Harpers Ferry

Pretty awesome town. Reminds me of European towns, actually. I'd like to come back sometime with Mrs. Sparkle. The ATC headquarters is here, and they call this place the "spiritual midpoint" of the Trail. Took a lot of photos, but mostly on my actual camera, which I'm not technologically savvy enough to upload from. 

Got my ATC picture taken, joined the ATC, sent some postcards, and signed in. I was hiker 209, which sort of depressed me since I started as 134. On the other hand, a lot of section hikers had signed in as well, so maybe I didn't drop that far. I suppose it doesn't really matter in either case. 

Got a milkshake immediately, but of course they messed up the order. I wanted a coffee and peanut butter one. I tried to order this once before, in Waynesboro, but was talked out of it. I'm convinced it will be delicious. When they called my order out, it was a chocolate and peanut butter. Sigh. Someday the glory that is peanut butter and coffee will happen. 

Hung out with Spirit Crusher, Bean Dip, the Machine, Princess, and Rocketman. Sadly Ranger had already departed. He finished his section up at Harpers Ferry. He will be missed.

One of the more amusing things I've seen is Princess deciding she needed a haircut. We were eating at the B&B that they were all staying at, in an isolated little nook on the back patio. She wanted her haircut right then. She is so exuberant. Somehow she convinced Bean Dip to do it. At the restaraunt. Princess provided the scissors, apparently having carried them the whole way. Bean Dip was quite nervous and tentative about it, but Princess was incredibly buoyant about it. After a few minutes, though, Spirit Crusher took the scissors from Bean Dip. She had also never cut hair before, but she was a little more confident about. The two of them did a surprisingly good job. Her hair looked great. Glad I didn't have to be the one cleaning that up. They also picked up my food, since there was an error and they put it on their bill. I offered to pay but I was waved off. 

I ended up staying in the hostel in town, a little pricey but very nice. The Teahorse Hostel. A bunch of cyclists and section hikers were staying there, a really good group. I talked with them well past the point where I should have gone to bed, about thru-hiking. One lady was planning on hiking the Trail next year. She was very well informed, and seems to have a good attitude. I expect she will do well. 

The Shenandoah. 

Traditional ATC photo. 

Jefferson Rock

The Haircut. Turned out surprisingly well. 

Enjoying the ride.

Finished the Rollercoaster today. Really wasn't that bad, except for the rocky sections. The rocks were not fun. 

I was pretty sure it was gonna be a good day, since I saw a bear about two miles into my hike today. Pretty happy I hung my bear bag. I always have that debate with myself, "ahh, it'll be fine." So far reason has won out and the bag gets raised. I left my little campsite a little after 7, which is actually a little late when I camp by myself. 

Shybear caught up with me at the first shelter, where we ate breakfast. We walked together for a while, before he took off in a blaze of speed. I decided today was going to be enjoyable, so I meandered my way down the Trail to the Bear's Den, an ATC owned hostel. I had originally planned on staying there last night, before the late start out of Front Royal Hostel ruined my schedule. 

The place is pretty cool. They claim it looks like a castle, but I don't know. I mean, the influence is there. It is a cool building, and the care-taker has a pretty sweet gig. The hostel part is actually great, but I'd only walked 6 miles or so at that point, and I couldn't just stop. I did hang out a while, drank 3 cokes plus carried one down the trail, ate a pint of B&J ice cream, and had a shower. One guy, a section hiker named Fuji, offered to pay for my stay there if I wanted to stay. I appreciated the offer, but I had miles to cover. 

Not too many, though. I found a place with pretty good reception and called my wife. Talked with her a while. Crossed into WV. And I hit the 1000 mile mark. No big deal. Just 1000 miles. I had that third coke to celebrate. Walked a few more miles, and I'm staying at the Blackburn Trail Center. Nice place. Ran by the PATC, free for hikers. Sometimes the care-takers give out refreshments, and apparently they have a Catan set here. I think I got here too late for any of that. I just moseyed along today, for about 14-15 miles total. I think 14-16 mile days are the best ones. Fairly relaxed. Wish I had the time to do those the whole way out. Harpers Ferry tomorrow. 

