Category: 2018 Appalachian Trail

Harpers Ferry is the traditional halfway point of the trail.  The true halfway point is a little under 70 miles north of here at Pine Grove, PA (but what’s 70 miles?—a crap load of walking!). This is a National Historic Park.  What does that mean?  There are a lot of old buildings about to fall down that can’t be touched. Harpers Ferry used to be a major manufacturing city (pre Civil War) and was a battleground during the war. 

It is a cute little town at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. The biggest differences between here and Cairo, IL is that HF is close to several metropolitan areas, sits on a bluff, and people actually want to live and visit here. Cairo just sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and Illinois is just waiting for the big one (flood or earthquake, it doesn’t matter) to wash it away to Alabama so it can be forgotten. 

Everyone is well aware of our town chores by now, and we did all the usual things you might expect.  We had a few shipments meet us here, and one that didn’t. I got a replacement sleeping pad from Big Agnes (I’m still not happy with their products, but they are trying).  Bunny was supposed to get a new pair of boots from Merrell but the P.O. was less than helpful in tracking it down.  Bottom line, we are done with FedEx as a shipper (they have lied about deliveries twice to us; there’s not going to be an opportunity for a third time). We will also not be using general delivery to POs any longer. 

Food is a major town event. We did spend an afternoon down in the historic district eating our way through the town.  We had planned to spend an entire day down there, but Merrell and the Post Office saw to it that we wouldn’t have as much free time as we had planned (but I digress—screw the HF post office). 

We did go through all the hikers registrations for this year. Bunny and I were 571 & 572. Stickers and Lady Bug cane through just 5 days in front of us and are around 462 & 463. Because of when we started and our speed, we know people as far back as 9.  The majority of people we spent the most time with are between 5 and 12 days ahead. Perhaps the 23 zero days we have taken are playing into our speed. 

The most amazing thing happened to us last night on the way back from supper; we ran into a group of hikers we knew that were just getting into town. We were pretty sure everyone was ahead of us and we were going to have to associate with the weedlings from here on out. Big Bunny, Caboose, Autumn, and Sherpa started in late February and are taking their time. They’ve bought matching shirts and now call themselves the “Cactus Crew.”

We also saw Pilgrim (now the Good Pilgrim because another Pilgrim has been causing some problems).  Murphy is still in Shenandoah and he should get here any time. He took a little over a week off to go camping. We last saw these guys at Stanimals in Waynesboro. It’s hard to remember, but that was in the last state we were in.

When walking around town and eating, we are not recognized as thru-hikers. One waiter even questioned me when I told him. “How come you don’t smell?”  We have a secret, we bathe regularly. I even shave. Add in the fact that we both still have fat on our bodies and it throws most people. The only convincing sign (badge, if you will) is that I show them Bunny’s legs. When they hear her talk, it is clear that she’s not French, so we get credited as being thru-hikers. 

I’ve had to break down and throw in a few more hygiene quidlines. Every 1000 miles, I will trim my nose and ear hairs whether they need it or not. My pulling them out one by one as I’m hiking is not stemming the tide. When you can braid them, it’s time to cut them. 

Most of my rashes and bug bites are almost healed. My feet don’t hurt. I’ve got nothing but short hair on my head (except for one long ear hair that I’m keeping because it’s obviously OE from my childhood. When I step on it and accidentally pull it out, only then will it be gone). Bunny is feeling pretty good except for her hips which will be a problem until we get them replaced when she qualifies for Medicare (or we visit India, whichever happens first). 

The trail is open again.  It reopened the afternoon we got into town. Rain is coming again this weekend, so that gives us incentive to cross the river while we can. We’ve been assured that the rains won’t be big enough to close the trail again, but why risk it.  

We got in touch with Mizman and he is going to be doing some obscure flip flop so we will probably see him in NY to CT. Still no word from Gnome (other than he got to see a bear).  Patches has not made her trail presence known. She might still do the entire trail nobo when she comes back. Postcard is done with her hike; she summitted Katahdin three weeks ago. Bunny and I are playing trail cleanup. Last ones up Katahdin turn out the lights. 

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The rain ended over night and it cooled off. I had a window right by my bunk so I had control.  I kept it open all night long to hear the rain and after to let in the cool air. It was the first 50 degree night we have had in quite a while and I loved it. We still woke up around 7 to have pancakes and coffee before leaving.  We had to be out by 9.  

