Day 77 - 5/17

Daily mileage: 2.3
Total trail mileage: 1014.0
Starting location: VA/WV Border
Ending location: Harpers Ferry / Home
Weather: rain and cloudy all day, 50 degrees in the morning

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.903587,+-74.938406

I have reached the psychological halfway point. It isn't the true
halfway point, but it is close enough and Harpers Ferry has the ATC
headquarters so many consider it the halfway point. I can't believe I
have walked over 1000 miles now.

I got up early and made it down into the historic village before too
long. Harpers Ferry is a ghost town at that time midweek. The rain
probably didn't help either. I went over to the ATC headquarters and
met a guy who will be starting a flipflop in 2 weeks. He was looking
for advice about what to bring as he is a hiking novice, and the
person working at ATC and I went through his pack for an hour and a
half. I got my picture taken for the records (and the camera didn't
even break!) and filled out the log book.

Then it was back down to the train station to take several trains back
home for my time off. At home, I went to dinner with Matt, Melissa,
and Justin. Unfortunately, all the Indian restaurants were closed on
Mondays, but there is always tomorrow!

It is kinda a shock being home and taking the train past built-up
areas. I am not used to this many buildings and people. For the past
two and a half months, the woods have been home with brief glimpses of
man-made structures. Now it is flipped: man-made structures are my
home and the woods are foreign. I don't like it.

I am downloading the pictures from my camera. Wow, the scenery, the
area, and the weather changed as I progressed North. It is like a
fast-forward on the two and a half months. I thought for a second
that the early pictures of snow were left over from my January trip in
Vermont, not the beginning in Georgia.

There will be a gap in the blog posts as I am temporarily not making
any progress North. I'll update when I finally get the pictures
posted though.

Day 76 - 5/16

Daily mileage: 21.0
Total trail mileage: 1011.7
Starting location: Sam Moore Shelter
Ending location: VA/WV Border
Weather: very brief shower in the early morning, hazy in the morning,
clear and sunny the rest of the day, 58 degrees in the morning, 65-70
degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.321316,+-77.746132

There were again a lot of day hikers today. The boy scouts that were
camping with me had a bunch of questions in the morning. They were
all young kids (Tenderfoot rank) and were excited to be out camping.
They left ahead of me and when I caught up they were like "Hey! It's
Hobbot!".

I HAVE COMPLETED MY FOURTH STATE! Virginia was long; it has a quarter
of the entire trail. It is hard to put labels on the trail in
Virginia because it was so varied...it had flat sections, steep
sections, smooth sections, rocky sections, forest, farmland, ridges,
valleys, etc., etc. But, I would have to say that the state was
green, because for me the forest didn't start turning green until I
hit this state. And, the farmland was something I hadn't seen in the
previous three states.

I am camping on the state line. I have now completed Virginia, but if
I will attempt the 4-state challenge I will have to return to this
point and step foot back into Virginia as that is the starting point
for the challenge. The 4-state challenge involves stepping foot on
the trail in 4 states (VA/WV/MD/PA) within a 24 hour period; it is
about 43 miles in one day. So, I am likely not done done with it
yet. But, that is something to decide when I get back on the trail.

As I had mentioned, I am getting off the trail for a bit starting
tomorrow. For those that don't know why, my friends Matt and Melissa
are getting married. So, I will be off trail for the wedding and
related activities as well as a chance to take a break. So, tomorrow
I need to finish the last couple miles into Harpers Ferry and then
take a train from there back home. I should be returning to the trail
June 1.

Day 75 - 5/15

Daily mileage: 25.3
Total trail mileage: 990.7
Starting location: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter
Ending location: Sam Moore Shelter
Weather: clear and sunny all day, 60 degrees in the morning, 65-75
degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.025692,+-77.964745

I had my first encounter with a rattlesnake today. Unfortunately it
did not go so well. I met a section hiker with his two dogs as he was
starting out. He went up ahead since I was spending some time looking
at my guidebook. Before long I caught up to him as he was watching a
rattlesnake in the middle of the trail. I then noticed that one of
the dogs had a bloody nose. We figured that he must have gotten
scared and ran into the brambles. But then I was walking behind the
dog and noticed that his leg was shaking a little. And then he
started to really slow down. He sat down on the side of the trail and
then threw up. His nose looked slightly swollen. So, I looked up dog
symptoms of a rattlesnake bite on my phone. The list didn't match
exactly the symptoms but it was close enough to warrant concern. The
hiker decided to turn around and go find the nearest vet. I hope Levi
(the dog) is alright.

There were a million day hikers out today. It is almost like I am
near a large city on a weekend with nice weather. Oh, right...