The Bear's Den

Awwww yeah. Someone just got a new profile photo. 

The local Raven's Rock. I think there's one of these on every town. 

Pushing it.

So when I woke up, I did some quick math and figured I could make it to the Bear's Den, supposedly or of the nicer hostels on the Trail. Also located at 999 miles. Around thirty miles from where I was. Unfortunately, the dreaded "Rollercoaster" was the last 10 miles of it.  The Rollercoaster is 13.5 miles of up and down. No big deal, I got new shoes!  

And I did crush the first twenty miles. I hiked with Shybear for a while, until he took a break in one of the shelters. The problem was after that. The Rollercoaster slowed me down considerably, and this hostel would only accept people before 9 pm. So I eventually had to stop for the night at around twenty six miles. Could have gone farther, but found a great isolated tent spot and camped by myself. Tough but satisfying day. Wish I could have hit that hostel up. There's always tomorrow. 

Me tired. 

Seen a lot of these guys. 

Fair warning. 

Goodbye Shenandoahs.

Hello new shoes. Finished up the Shenandoahs in style, saw two more bears. Seven bears total so far. Still no wildcats. Walked some with the Mainiac crowd, and some by myself. We all ended up at the Front Royal Hostel, Terrapin Station. Princess, Rocketman, Ranger, Lady Moose, Treefrog, Squirrel, Wrongleg, Halfmoon, Mama Bear, Rambo, Geared Up, Stretch, Gandalf (the elder one), and probably a few others I'm missing were all there. The next morning, got a ride into town from the hostel owner, where I got my new shoes and Chacos, plus a goodie box from my mom. As usual, way too much stuff, but the other hikers are appreciative. The new shoes feel weird, and I hope I get used to them quickly. Very sad that Merrell quit making the model I walked the previous 970 miles in. Sigh. 

Due to the late start (and inherent laziness) I only hiked about ten miles. Stayed in the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter, described as "excellent" in the guide book. There was a shower, a porch, ergonomic chairs, etc. Very nice. Met Prom Queen there. I'd been hearing people talk about her, and she was quite cool. Thin Mint was also there. Talked with the two of them for a while, and then Shybear showed up, also a welcome addition. The next two people to show up were Ice Party and Wees. I don't dislike them, but when three or more of this particular group of girls comes together on the trail, you get what we refer to as the "Brownie Troop Effect." Basically lots of giggling and high pitched laughter. I don't really know why it annoys me so much, but I figure it doesn't bode well for me if I ever have a daughter. I hope I can sleep. 

More deer. 

More bears. 

More beautiful views.  

More pictures of me. 

No more Shenandoahs. Sigh. 

Homemade-ish milkshakes.

Another day in the luxury of the Shenandoahs. Seriously worried this place is going to spoil me. 

Caught up with the Mainiacs! Ran into Mama Bear, Halfmoon, Wrongleg, and Rambo at Lowes Gap Wayside. Hadn't seen them since Winding Stairs Gap, a hundred years ago. What was really cool was that Papa Mainiac was also there, as he was visiting. Hadn't seen him since the first week. I like those guys. 

Finally got my milkshake in the Shenandoahs. Sort of. I went in to order it, and of course their machine was broken. I was crestfallen, but I remembered something Ranger had told me, so I bought a pint of B&Js and some chocolate milk, got a cup from the wayside, and mixed them together. Turned out pretty awesome. Cookie dough ice cream. Had to eat the dough with a spoon. A highlight of the trip, right there. 

Was going to walk a couple more miles, but was invited to stay with the Mainiacs who were going into town to a hotel. I figured I could make up an extra two miles the next day, so I went with them. We watched Captain America 2 at a tiny theater in Luray. It was entertaining, if a bit silly. Tomorrow will be my last day in the Shenandoahs. Oh, also saw two more bears today. Numbers 4 and 5. Some rangers told me the eyes I saw that one night were probably deer, so I'm not counting them. 

Breakfast spot. 

Wrongleg. It's funny 'cuz he's British. 

Best shot I could get. 