We had two options today: 1) hike 20 miles to Harpers Ferry to get to the “spiritual” half way point of the AT, or 2) hike less and stay at a religious cult that is on the FBI’s watch list. Of course, we chose option 2.  I’ve been to a time share presentation—I have a strong ability to say no.

It was beautiful weather. Finally we have spring weather that we’ve been hoping for ever since the last blizzard we hiked through. We had low humidity, clear skies, and drying trails. We still had about 8 miles of roller coaster left to navigate, but the biggest climb was only about 500 feet.  Since the sun was shining, Bunny was in a much more optimistic mood about the hills. 

All last night, we had tried to talk other people into staying at the Twelve Tribes with us but couldn’t find any takers. All kinds of rumors were floating around—they force children to work, they beat the women and children, they willingly break up marriages to get members to join, you have to give them all your money to join, someone knew someone who knew someone who did a work for stay and they couldn’t sleep for all the screaming, they pick you up and take you to the farm but are never available to take you back, etc.  

We got to the highway ad gave them a call to come to pick us up.  It was 5:30 and they said they’d have someone there within the hour.  There was a gas station/convenience store less than 1/2 mile from the gap—we told them to pick them up there so we could have some snacks while waiting.

A pickup truck driven by a man showed up in exactly an hour to get us.  He had his daughter with him in the backseat. He didn’t seem like a monster at all, just a really nice, hard working guy. He was very open about the community and proud of what they were doing.  He explained that there were less than 30 people in their commune here. There are six families and a few single men. They home school the children and everyone has chores to do.  They meet as a group twice a day at 6a and 6p. They eat meals as a group and grow most of their own food.

He drove us around the farm and showed us the buildings and told us how they make money. They have a tree trimming and removal business. When they cut down trees, they bring everything back to the farm. There is a mill on site and they will mill what they can and use the rest for firewood or compost. They also have a country store/restaurant on site. This is open to the public. Everything is organic in the store. They grow their own chickens, turkeys, goats, and cows, but no pigs. 

He dropped us off at a cabin after we visited the store. He then told us they don’t charge us anything to stay and they will feed us supper and breakfast. They also had a building dedicated to hiker use which had showers, toilets, a kitchenette, and a sitting area.  He said we could head up to the main house in about an hour for some supper. We just lay down and relaxed until supper. 

No one came to get us, so we just wandered up to the house. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. A woman told us to head into the kitchen and help ourselves. They had a fresh salad and vegetable curry. All the food had been grown on the farm or in the greenhouses. We talked with a few of the guys and they were very open about life in the commune and some of the problems they are having.  One of the guys was just coming and going.  He’d stay for a few weeks or months then leave for a few months.  They always welcomed him back and didn’t stop him from leaving. 

I found one of their newsletters and read a bit more about them. Why do they welcome hikers so freely? They believe a lot of hikers are in transition in their lives and looking for answers. They think they can help by offering an alternative to normal society. Plus, they need labor. They are very open they don’t have enough manpower to do all the projects on the farm that they want to do.  They are like first century Christians with a big Hebrew influence. 

After supper, we thanked them and went to get ready for bed. I took a shower and got ready for bed. This was one of the best night’s sleep I have had on this trip. The cabin had a box fan in it. I prefer the white noise from a fan even more than a mountain stream.  

All in all, I liked the communal living aspect that I witnessed.  Their farm was what I had tried to accomplish on my own (minus the store).  The religious aspect didn’t hold any appeal to me.  Big surprise to anyone who knows me well.  I’ve often thought a small commune is the way to go, but I lean more toward an extended family group. I just can’t get my nieces to commit to caring for me in my old age. 

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We heard the assembly bell go off just before 6. Bunny asked me if we were supposed to get up and go. I responded by continuing to snore. She took the hint and didn’t try to bother me again until 8:30. We packed up and tried to figure out what we were going to eat and how we were going to get back. 

There was the guy staying in the next cabin that was doing work for stay. This was his fourth year of bouncing in and out.  He was ready to bounce back out to do some more hiking.  He arranged for our ride and said we could go up to the cafe for breakfast.  When we went in, the main baker came out of the kitchen and told us we could order anything we want on the menu at no charge. 

I got to talking to the manager of the store and discovered he was from Waltonville, IL. He even knew one of the daughters of my friend, Steve N that works at Continental Tire. He hiked the AT about 12 years ago.  I’m not sure how long he’s been a member, but I think he got involved with one of communities in Vermont. 