I am half way through "The Roller Coaster". This section is named
that because of the number of ascents and descents. I must be missing
something though. It is just like the rest of the trail. When it is
done going up, it goes down; when it is done going down, it goes up.

I am not sure where I am headed tomorrow. I want to get as close to
Harpers Ferry as I can, so I can make the train back home Monday
morning.

Day 74 - 5/14

Daily mileage: 14.6
Total trail mileage: 965.4
Starting location: Hogwallow Gap
Ending location: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter
Weather: hazy and humid all day, 72-82 degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.888186,+-78.082125

I FINALLY SAW A BEAR TODAY! It was my last day in Shenandoah too.
About a half hour after my dad dropped me off at the trailhead, I
passed two hikers headed southbound. I thought for sure they would
have scared off any bears, and I could also see the road down the
hill. But, I was looking anyway and when I looked uphill I saw the
bear standing there and not moving. He was just watching me. So,
either he wasn't afraid, or he was hoping that I didn't see him. I
did get a few pictures, but with my other camera so I can't upload
them right now. I knew putting a few honey packets from breakfast
into my pack would help :P

As I said, this was my last day in Shenandoah. Literally the first
step I took over the park border was on a rocky trail. It is like
they put up a sign that said, "Dear Thruhiker, Your vacation is now
over. You are done with the easy trail, daily restaurants, and
frequent options for showers. Thank-you for visiting." It did get a
little smoother as I progressed, but that initial transition from park
to outside the park was rather drastic.

Where did all the thruhikers go? I saw three (Ken, Wait and See, and
Wazi) during the entire park and 0 today. I thought for sure a number
of people would catch up as I wasn't exactly cruising during this
section. Did something happen in Waynesboro that I am unaware of?

Today was hot and humid. So much for taking a shower this morning. I
am already dirty again. How does the temperatures change so quickly?
Today was hot, yesterday was cold, the previous day was hot, and the
one before that was cold. It is much easier to deal with the weather
when it is consistent.

I got to the shelter early today. I was going to continue, but this
shelter is nice! It has a cooking pavilion, patio, chairs, skylight,
and even a solar shower. The shower isn't all that warm right now,
but it is better than the streams so I rinsed off my arms and legs. I
decided to stay here tonight, go to bed early (I didn't get enough
sleep the last two nights), and get up early. Since nobody else
showed up, I set up my hammock in the shelter.

The plan is to shoot for a 25 mile day tomorrow. If I make it I will
likely be home Monday night. If not, I'll be home Tuesday night.

Day 73 - 5/13

Daily mileage: 21.6
Total trail mileage: 950.8
Starting location: Byrds Nest #3 Hut
Ending location: Hogwallow Gap
Weather: cloudy, foggy, and rainy all day, 58 degrees in the morning,
58-60 degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.916292,+-78.185249

Despite setting up my hammock last night, I decided to stay in the
shelter. With the fire going in the fireplace, the shelter was nice
and dry. But, I think the drier air made me dehydrated during the
night.

Unfortunately, it was raining this morning although the weather report
had showed no rain. I made good time though as all of the look out
points were clouded over. So, I wasn't distracted by views. But, it
was neat walking through the foggy forest.

We reached the wayside by lunchtime, which was where my dad was
finishing his trip. After having lunch again at the wayside (the last
one :( ), I changed my plans a little. I was going to go to the
hostel tomorrow because of my maildrop. My dad offered to pick me up
further down the trail and take me into town today. This way I could
get my drop today and get back on the trail tomorrow, putting me a
half to a full day ahead. So, I walked a few more miles and my dad
met me at one of the road crossings.

We got a motel room, went to a pizza place, got custard, and I did
laundry. Back to the trail in the morning and then about 65 miles
left to Harpers Ferry. At that point I will return home for about 2
weeks.

Day 72 - 5/12

Daily mileage: 6.3
Total trail mileage: 929.2
Starting location: Skyland Resort
Ending location: Byrds Nest #3 Hut
Weather: partly cloudy in the morning, thunderstorms and very windy in
the afternoon, partly cloudy the rest of the day, 70-75 degrees during
the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.596058,+-78.442471

We had a good breakfast at the restaurant and then took our time
leaving the room. It surprisingly cleared up a bit overnight and we
could see some views.

We hiked to the first shelter and arrived just before a thunderstorm
started. It was really windy and we decided to wait out the storm for
a while. It ended up stopping but I wasn't sure if it would continue
back up.

