Jimmy and I have always loved hiking. Once we slip the lines we look forward to finding some cool places to explore and hike along the way. However we have one hiking trip in mind that will take us away from Utopia for half a year, and that is to hike the Appalachian Trail.
The Appalachian Trail is a continuous route from Maine to Georgia. Those that choose to hike the whole path in one go typically take six months to complete it. Jimmy and I plan to hike the trail doing what it's called a "flip-flop". In our case we will most likely get on the trail in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, head north to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Then will flip back to Harpers Ferry (by busses & trains), get back on the trail heading south to Springer Mountain in Georgia.
Each year, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy hosts a Flip Flop kick-off in mid to late April. Jimmy and I decided to attend the kick-off this year to learn as much as we can about the logistics and preparation of this hike. It has been a great event. We have learned a lot, received confirmation on a few things and will be leaving the kick-off with more confidence.
We made a vacation around the kickoff festival, arriving in Harpers Ferry late Thursday night (Light Horse Inn). Friday's highlight was a 5- mile hike up Maryland Heights, providing us a magnificent view of Harpers Ferry.
It was a good reminder of how flat and rockless Florida is. We did not have our hiking poles on this trip so we went slow and steady to avoid an unplanned trip to the ground. After the hike we found a spot on the Appalachian Trail were we could stick our feet in the cold Potomac River.
Saturday was filed with attending seminars and an evening cookout at the Flip-Flop Kick-off.
For our last full day in town we wandered Harpers Ferry's historic sights after a short hike on the Appalachian Trail.
Tomorrow we will fly back to Florida.
At the moment our goal is to begin this journey about a year from now, possibly at the 2024 Flip-Flop Kick-off, with a completion sometime in October 2024. Utopia will be hauled out in late March, then resplashed in early November after a bottom paint job is completed. Our plan is to keep up this blog while on the trail because In The Lee is about all of our adventures. In fact today's post is a little test of writing and posting a blog from the phone. - fair winds and happy trails!
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Congrats … exciting stuff yet to come . I look forward to the next read!