For once, the trail really was all level or downhill (except for the little bit of uphill that we had).  We thought it might take us up to 3 hours to get into town.  We actually covered the distance in less than two hours and that included spending time on the phone trying to find a place to stay. 

This was a momentous hike for several reasons. We finally left Virginia once and for all.  We also entered our 5th state—West Virginia.  We reach the traditional halfway point of the trail—Harpers Ferry.  

As we got in sight of the Shenandoah River, we met a sobo hiker the confirmed that the trail was closed north of Harpers Ferry. He showed us the alternative walk to avoid the canal path.  He said the National Park had rangers stationed at the bridge ticketing any hiker that tried to cross the Potomac. 

The Shenandoah really was raging.  We had to cross it along a highway.  We were very relieved to discover that there was a dedicated pedestrian lane. As soon as we crossed the river, we saw the hotel we were staying at.  We didn’t have as far to go as we thought. 

As soon as we got checked in and dropped our packs in our room, we headed to the ATC to get registered. When we signed in at Amicalola Falls, we did it after hours. That’s the reason we never got our AT tags to wear on our packs. We got our pictures taken and then looked through the book for everyone we know that’s ahead of us. 

All that was left for today was food.  Everything in the historic district closes down at 5 and it was already past 4:30. It wasn’t even worth the effort to head down there today.  We had passed an Italian restaurant on the way to the ATC office. I always have the intention to eat clean when we get to a town but I didn’t have to today since we had eaten an organic meal last night with the Twelve Tribes. Pizza it was, and guilt free.  Even Better. 

Since we were in the area, we dropped by Teahorse Hostel to pick up my new sleeping pad from Big Agnes. For good measure, we also dropped by a liquor store for some beer and wine. We will be going by the Yuengling Brewery in PA so it’s never too late to work on affirming the taste. 

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It rained heavy all night.  I still woke up a little after 7 for the obvious old man reason. I strolled over to the shelter to see who was still around. It turns out that Baba Ganoush, Concrete Cowboy, Twinkie, and Thor were the only ones in the shelter last night. We could have squeezed in and woke them up since we know and get along with all of them.  Twinkie and Thor were already gone. I told Baba Ganoush and Concrete Cowboy about the creek crossing from last night. They decided to just take another zero in the shelter to allow the water levels to drop. 

I headed back to the tent and fell asleep until 11:30.  We started moving all of our stuff into the shelter so we could take down the tent and remain relatively dry while doing so.  While we were packing everything up and eating lunch, the four overnighters we met yesterday came in for lunch.  Dan, the kind of leader of the group, told us that the stream they had camped by last night had dropped significantly even with the rain. 

We decided to chance the crossing. After all, two people had already headed north and they hadn’t come back so it must be relatively safe.  The stream much lower but still flowing fast when we got there. The deciding point for us was watching two sobo day-hikers cross in front of us without a problem.  It was still above our knees but we didn’t have any problems.  When we get to Maine, we will have to be crossing deep streams regularly since they don’t believe in bridges.  The excuse for “no bridges” is to maintain natural wilderness areas, but are shelters natural?  Is it natural to have a wide trail running through the woods?  I think the “no bridges” policy has more to do with cost and maintenance. 

We only had a couple more ups and one down over the next mile and a half to Bears Den Hostel.  This hostel is owned by the ATC and managed by the PATC. It was a house built about 80 years ago by an ob/gyn and his wife. They had it built in the style of a medieval castle. With the big push to relocate the trail off of roads and into the woods, the ATC purchased the land for the rerouted trail. The house had fallen into disrepair from sitting empty.

The hostel doesn’t open until 5.  We arrived at 4.  There is a lower rear entrance for thru hikers to go in early to take showers and chill until the hostel opens. There are 10 bunks downstairs but they were all taken. We took showers and watched the movie “Airplane” with a bunch of annoying weedlings that didn’t understand the concept of a spoof. 

The hostel opens promptly at 5. We went upstairs and got 2 hiker specials.  For $30, each person gets a bunk, a shower, laundry, a pizza, a pint of ice cream, a soda, and breakfast in the morning. This is by far the best deal we have come across.  There are three more bunk rooms outside of the 10 bunks in the basement and each has its own bathroom. A total of 36 people can comfortably stay in the hostel.  The house was completely full because of all the rain. 

