But what more does it take to get back to Waynesboro instead of Harper's Ferry from Katahdin...is the question.[/QUOTE]
You'd likely have to get a shuttle. There is Greyhound from DC to SW VA (Marion or Wytheville and I think you can get the bus to Roanoke also) and the MegaBus does have a stop in Central VA, again starting in DC. It is a little over 150 miles from Roanoke to Rockfish Gap (Waynesboro), so that could be a decent starting place and one you can get back to. You'd need a shuttle, hitch hike, or some ride from Roanoke to the AT but it is pretty close.
DC is easy to get to - bus, jet, Amtrak - which would be necessary to get to HF via the MARC train or Amtrak from DC.
I'm also planning a flip-flop hike starting early May 2016 from Harper's Ferry. Would like to find others to maybe group up with.
though I made it to Palmonton PA on my flip/flop, and really don't care to hike back thru rocksavania, the rocks are really aggravating, I would like to start again. It was really a great crowd on the 2015 flip/flop crowd..... I'm ready. Just those damn rocks!!!!!
eveready
i plan to do a flip flop to avoid the hoopla too! I'm thinking of starting in Southern Shenandoah, hiking NB then back to start and then SB. Planning on a Mid April start. Thinking this would give me plenty of time to get to Katahdin, start on relatively easy terrain and quiet! Whats your plan?
The trick to dealing with PA's rocks is to have a shoe with a good stiff sole so that the rocks can't poke through. Ideally by using a nylon 3/4 shank in the sole. And make sure the width of the shoe is correct. You have to do a lot of side stepping in places and that can cause the foot to roll inside the boot which is very annoying.
I wore a pair of Vasque trail runners the last time I hiked PA and the trail tore up both the shoes and my feet. The soles were too soft and flexible and they were too wide. Bad combination. Next time I hike PA (which maybe this coming May) I'll wear a more suitable boot.
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I too am going for a flip flop next year but I'm thinking Damascus around the last week of April. Really don't care about trail days so I can be on up the trail before it's over. Plus maybe half the bubble will have gone home by then.
I started my thru hike in 2013 April1 NOBO but had to come off the trail 30 days later. I am again ready to return to complete the whole thing. Considering doing the same thing you are. I am torn between doing that or returning to southern entrance of the Smokies. Any thoughts?
Crest view, I really don't think I want to start anywhere around the smokies at that time. You could still get snow or freezing temps. That's mostly what I'm trying to avoid. I done a section around Roan mountain last May 1st and it was perfect. Plus there was just the right amount of thru hikers coming thru there to make it more enjoyable .
Hi all,
I have decided to flip flop in 2016 in early to mid-April. Tentatively starting in Waynesboro as well. Originally planned to start in Harper's Ferry, but just learned my daughter is expecting her second child in mid-May. I intend to leave for about a week and return and figured it would be better to continue somewhere in PA than MA. This also might allow me to hit the Flip Flop event. Looking forward to meeting a few people heading in my direction.
Has anyone flip-flopped and headed south to Georgia for the first 1/2? If they have, I would like to hear about that experience. Thanks!
I know this post is a bit old, but for fun I looked it up. As it turns out, the REI in College Park is at same intersection where I had my first job when I was in High School. A lot has changed since then.
If you wanted to use this to resupply, you would take the Metro to the Greeenbelt station (not College Park). There is a pedestrian underpass and sidewalk to take you to Lackawana St in the neighborhood across the tracks and behind the REI. From there it is 2/3 of a mile walk (one way) to the REI. This is not in the direction of HF, but could be done if needed. The outfitter in HF may be more convenient.
Not mentioned in this thread is the fact that the BWI airport between DC and Baltimore is also convenient. It is a hub for Southwest Air, so that may be a good option for some people. There is a train station at the airport. You can take MARC or Amtrak trains to DC Union Station and from there you catch the train to HF. Another option is to take the express bus from BWI to the Greenbelt Station and then take the Metro to Union Station (with one change to the Red line). You could then walk to REI when changing at Greenbelt.
There is also an REI in Rockford MD and that is less than 1/3 of a mile from the Twinbrook Metro Station, which is on the Red Line so not transfers between there and Union Station. Also the Twinbrook Station is just one stop from the Rockville station where the MARC and Amtrak trains to HF stop. So you could take the Metro to Twinbrook, walk to REI, take the Metro one more stop to Rockville, then take the train to HF.
sooo very true, my shoes were to small, because my feet had expanded, and I had soft shoes..... bought some stiff keen boots at that town close to port Clinton, and it was a whole different world.
eveready
“Go to Heaven for the climate . . . Hell for the company.” Mark Twain
Hello all, Im planning my flip flop hike starting in early March leaving from Brushy Mtn...Northbound, hope too meet you all somewhere along the way.
Why was the start of May chosen for a flip-flop? Looking at last year's weather at Harper's Ferry May 1, 2015, it was 67 F. May 2 was 74. May 3 79, and May 4 85. For someone from NH (myself), this is really HOT weather hiking, which means shorts and T-shirt (if that).