The Appalachian River

So the rain last night was ridiculous. The path was literally a stream of water for much of its length today. The trail was great for me, though. So soft. Like walking on marshmallows. The Shenandoahs are so well maintained, there wasn't a ton of mud. Good drainage. 

Shoes are waiting for me in Front Royal (or will be).  Can't wait for it. Going to save my hike. I believe. Hopefully the Trail will be this soft until then. 

Stopped at the Skyline Lodge around dinner time. Probably shouldn't have. Definitely shouldn't have. I was on track to get to my shelter before dark.  Little voice telling me don't do it.  But I wanted a Coke. Of course the Shenandoah only stocks Pepsi products. 

So I went down, and the place was pretty cool. Really cool, actually. Very picturesque. And they made me a cafe mocha. A pre-made turkey and provolone sandwich caught my eye. Ran into the Mountain Men there. They don't have individual trail names, because they move so fast no one really gets to know them.  I had talked with them at an overlook earlier in the day. I only caught them because they had taken their dog, Riley, to the vet. We ate together, and were like minor celebrities. Everyone wanted to talk to the thru-hikers. My ten minute detour turned into a two hour break. 

So it got dark. And then started hailing. And I sprained my ankle (not bad). And didn't get to the shelter until almost 11 so I had to set my tent up. And decided I was going to listen to that little voice in the future. Decent mileage today, around 24. Beautiful day, also. 

The Appalachian Trail stream. 

Gorgeous view A.

Gorgeous view B. 

Me at a gorgeous view. 

Gorgeous view C. 

Tree on a rock. I like these, I think they're cool. 

Mountain Men and Riley at the Skyline Lodge. 

Gorgeous view D. 

Gorgeous view E. 

Better days.

Though quite a bit shorter. Only pulled 12 miles today, the 15th of May. Been expecting the rain all day long, and sort of managed to avoid it. Before I forget though, I got a funny story about last night. 

So the register had several mentions of a large bear bothering the shelter we were staying in, and there was some advice from a ridge runner that said to poke it with your hiking sticks if if came too close to the shelter. So Lady Moose sleeps with her sticks beside her. In the middle of the night, something wakes her up and she sees this huge black shape moving around the edge of the shelter. So she grabs her poles and tries to poke this bear to get it to go away. But she misses, which is good because it was actually Turtle who'd gotten up to go pee. I don't think he had any idea how close he was to being skewered. 

The walk was better than yesterday, though my feet were still killing me. Honestly, if they don't improve I may not be making it past Harper's Ferry. I think the problem is my shoes. Not being very bright again. I've been wearing the same pair since day one. They still look pretty good, but there is no shock absorption anymore. I had some silly idea about how it would be awesome to walk 1000 miles in the same pair. Not a good idea. I've already got my replacements and they've been mailed to Front Royal, but it's been pretty painful the last 100 miles. Sure hope they fix the problem. 

Anyway, due to the agony in my feet and the imminent deluge predicted, I planned on doing a short 12 mile day. Didn't quite make it. First, let me tell you about the Shenandoahs. They're kind of like the Disneyland of national parks. There are little stores and restaraunts every ten miles or so. Milkshakes every day if you want. Coin-operated showers and washing machines. Civilization is everywhere. So kind of hate it and kind of love it. 

There was a little camp store and campground with cabins about .7 miles before the shelter Lady Moose and I were planning on staying in. We stopped there for showers and food, and while in the camp store the rain hit. Hard. We ran into Snailpack and the Texan Brothers in the store. They'd stayed at the last shelter with us, and I guess just felt bad for us so they let us sleep on the floor of their cabin. Score! Indoors during the rain store. Snailpack had some awesome stories. My favorite was when he was sent by his Biology Dept in college to go pick up a bunch up rattlesnakes. He was doing venom research at the time. So he drove down to wherever in Texas, and loaded up a bunch of rattlesnakes (packed in bags) into the back of his VW van. I assume he looked like a person the police would want to pullover, because he sure enough was pulled over by the highway patrol. They have him step out, and of course the officer wants to know what's in the back. And doesn't believe him. So the cop opens the back up, reaches in and grabs a bag, and every rattle snake in there started rattling at him. He throws the bag back in, shuts the van up, and screams at Snailpack to "Get the heck out of my county!" I thought it was amusing. Good guys, those Texans. 