The host, Glen looks just like Jackson Brown.  He runs his butt off all day, every day. He’s been here since 2013 and plans to quit in 2020. This would be a perfect job for Bunny and me if we were done hiking by when he quits, but we won’t be done that soon.

We saw around, reading and listening to Champ play the guitar. We met Champ way back at Priest Shelter. He’s been a studio musician and performer for 50 years and has never taken a vacation because he loves what he does. This year, he decided it was time to take enough time off to hike the AT. When he gets done, he will be heading to Paris to perform with an accordion player he met last year. 

All in all, we had a great night at the hostel. Good food, great music, meeting lots of new people, and, most importantly, inside dry and warm out of the rain.  Life is good. 

EFG

Today is National Trails Day.  Had we stayed at Mountain Home Cabbin another day, we could have gotten free hamburgers at the trailhead parking lot. Believe me, I considered staying, just for that. Being male, logic prevailed: $20 worth of free food vs. $60 for another night just didn’t make economic sense. If we have any road crossings today, we might just run into some magic.

Not even a mile after we left the shelter, we saw a sign on a side trail—“magic ahead.”  I like free stuff…a lot, but I’m also very conservative with my legs these days since we still have almost 1200 miles to go.  I tried to talk Bunny into walking down the trail to see how far it was and then decide if it was worth it. She didn’t buy into the idea like I had hoped. Instead, I started walking down the trail until I could hear talking. I decided it was close enough to go for it and called back to Bunny to come on.  

Lady Bling hiked the trail last year. She’s a traveling nurse and just finished a contract, so she bought an airplane ticket, tons of food, and headed to the AT. She actually lives in Texas, so she outlayed a lot of $ to give us trail magic.  Breakfast had been light since Bunny insisted on having some as well.  I had two turkey and avocado sandwiches, a coke, two bags of chips, some candy, 4 chewy chocolate chip cookies, and a Gatorade. I thought this might be enough to carry me through to lunch in another hour or two.  More importantly, I had run out of toilet paper last night and she gave me a new roll. Lady Bling is my hero du jour. 

The walk the rest of the morning wasn’t bad at all—other than a little bit of rain.  We spent a few miles in Sky Meadows State Park.  State Parks can be counted on to be tame and easy, even in Virginia.  After the park, we crossed a fairly busy highway and then stopped for a break and water.  It had stopped raining and was just hot. Four overnighters passed us just as we sat down. They were doing just a 14 mile section tonight and tomorrow. 

We passed the group on the way to Rod Hollow Shelter where we stopped for lunch. I love weekend hikers and section hikers just starting out. Most thru-hikers don’t like them because they tend to crowd shelters, be noisy, and smell clean; the trifecta of annoyances. I like them because we can usually walk faster than they do, so we get to experience passing people which is a rarity for us.  In spite of hiking with someone named Bunny, we have been passed by two tortoises, three turtles, and a tortuga (Spanish for turtle). Bugs Bunny is rolling over in his grave. 

Not a mile after the shelter, we entered the roller coaster.  In spite of the name, it’s not really bad at all unless you buy into the hype. Bunny bought the hype—hook, line,  and sinker. We have been climbing up to 3000’ up and down in a 7 miles section pretty regularly.  With the roller coaster, the average climb is around 500’ with approximately 6 climbs per 7 mile section.  This is actually easier on us than normal if you don’t psyche yourself out. Bunny averaged about 1 mph when we have been averaging twice that through most of VA. 

To add to Bunny’s mental woes, it started to storm and pour.  The trail became a stream that we were walking in. If you were walking in the direction of water flow, you knew you were headed downhill.  If you were walking opposite of water flow, you were climbing. If the water wasn’t moving relative to you, one of two possibilities were theoretically possible: 1) you were on a level section of trail (not at all likely), or 2) you have fallen and are traveling very fast downhill. To be sure which case it is, you must lift your eyes from the trail and see if the trees are stationary or moving.

A major milestone occurred today, we passed the 1000 mile mark in heavy rain.  We were afraid that with the water flowing so quickly down the trail it might have washed the mark away.  To be safe, we walked the final few tenths of a mile with the Guthook App open. The stone marker was far enough above the wash to survive. About a mile later, we came up to a sign on a tree that was from a few years ago.  The trail length changes every year, so all the milestones do as well.