In the end we decided to stay at the shelter. Yes, it was a really
short day, but continuing further doesn't buy me anything. I have to
spend another day regardless to get to the hostel because of my
maildrop at the postoffice.

There are two other section hikers with us (Amanda and Jared) and we
managed to collect enough firewood to get a fire going all afternoon.
The shelter is a stone shelter with a built in fireplace.

Tomorrow my dad departs, but first there is an opportunity for the
last blackberry milkshake in the park. I take back what I had said
about Shenandoah. No, it's not really a back woods experience, but
the park is pretty and the restaurants are nice as a thruhiker. It is
a vacation from the rest of the trip. It doesn't help the budget
though.

Day 71 - 5/11

Daily mileage: 20.0
Total trail mileage: 922.9
Starting location: Baldface Mountain
Ending location: Skyland Resort
Weather: cloudy all day, rain from late morning on, 40 degrees in the
morning, 38-45 degrees during the day, breezy at times

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.596058,+-78.442471

Last night we had a large visitor around the campsite. It was walking
around pretty close to the tents and made a lot of noise.
Unfortunately it was just a deer.

It is mid-May, right? It wasn't that far above freezing all day.
And, it was raining. It was similar to the week at the bottom of
North Carolina (mid-March), but this time I wasn't walking through
snow. The day started out dry, so I could at least pack up my hammock
before it started to rain.

We stopped at the Wayside for lunch and to warm up a bit. At that
point we decided to go the full 20 miles to Skyland. The shelter here
is much different than the others. It is a 4-walled structure
including private rooms with an attached shower, beds, pillows, and
sheets. There is even a restaurant in the next building over. Other
than the price, they should duplicate this "wilderness" experience
elsewhere along the trail.

Tomorrow will again include breakfast at the restaurant and then a few
miles in the afternoon. Hopefully the rain clears off.

Day 70 - 5/10

Daily mileage: 16.6
Total trail mileage: 902.9
Starting location: Pinefield Hut
Ending location: Baldface Mountain
Weather: clear and sunny all day, 45 degrees in the morning, 50-60
degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.399778,+-78.500916

After getting up in the morning, we realized that Ken had come in
during the night. I hadn't seen him in a while and wasn't expecting
him to catch up.

The Ridgerunner (Midnight) had offered to drive Heeten back to his car
since he was headed in that direction anyway. So, as soon as he was
ready to go, I took off down the trail. My dad had previously started.

The weather was again perfect for hiking and the trail was very well
graded. I made good progress up to the next shelter and we decided to
continue further.

The hike today was again mostly in the forest. I kept trying to look
for bear, but sadly still no luck. There were a couple times that I
heard something, but it turned out to be a very noisy bird or a deer.
Everyone else seems to be seeing plenty of bears, so I am not sure
what I am doing wrong :(

My dad and I camped out on top of one of the mountains. Tomorrow we
will continue the wilderness experience. The question is: do we go to
one restaurant, two restaurants, or a restaurant and a resort for the
night? Really, the rest of the trail has not been like this, so it is
kinda like a vacation from the trail.

Day 69 - 5/09

Daily mileage: 13.2
Total trail mileage: 886.3
Starting location: Blackrock Hut
Ending location: Pinefield Hut
Weather: clear and sunny all day, 40 degrees in the morning, 48-65
degrees during the day, windy in the afternoon

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.264087,+-78.648422

The weather today was perfect for hiking. It was a bit cooler and all
the bugs went away :). It probably did drop close to freezing last
night, so that probably helped.

We took advantage of the Shenandoah "wilderness" today. There are a
few Waysides in the park, which have food at them. So, we took a half
mile side trail down to have burgers and blackberry milkshakes. Yep,
probably going to hit a few more of those.

The trail today had more vistas than yesterday. It was more of a
ridge hike than a forest hike. Blackrock Mountain had a rocky summit
with 360 degree views.

Unfortunately, Heeten is going to stop tomorrow. He was doing well
but got a few blisters and is exhausted.

Day 68 - 5/08

Daily mileage: 13.0
Total trail mileage: 873.1
Starting location: Calf Mountain Shelter
Ending location: Blackrock Hut
Weather: mostly cloudy in the morning, clear and sunny the rest of the
day, 68 degrees in the morning, 65-72 degrees during the day, windy
all day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.214198,+-78.742966

When I woke up in the morning, it looked like it would be
thunderstorms today. But, the clouds fortunately cleared off before
too long, and the rest of the day was another clear and sunny day.
Heeten made blueberry pancakes this morning before we started
hiking :). We also filled up on water since we heard that there wasn't
much water for a long stretch.

The trail today was nice. It was well graded and went through rather
diverse forests. There were a couple views, but it was primarily a
forest walk today.