Selfie before the rain. 

The Shenandoahs

I hiked 20.8 miles today. Pretty nice place. Walked into some deer. Incredibly tame, really. I could have touched them if I'd desired, and I had to wait until they got out of the trail before I could move on. Fun to watch. 

The walking was pretty easy, though a bit more rocky than I expected. Not bad, though. I was pretty happy with the mileage considering that I didn't get dropped back on the trail until after ten.

Cowboy camped, next to Pint-sized's tent. One whippoorwill was very loud and obnoxious all night long, I think it was confused by the full moon. In the middle of the night I woke up to the noise of something moving around me. I sat up and turned on my headlamp, two deer were eating and walking around my camp spot. Pretty much right on top of me. Pretty cool. 

Deer blocking the way. 

 

Thought this looked like a giraffe head. 

Lovely place. 

Pretty hot today. 

Leaving Waynesboro.

Hardest place to leave yet. I walked in on Saturday morning, and left on Tuesday. The reason it was so hard to leave was because Mrs. Sparkle was there. She was originally only going to be there on Sat, and going rafting on Sun and then back to KY, but she tweaked her schedule and stayed until early Tuesday. Happiest moment of the Trail so far was when she said she was coming back. 

We stayed in the lovely Tree Streets B & B.  Beautiful home, and Elizabeth and Richard made us feel like family. It was also a pretty convenient place to walk to anywhere in town from. They gave a substantial hiker discount, so it was pretty reasonable. Excellent experience, and if you're in the area I'd recommend stopping by. 

The first day I walked into town they were having both a car show and a soap box derby race. The car show ended before I could get through my shower, but I did see Conway Twitty's personal car. Watched quite a bit of the soap box derby. Also bought food from all the vendors at the race. Had to support the local fire fighters, and then all the other stands, didn't want to play favorites. Even met the mayor there. I asked him where the best place to eat was.  He recommended a few restaraunts and I promised not to tell anyone about his preferences. 

Met up with The Machine and Survivorman while doing laundry, they were staying down the road a piece. After Mrs. Sparkle came in we all went to the outfitters and then had dinner at The Heritage, where I had the "20 minute burger." Hamburger stuffed with cheddar and then wrapped in bacon. Yep. Their onion rings were like delicious doughnuts with an onion center. It was alright. 

Survivorman took off the next morning so he's a couple of days ahead of me now. Machine left the next day so I suppose she's one ahead. Rocketman, Princess, and Ranger came into town, though, and they stayed at the Tree Streets also. Lady Moose and her mom were also staying there, and they'd arrived the same day that I did. 

Spent a lot of time with the Geezers. Seemed like every time we went to a restaraunt or cafe they were already there or on their way. Excellent company. The Green Leaf had very good food, and the establishment was very friendly to us, even after we showed up fifteen minutes before they closed. Long story short, I really enjoyed Waynesboro, though the fact that my wife was there was really the only thing that mattered. All things end, however, and eventually, after Mrs. Sparkle had to return to school, Moose's mom drove the two of us back to the trailhead, and we began our trudge again. 

Soap box derby racers.

Elizabeth and Tree Streets B&B. 

Ugh.

Right now I'm cold, wet, and miserable. Honestly, it's more like chilly, damp, and miserable. Something like 24 miles today. My feet are killing me. Pretty walking though. Until the fog rolled in. Also camping at mile 899.99. Apparently there are bears that bother this shelter. 

Me. 

Rolling in. 

Hey, the Shenandoahs look just like the Smokies. 

Another miserably hot day with unexpected goodness.

The Three Ridges Mountain is one of my least favorite sections of trail so far. Heck, maybe ever. Steep, covered in loose rock, no shade and few views. Plus it's six miles up with 3000+ elevation change. Just thoroughly unpleasant. Of course, there's a side trail that not only avoids the climb, but also cuts 4 miles off the distance. I didn't take it, since I'm white-blazing, but man was I jealous. Most people I know did take it. Me, Survivorman, and The Machine are the only people I know didn't take it, though I'm sure there are others. 