We came to the turn for Sam Moore Shelter but passed it up to head to Bears Den Hostel.  The hostel was only another 3 miles ahead, but it was already getting a little dark.  We’ve have steady rain all afternoon with a couple of very heavy bursts. I guess we’ve gotten well over 3-4” of rain today.  Every stream has been a creek and every creek has been a river and every river has become a death sentence if there isn’t a bridge. 

So far this season, there have been 5 deaths on the AT. One poor guy had a heart attack on top of Springer Mountain on his first day. There was another heart attack further north.  With all the blizzards in March and April, two people died from hypothermia. Most recently, on May 8, a young sobo hiker in Maine came to the Kennebec River where the ATC provides a canoe to carry hikers across. The canoe stops at 6 every night. The kid didn’t want to wait until morning so he decided to swim.  They found his body almost 3 weeks later. 

We came to an extremely swollen creek that I would call a raging river. The water was flowing so loud and strong that we couldn’t even talk to each other near it. It was easily 6’ deep and raging.  There was a fallen tree downstream that I headed for. As I was climbing on, I slipped. Much to her family’s dismay, Bunny refused to allow me to become #6 for this year.  We ended up turning around and hiking the 700’ up and down over a mile and a half back to the Sam Moore Shelter.  

By the time we rolled in, it was pitch black.  I wouldn’t do anything to set up camp until we ate. I checked the shelter and it looked full so we would have to set up our tent in the dark. After eating, we got lucky and had a lull in the rain to set up camp. When we got all settled in, we were talking and said the creek might drop enough over night to cross it in the morning if it stops raining.  That was when the third major downpour of the day started. Looks like we’ll get to sleep in. 

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All good things must end—especially zeros which cost and we are over budget. The sun was shining so I was not thrilled about hiking today. Chad the Dad left well over an hour ahead of us, so we have now demoted him to “red shirted crew member” meaning we’ll never see him again. 

The trail for the rest of Virginia is supposed to be flat and easy. Let me share a fun fact. The next 50 miles of trail into Harpers Ferry include a section called “the roller coaster.”  Flat and easy and the roller coaster—too many people smoke weed before describing the trail. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them or it might seem level. I’ll give the next 50 miles this much; there are only a couple of climbs over 1000’ so it’s comparatively flat (but in no way flat).

The trail can best be described with 3 words: muddy, muddy, and muggy.  With all the days of rain we’ve had lately, the trail is one giant mud puddle.  I will say this for VA, the soil is black and rich. ATweather has predicted dry weather for the next few days which translates as unending storms on the trail.  We couldn’t get confirmation on the trail closure after Harpers Ferry, but I suspect it’s true. 

We encountered surprisingly few people on the trail today. We stopped at the Jim & Molly Denton Shelter for a snack and I really had a hard time convincing myself to leave.  VA is really rolling out the red carpet as we get ready to leave the state.  This shelter has a shower, a clean privy with toilet paper, a separate eating shelter, and even a horseshoe pit for entertainment.  Patches should be back on the trail by now.  If she continues nobo, she’ll be by this shelter in a few weeks.  We could easily hold out here until she catches up again.

Reluctantly, I move on under duress. Bunny threatened me once again.  She found her spork so she should now be considered armed and dangerous.  For all those who think she is such a sweet, unassuming princess, you have no idea.  She’s a demanding tyrant that won’t let me sleep until she is snoring.  Only then am I allowed to crawl onto my Tyvek sheet under the shelter to try to sleep, but, god help me, if I’m not ready with hot coffee when she awakes. True dat. 

We saw a Train Wreck by the interstate.  Forget the “a” in the last sentence. We hadn’t seen him since we left him in Stanimals. I thought he’d be way ahead by now. He was actually calling an Uber to do a little yellow blazing backwards. He had hitched into town and back but got dropped at the wrong road crossing so now he’s trying to get five miles back and spend the night at the Denton Shelter tonight.  He’s a trail purist and reluctant to backtrack on foot to catch all sections of the trail. 

We detoured to Manassas Gap Shelter around 4.  Bunny had been complaining about her hips hurting and I thought she might want to stop a few miles early today. Twinkie was there packing up to move on to the next shelter. This was a 100% certified mouse free shelter so I was surprised that Bunny was so insistent upon pushing on another 5 miles. She has really taken the “we need more miles” talk to heart. I’m sure the two rat snakes in the rafters had no impact on her decision to keep going. 