I have now completed over 40% of the trail!

Every time I caught up to Heeten and my dad, I stopped for a bit and
read my book. I was hoping that by hanging back I would have a better
chance of seeing a bear. But, still no luck.

Day 67 - 5/07

Daily mileage: 7.0
Total trail mileage: 860.1
Starting location: Waynesboro, VA
Ending location: Calf Mountain Shelter
Weather: clear and sunny all day, 65 degrees in the morning, 70-75
degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.085700,+-78.785606

Today was another nero. We got up and I had two breakfasts (motel
buffet and leftover pizza). I ran into Ken and Wait And See at
breakfast and they said they were going to zero there. I did not make
it to the all-you-can-eat pancake place, which is unfortunate but I
had enough food.

After dropping off Heeten's car at the visitor center, we started
hiking. The hike today was pretty easy and we are now in Shenandoah
National Park. We got to the shelter in the early afternoon and hung
out the rest of the day. Heeten and my dad made extra food for
dinner, and I was forced to finish it off. Sigh, so much work...

Nope, no bear sitings yet. This is where everyone says I will likely
see one.

Day 66 - 5/06

Daily mileage: 5.0
Total trail mileage: 853.1
Starting location: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Ending location: Waynesboro, VA
Weather: clear and sunny all day, 65 degrees in the morning

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.069690,+-78.894488

Nero days are great! I can make some progress without actually hiking
much. I made it out to the road before too long and ran into Camp
Chair there. My dad was on his way being shuttled to Waynesboro so I
waited at the Visitors Center. The shuttler picked me up and dropped
us off at the motel.

After a shower and a visit to the postoffice, my dad and I went to the
Chinese buffet. This buffet was really good and had all sorts of food
(sushi, etc.). Unlike the past two Chinese buffets, the food was good
for the food and not simply for the volume.

After that, we returned to the room and watched tv while waiting for
my friend Heeten to show up. When he arrived we went to Pizza Hut for
dinner.

Tomorrow I think we have about three breakfasts to eat before hitting
the trail (I had a pitiful showing at the Pizza Hut tonight).

Day 65 - 5/05

Daily mileage: 21.0
Total trail mileage: 848.1
Starting location: After Harpers Creek Shelter
Ending location: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Weather: clear and sunny all day, 70 degrees in the morning, 75-80
degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.034047,+-78.642181

I got up fairly early today, but not early enough to get passed by two
section hikers before I got out of the hammock. I caught up to them
later in the day, and they had no idea that they passed me. I wasn't
very far off the trail, but they must have been watching the trail.

The day went pretty smoothly. The weather was ok, the bugs weren't
terrible, the trail was a pretty good grade most of the day, and my
pack was pretty light. I didn't feel like I was rushing all day and
yet I still hiked 21 miles. There were a number of nice vistas
throughout the day.

When I was crossing one of the roads I met two cross country
cyclists. They are headed out to Oregon. Their bikes looked pretty
loaded down, and it looked like they were carrying more stuff than I
am. Next trip on my list?

I passed Joker earlier in the day. He is doing a flipflop hike:
Harpers Ferry to Springer and then Katahdin to Harpers Ferry. So,
I'll likely run into him again as he heads South from Katahdin.

It is just me and Hog On Ice by the shelter tonight. He set up his
hammock in the shelter. I set mine up behind it. Just a few quick
miles tomorrow into town and then all-you-can-eat Chinese for lunch
followed by some TBD dinner followed by all-you-can-eat pancakes the
next morning. Yum.

Day 64 - 5/04

Daily mileage: 13.1
Total trail mileage: 827.1 (approx)
Starting location: Dutch Haus
Ending location: After Harpers Creek Shelter
Weather: clear and sunny all day, 71-78 degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.842713,+-78.997764

I should have a solid breakfast and a pint of ice cream every
morning. It made the hiking so much easier today.

I woke up and went into the house for breakfast. Breakfast consisted
of a large stack of pancakes, quiche, sausage, grapes, orange, juice,
and coffee. Similar to lunch and dinner it was awesome. After that I
packed up and Naptime, Wall Eyes, No Point, and I jumped in the back
of the owner's pickup. She drove us to the general store (where I got
ice cream) and then to the trail parking lot. I think the stay at the
Dutch Haus was the best day I have had off trail so far. If I wasn't
trying to avoid slackpacking on this hike, I would have definitely
done so in this section so I could stay another night at the B&B.

Today was also the first time I have been in a vehicle since Hampton,
TN. For about the last 30 days and 400 miles I have been entirely on
foot.