The only good thing about that climb (besides its end) was the Hanging Rock Overlook. One of the best views yet. There are easier ways to get there, though. Ran into a group of retirees there. A very nice group, mostly from the nearby Wintergreen. A lot of interesting information about the area from them. One gentleman was a former paratrooper, with the 101st, back before they had their wings clipped. I'm going to call him Screaming Eagle. I walked with him for a good ways, couple of miles at least. He kept telling me I could go on if he was slowing me down. I told him it was fine, 'cuz I enjoyed the company. Honestly I was telling myself, "Don't breathe hard, don't breathe hard."  This guy was a septuagenarian, and I didn't want to get shown up. Admittedly, he wasn't carrying a pack, but still over twice my age. That Eagle could hike. When we parted ways he also gave me some ice water. I really don't care much for cold water, but on these hot days it's been extremely refreshing. 

Couple miles farther up ran into some more trail magic. A woman named Cake who'd started hiking this year but got hurt, plus some trail maintainers were at Reeds Gap. Awesome deliciousness. They were also taking photographs of thru-hikers and emailing them to our moms for Mother's Day. I hung out with them for almost an hour, talking and giving my left foot a rest. It's been hurting a while. 

After that was Humpback Mountain, and I wasn't expecting too much difficulty. Pretty easy ascent, and plenty of water. The Trail runs by this old stone wall, and as I'm walking along it I notice a large black dog. Of course, then I realized it was a black bear. Pretty awesome. It had just been raining, and I think he was searching through some old rotten logs. Watched him for a while but then moved on. Right around the corner saw another one! I mean, I suppose it could have been the first one after it moved, but sounds better to say two and I can't differentiate black bears, anyway. 

My foot was killing me, and got those first shooting pains in my shins, so found a place to camp. Ended up beside some Canadians on Humpback. Never saw 'em. They were in their tent and didn't get our before I left. Nice enough to talk to, though. Tomorrow is 12 miles into Waynesboro. Eighteen plus today, hope my feet feel better. 

Moxie getting water at the shelter. 

Hanging Rock Overlook. 

Purdy. 

Ditto. 

Bear. 

Long, hot, thirsty days.

Well at least one day anyway. May 8th was the hottest day we've had so far. I was told it was over 90, but I can't verify. What I can tell you was that it was incredibly sunny with no clouds, breeze, and very little shade. I walked along grassy ridges and fields most of the day. The first water source that was less than a half mile off trail was over 8 miles from the Brown Mountain Creek shelter where I stayed the previous night (side note: Brown Mountain Creek was a former freed slaves community and there were some interesting information boards along the creek. I'd never heard of ash cake before).

That was a hot 8 miles. Happily I ran into a day hiker who was up on the bald. We talked for a bit and after I'd started off again she hollered at me and came running after. She said "Do you want any ice water? I have plenty." She'd frozen her water before coming out. It was blessedly cold and refreshing. 

When I did reach the next water, I still had to walk 1/3 mile off trail for it. I passed a stand of pine trees, though, with soft pine needle carpeting and thick shade. I ate lunch there, and then just dozed off for a short nap. It was still pretty warm when I got up, but I felt a lot better. 

Topo and Grasshopper caught up with me towards late afternoon, they'd zeroed in Buena Vista. Apparently I missed quite a nice place, but I was heading towards meeting my wife so I didn't worry about it. They stopped to "splash around" in the river and camped kind of early, but I pressed on. I made it to Spy Rock a little before dark, and there were three recent VMI grads there. They were going to receive their commissions next week, and this was their last hurrah. Marines. One of them gave me a Clif bar, said "You need it more than me."  I didn't argue. 

Skipped The Priest shelter. There's a tradition of going there to write a confession in the register, apparently they're usually pretty humorous. I was trying to hit 30 miles, though, so passed it up. Didn't make it, though. The Priest is a mountain with an extremely rocky and steep descent of over 3000 feet, and then you will immediately start climbing the Three Ridges Mountain (3000 feet up). I was super tired, and I'd been walking by headlamp for a couple of hours so I found a wide spot at the bottom of the Priest and spread my poncho out for some cowboy camping. Only hit a little over 28 miles for the day. I'm kidding about the only. That's still quite a lot for me!