The only sobo hiker we saw told us there were “Beautiful flowers” just off trail ahead and well worth the side trip.  “Goats Beard” she said.  I’m really thinking this woman might need to get out more. We saw some fuzzy looking flowers but they were kind of dull and full of ticks. I managed to find some not covered in bugs so I took a picture since we had made the effort to come down.  New guideline; we will now ask for a list of medications from anyone recommending side trails and enquirer as to the last time they left the house before today. 

The trail down to Dicks Dome was windy and not well marked. When we got there, we found Twinkie all by himself. Yellow jackets were swarming everywhere and the shelter was in the middle of a stream from all the rain.  The privy was above the shelter and it had water running around it on the way down to us. It was really a pretty crappy shelter (yes, that was intentional).  

There was also a note scrawled on the wall that I didn’t let Bunny see.  It said there were 3 copperheads within 10’ of the shelter. I knew this wouldn’t impact her, but I get up in the night to go pee. Guthook indicated that a new shelter is adjacent to this one. We told Twinkie we were going to keep looking for the new shelter. 

Whiskey Hollow Shelter was everything we had hoped for and more. It was a double level shelter with stairs.  It could easily sleep 2 dozen hikers. There was a covered porch with cooking platforms all around a picnic table in the middle.  The floor and walls had even been sealed to prevent bugs from burrowing in and to keep animals from chewing on it. There were windows above to allow light in. They had even collected old railroad spikes and put them in every few feet to hang packs off of.  I felt sorry for Twinkie staying down in the dome all by himself so I went down and helped him carry all his crap up. 

Ultimately, 11 people stayed in the shelter. Baba Ganoush and Concrete Cowboy had taken a zero here today. There were just two minor things that had no impact on us. The first, a bird had a nest in the rafters right above Cowboy’s head and it kept flying in and out during the day. It still hadn’t crapped on him, so it was all good.  

Everyone decided to sleep with their heads in tonight. As soon as we got in bed, a mouse jumped down on to Annie’s head.  She barely screamed. She did, however, pop a couple of Benadryl to keep her from screaming the next time it happened. The mouse was pretty bold.  He just sat there calmly watching while she was brushing her hair out. I think he was just screwing with her a bit since there wasn’t any food in the shelter. 

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Chad came down a little later and wanted some chocolate ice cream. I had to break the news to him that the chocolate had mysteriously disappeared.  We had agreed to exchange beer for ice cream so I had kept up my end of the bargain and had one of his beers before bed.  Chad was a bit down and admitted that he missed having Shay to hike with. 

Breakfast was included with our stay. Chad got his breakfast at 7 and we were up for 7:30. We were sitting around, drinking coffee, and listening to the downpour outside.  A few more people had come in last night and they were already getting packed up to leave. The three of us just weren’t very motivated to move. Chad finally stepped outside and decided that he was going to take his 5th zero of his hike.  We felt sorry for him and agreed to take our 21st Zero out of sympathy for him.

Once the decision had been made and the other hikers were gone, we all decided to take naps before heading into town.  Around noon, a few more hikers appeared on the doorstep which woke us all up. Scott (the owner) was there checking people in, so we asked him to drive us into town for lunch. We thought the new people needed space and time to unwind. They were drenched from the rain and we hadn’t eaten for over three hours. 

Scott dropped us off at the best pizza place in town. Chad and I both ordered large pizzas while Bunny ordered a small 12” pizza and salad. I ate all of mine and Chad still almost half of his left.  To be fair, he had drank a couple small pitchers of beer while I was eating.  Once the beer was gone, he started seriously eating. He finished his off lickity split. Bunny couldn’t finish hers. 

The three of us took advantage of the lull in the rain to walk downtown.  Chad was meeting up with some friends he knew from the trail. Bunny and I walked around the town for a bit before finding a wine/tea house where we could blog a bit while sipping wine.  

Chad called us up around 5 to join them at a local micro brewery.  It was only a couple blocks and we were ready for a break. We had a few beers with all of them before calling for a ride back.  Bunny and I were still full from lunch so we just planned on having a few snacks before bed.  

It had been just a relaxing day with very little activity. We had done our shopping and laundry yesterday with the intention of heading out today. The outfitter had told us the trail was closed leaving Harpers Ferry, so we were in no rush to get there. My trail purity prevents me from skipping sections of trail if at all possible—we just need to slow down a little and the trail will open up when the flooding drops. I’m pretty sure I can convince Bunny to slow down (it’s the speeding back up again that concerns me).