After getting back to the trail, I hiked up to Spy Rock which had a
really nice view. I stayed there for a bit before Shlep ran into me.
I then continued on to the Priest. The Priest had a couple lookout
points as I descended down to the Tye River. And then I had to climb
back up. I am only half way up the mountain currently, but I found a
spot that looked good for my hammock (I love hammocking - finding a
flat site would have been hopeless with a tent), so I decided to stop
for the night.

Long day tomorrow and then a short day into Waynesboro on Thursday
where I should be meeting up with my dad and my friend Heeten.

Day 63 - 5/03

Daily mileage: 10.0
Total trail mileage: 814.0
Starting location: Hog Camp Gap
Ending location: Dutch Haus
Weather: rain and very windy last night, cloudy until the afternoon,
rain and wind in the morning, 60 degrees in the morning, 65 degrees
during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.858722,+-79.122101

I got up early and made good time out to the road. I made it to the
road by 11:30 and hiked down to the parking lot. Unfortunately I
didn't get any cell reception so I had to continue hiking down the
road to the B&B rather than getting picked up. I ran into Naptime,
Wall Eyes, and No Point at the B&B. They were planning on just coming
in for the free lunch and got sucked into staying for the night.

This place is awesome. As soon as I arrived, I was shown the
bunkhouse, was told to grab my laundry and take a shower. Then, I sat
down at the kitchen table and was given beef stew in a bread bowl. I
am treated like I live here and am part of the family. We are given
bathrobes to wear all day, the owner did our laundry, and she cooked
us fantastic food. I was just thinking about meatloaf yesterday and
that's what we had for dinner. This is what a break from the trail
should be. But, getting back on tomorrow will be difficult.

Day 62 - 5/02

Daily mileage: 17.6
Total trail mileage: 804.0
Starting location: Punchbowl Shelter
Ending location: Hog Camp Gap
Weather: brief shower last night, mostly cloudy all day, 70 degrees in
the morning, 72-85 degrees during the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.760255,+-79.195882

I actually went swimming today! Well, at least my head went
underwater for a second. That water was really cold. There was a
stream along the trail that had a small waterfall. I could almost use
it as a waterslide, but I could only get sliding for a couple feet.
Redman met me there and CoolTool passed as he was headed up the
trail. I saw a crayfish but it left us alone.

Brown Mountain Creek was a nice area. It used to be the site of a
community comprised of freed slaves in the early 1900s.

Cold Mountain surprised me. Its summit is a cleared grassy section.
I am not sure if it is technically a bald since it is mowed but it
looked like one with close to 360 degree views.

The bugs are not only sucking away my blood but also my sanity and my
will to continue. Good thing they only bothered me for part of the
day today. They went away as soon as the breeze started.

Tomorrow I am headed to the Dutch Haus B&B for the night. They
provide free lunch to thruhikers whether you stay there or not. I
only have 10 miles with no major climbs or decents so I should be able
to make good time and will hopefully make it by lunchtime.

Day 61 - 5/01

Daily mileage: 18.2
Total trail mileage: 786.4
Starting location: Marble Spring
Ending location: Punchbowl Shelter
Weather: hazy all day, 65 degrees in the morning, 75-82 degrees during
the day

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.678288,+-79.338902

Climbing up Rocky Row Mountain today was torture. My hardest climb on
the trail so far. It just wouldn't end. I am not sure if the
mountain itself was bad or if being eaten alive was the primary reason
for the pain. I didn't know there were black flies in this area, and
I saw my first couple ticks for this trip. Ugh.

Oh, apparently the flies aren't accidentally flying into my ears.
They are determined to do so. I was wearing my bandana and put the
tail of the bandana in my ear to deaden the buzzing a little bit and
to prevent the bugs from flying in. I could hear a bug repeatedly try
to get past the bandana and into my ear.

Before the climb, I made it down to the road pretty quickly and had a
soda that someone left in their pickup for us. I was there with Shlep
and WallEye. Then two runners show up (who passed us earlier going
the other direction). The one suggested that we try Ultra Running
when we finish. It is trail running races and he just did a 50k race
last weekend. I might try to pick up the sport of trail running when
I am done but probably won't try to do races.

After that I walked a little further and came up to a really nice
stream. So, I stopped, rinsed out my clothes, and soaked my feet for
a good long while before continuing. I stayed there for close to 2
hours and read some of my book. Rinsing off did little good as I am
already covered in bug guts again.

I am now at the shelter with Tuney, who is just starting out his "Cool
Breeze" hike. It involves a double flip flop, but allows you to avoid
the really cold weather and the really hot weather.