started in Harpers Ferry April 18 in Port Clinton. If you slow down you may see more flip-floppers.

Carbo
05-09-2016, 22:41
Slo - it was encouraging to see you on the trail today. I'm sure there will be more HF flip-floppers coming along soon. With the pace you're doing maybe your trail name should be "Fast-go'en". Hope to catch up with you again near the NJ/NY line.

Good luck,
-Carbo

FiftyNine
05-10-2016, 08:50
Good luck on your flip flop hike. I'm planning on leaving April 17th of 2017 for mine.

capehiker
05-10-2016, 10:18
Keep on trucking along!

Slo-go'en
05-15-2016, 13:55
Made it to Vernon, NJ along with one other April 17th flip flopper. Three more are a day or two ahead. Where is everyone else?

It's been cold and wet, who said hiking in NJ/NY this time of year was a good idea? I guess it does beat doing it during an 11 day heat wave like the last time I hiked through here :)

Lauriep
05-15-2016, 19:11
It's unseasonably cold everywhere on the A.T. right now.

Last night it was 22 degrees on Mt. LeConte in the Smokies.

Tolmann
05-24-2016, 12:32
Good luck on your flip flop hike. I'm planning on leaving April 17th of 2017 for mine.

I'm planning on an April 2017 start myself; although I was thinking closer to the beginning of the month.

Slo-go'en
06-10-2016, 09:57
Arrived Manchester Center VT yesterday, 620 miles in 54 days. Wore out one pair of boots, just got new ones yesterday.

There doesn't seem to be too many flip floppers left. I know of 3-4 ahead of me and a couple behind. Haven't seen too many thru hikers recently, but a group of 5 did show up at Stratton Pond 2 nights ago. Lots of LT E2E and section hikers out though, the trail suddenly got busy after June 1st. But it's been cold and wet and the trail a mud pit in many areas.

I need to finish my hike by the end of the month so I'm skipping ahead to Hanover today to do NH. I've done Vermont a number of times and don't need to do it all again :)

sfdoc
06-10-2016, 10:29
I started on that Monday, the 18th, but had to get off on day 4 due to severe dehydration which caused my A-fib to act up beyond the medicine limits. Additionally, my pack was wayyyyy to heavy. I'm planning on starting a flip-flop same time, same place in 2017. Meanwhile, I've reduced my pack weight to 28lbs w/food and water.
Another couple, who started that weekend, reached Vernon yesterday, and they seemed to be doing OK.
Good luck with the remainder of your hike.

Slo-go'en
06-14-2016, 16:34
I decided to hitch home from Glencliff today, since I was pretty close. I got tired of the mid May trail conditions - cold, wet, lots of mud, overflowing bogs and slippery wet rocks. The last week has been pretty rough. We weren't doing the trail any good hiking in these conditions and I'm going to let the trail dry out some before going back and hope we get June weather in July. Anyway, I need a week of rest. Then I'll decide if I really want to finish NH or not.

After skipping up to NH, I found a number of flip floppers who hadn't been signing shelter registers were still on the trail. Still, the number who have made it into NH so far is still pretty small.

Jeff
06-15-2016, 06:15
As of June 15 the number of flip floppers are up moderately compared to 2015 at our hostel. More than half did not attend the FF Kick Off mid April.

Flip floppers are a joy to host...good people with great stories and too tired to get in trouble !!!

jdavis7590
08-19-2016, 15:52
Awesome! Keep us posted!