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I can think of nothing more asinine than a bunch of privileged white kids singing a rap song about oppression and the klan, yet that is what I heard when I walked up to get my food bag out of the bear box.  I wonder if the little punks even know what the klan is.  We got packed up as fast as we could to get out of there. 

We have been through several bubbles up to this point.  We had the weather bubble in Gatlinburg.  We had the March fast hikers pass us around Hot Springs.  We had the March bubble pass us just after Damascus.  We are in the process of having the April fast bubble pass us.  After these guys get around us in another week or so, we will have another lull on the trail for a couple of weeks until the big April bubble passes us.  My the time we get to New Jersey, we should be behind the bulk of everyone still standing.  We had hoped to get to the 100 mile wilderness by the third week of August so our friends, Peter and Marcia can join us for the last bit and summit Katahdin with us.  We met Peter and Marcia in Scotland a few years ago and they both thru-hiked back in the 70s before the trail was so crowded.  

We went fast, for us, but we still had our morning coffee before going.  Chad and Shay got out about 15 minutes before us, so we didn’t see them at all while hiking.  We are going to meet them at Mountainhome Cabbin and go into Front Royal for supper before Shay heads home.

As has become the norm, we started out in fog, high humidity, and heat.  From there, it only got worse.  Bunny’s hips were hurting so we didn’t go quite as fast as we had planned.  The rain didn’t help her move fast,  it it did help cool things off.  I still prefer rain to heat for hiking.  A hot, sunshiney day is the worst hiking weather for me.  I’m more than willing to take rain and/or snow over the heat.

As soon as we stepped out of Shenandoah, the trail changed from smooth to rocky and steep.  The trail maintenance wanted to emphasize the fact that we had really been spoiled in the park and they wanted to remind us that we were reentering reality (and maybe foreshadow a little of PA for us)

We were aiming to get to the hostel by 3 but we ended up closer to 4.  Shay was already showered and Chad was showering.  They waited for us to get cleaned up before we drove into town.  First stop was the outfitter.  Chad needed a few small things.  We looked around but didn’t get anything.  

It’s always best to eat before food shopping, so we headed to the Blue Winged Frog for supper.  We all got the 1/2# burgers and a beer.  Bunny couldn’t finish hers so I took care of it and her left over potatoes.  

Last stop was a small resupply to carry us a few days into Harpers Ferry.  As we were checking out, Bunny reminded me we were supposed to get some ice cream.  I ran over to the freezer section.  The prices for 1/2 pints were more expensive than getting a half gallon (which is only 3 pints) so I got 2 bigger containers instead.  I’m always economical.

We got home and said goodbye to Shay.  Chad had a couple beers and took a nap.  I decided to open the ice cream since we had skipped dessert.  To save dishes, I ate right out of the carton.  Yada yada yada, I ate the entire container.  Don’t forget, the half gallon challenge is coming up in less than 150 miles so I’ve got to be ready.  Practice makes perfect.

EFG

We made it a point to get up early when Hangman did just to counter-annoy the sobo couple.  I was in no way quiet.  Chad the Dad came storming into the hut and he was not his usual cheery self.  I found out later that the people camping next to them were watching a stupid movie (Beavis and Butthead) and kept laughing until all hours of the night.  They didn’t shut up until almost 10:30!

Chad introduced us to a new term today—“weedlings.”  A weedling is defined as a 20 something (but can be younger) that gets constantly stoned, doesn’t talk in complete sentences, laugh at stupid shit that annoys people with intelligence, and are just annoying in general.  In other words, today’s youth.  Chad the Dad was not happy with the weedlings camped by them last night. 

We had a surprisingly nice day.  I have finally figured out the definition of flat and smooth in VA.  On a typical day, we climb 2700’ up 3000’ down; that’s just a 300’ difference after 14 miles of hiking. 300’ over 14 miles is basically level. Therefore VIrginia is level.  We’ve just been looking at it wrong. 

There was a snake in trail today. I asked Spenders how he taught Murdock to ignores snakes. Murdock trained with chickens to learn how to sit/stay. A snake wandered into the pen and the chickens started to kill the snake. Spenders was able to save the snake’s life so he could use it as a training tool. Murdock now regards snakes as Spenders’ personal property. If he sees one, he returns to Spenders side which alerts him to its presence. 