Kristo the Lion. Came in late to the shelter, and in the morning picked up a ton of trash other people had left at the shelter. Good guy. 

So hot!

Ice Water Lady took this. 

There was a swing. 

And I swung. 

Night of the Lupus. That is the rabbit one, right?

Where I slept. 

800 miles.

Tonight I am sleeping at a shelter at the 800 mile mark. I remember when each 100 miles was a big deal. Today I barely noticed. It is a bloody long way, though, if you think about it. 

I'm going to wake up as the only person in the shelter again in the morning, also. This time, however, there are three other people staying with me tonight. They are all planning on getting up at midnight and walking in the dark to best the heat. Two southbound section hikers and Happy Eyes (formerly Legs). Really that's not too terrible an idea, but the last time I did some night hiking it messed me up for days. 

So last night I wasn't completely alone. I shared the shelter with a whippoorwill, who was quite irate with me for staying there. He definitely let me have it, didn't realize how loud those guys really are, and he had some help from the acoustics in the shelter. He woke me up in the morning, also. 

Got out of camp around 8, I guess. Three miles uphill to start off. Spent the morning pretty much alone, but got some signal up on the mountain, so uploaded a few posts and checked some emails. Got a text from the wife, saying she'd see me in a few days. This was news to me, but very pleasant news. Very much looking forward to it. Also got a hold of my dad, and they're sending my good sleeping pad back to me. Can not wait. 

Happy Eyes (actually I've been calling her Mad Libs) caught up with me. But her dog did first. Naila came running up to me on the trail, and she was by herself. I was trying to decide whether I should hold on to her or if this was some Lassie thing where I was supposed to follow her to an injured Mad Libs. Turns out neither, Mad Libs was just a little behind. 

Walked with her a while today. We'd met several times and spoken, but this was the first time we'd really spent any time together. She's pretty interesting, did some therapy stuff for kids for a couple of years after college before deciding to do the AT. But she's a very quick walker. 

While we were talking to some day-hikers on the top of a mountain Ranger caught up. I started walking with him, while Naila and Mad Libs pushed ahead. He's a great hiking companion also, pointing out different trees and flowers. Went through an old growth virgin forest section today, and my experience was very enriched by his teaching. I really like the Geezers. They're a blast to walk with as well as hang out with. I told Ranger today, "I'd say I hope I'm in as good as shape as you guys when I'm you're age, but I wish I was in as good a shape as you are now." He laughed. 

Princess and Rocketman caught up with us at the Punchbowl shelter. I think it's called that because it's next to a pond. That's also where I met Sherpa and Carry Stove, two section hikers. They're pretty cool, and had a lovely dog of some sort that I can't remember what breed they told me. Both doctors. Unfortunately their dog and Naila did not become friends, so Mad Libs hung out inside the shelter while they were outside at the picnic area. I ate lunch with her, and then came outside to hang out with the Geezers and doctors. Turns out they were neighbors, living within half a mile of each other. Crazy, hug?

Walked with Ranger for several more miles until they reached the place they were going to camp. They were catching a ride into town tomorrow to stay in a B&B. Someday I will be retired and staying at B&Bs all the time. They're planning on taking a little time, and I'm planning on pushing hard next two days. I expect I'll see them again, though. Sure hope so. Saw a couple of snakes with Ranger and a deer with Princess. 

The last few miles of walking today were great. The trail was along either a reservoir or a creek the entire time. Smooth trail, lovely little waterfalls. Ran into Sherpa and Carry Stove again, they were in a picture perfect spot. I was a bit jealous, but I wanted to push farther. Finally came up to the shelter and splashed around a bit in the creek to clean some of the grime off. Eighteen miles today. Tomorrow is going to be a long one. 

Another pretty view. 

Black snake. 

Some bird on Mad Lib's pack. I was calling it a Black Jay. It ate a moth. 

Sherpa and Carry Stove 

Me on a bridge.