Chad the Dad had his 56th birthday today. We didn’t realize it until he finished his second beer at the Elkwallow Wayside.  We all got milkshakes and then Shay stuck a candle in the cup. The family has a very busy week with Shay’s birthday, followed by Chad and Kelly’s anniversary, and rounded out with Chad’s birthday. 

The plan (here we go with plans again) for Chad the Dad and Shay was to hike the length of Shenandoah together.  We will be through the park tomorrow. We’ve really enjoyed spending time with the two of them. Because we are nearing the end, the four of us hiked the final few miles to the hut together.  Shay pointed out that Shenandoah is neither flat nor straight. We have an outsider’s confirmation that people who keep saying that are all FOS.  With all the “flat” walking we did this afternoon, I was afraid that we might have passed the direction post to the hut. Chad the Dad said that was impossible because Shay stops and leans on every post. 

We finally arrived at the hut which was full of weedlings, so we all decided to camp.  We chose a spot well away from the hut to try to avoid hearing the asinine chatter. It might have worked except they spilled over to our site.  We had an ace in the hole, though.  We were close enough to one of the worst smelling privies in the park so everyone eventually decided to move on rather than deal with the smell. The gamble that we are close enough to have a few bad smells but far enough away that the bugs head to the privy and leave us alone just may pay off. 

EFG

I got up to pee in the night and was immediately covered by flashlights. There had been activity around the bear pole so people camping were a little on edge. It wasn’t a bear, though. A raccoon had climbed the pole, unfastened a bag to drop it to the ground, and then slid down the pole like a fireman. Spenders saw the whole thing.  He woke the guy whose food bag was taken and gave him a stick. He threw it at the raccoon.  The raccoon stopped, looked at the guy with an “is that all you got?” look, flipped him off, picked up the food bag like a purse, and ran off.  They eventually got the bag back because the raccoon couldn’t figure out the Velcro…this time. Next time he’ll be ready. 

The bear was not a bother at all. So far, mice have been the biggest nuisance now followed by thieving raccoons. So what do bears eat?  The one hanging around the hut was eating plants when he got scared off, but we discovered that he had other plans. 

When we got up at 6 to hit the trail, we heard a baby crying in the woods. I thought there must be a family with a toddler until I remembered we were too far in the backcountry for a family (other than the Crawford’s).  A ridge runner saw the whole thing.  The bear had stayed circling the hut all night. When we got up, he found what he had been searching for, the fawn of the deer circling the hut.  The bear had grabbed the fawn in its mouth and climbed a tree. He shook it in his mouth to kill it—that was the crying we had heard. When he saw the ridge runner watching him, he climbed back down and ran off, afraid that he might have to share. 

We had thought about trying to get two meals in restaurants yesterday, but Chad the Dad and Shay convinced us to stay here for the night and go to Skyland for the breakfast buffet. That’s why we were up so early, so we could get there in time to have an hour of grazing on the buffet before it closed at 10. It was a foggy walk, but, once again, we were food driven.

It was foggy walking most of the way.  If we came by an overlook, it was still worth the side trip out because the fog sometimes manifested itself as a wall. That’s how we saw some climbers on Hawksbill Mountain repelling down in the clear with fog covering the horizon to the west. 

We got seated at 9:15 and I was worried because service was a little slow. I asked a passing waitress what time the buffet closed and she told us last seating was at 10:30 and they kept it going for at least 1/2 hour after that. We had plenty of time, so I relaxed.  In any gambling situation, the majority of the time, the house wins. Although, in some cases it does lose. Today, the house lost big.  When I went back for my third plate of food, the gravy was out. I just stood there eating bacon until fresh gravy was brought out. After a couple of pounds of bacon, there still wasn’t gravy. The waitress finally told me I could sit down and they’d let me know when it was ready. I took one more plate of bacon and sat down. 

Hiking is great for making it possible to beat the house on buffets yet still keep heart disease and obesity at bay. I haven’t lost as much as I was hoping to on this hike, but I have lost over 25# and get to eat anything I want. The hardest part about long distance hiking is turning off the appetite when the hike is over. We didn’t succeed at that last year. 

We ran into Charlie and Annie in the parking lot after we left Skyland. They were a mother and son out for their first backpacking trip. They’ve got the bug.  They saw us and asked if we were hiking the AT. They walked with us a bit so they could say they had hiked on the most revered of trails, but Charlie wants to hike the entire trail next year. Annie says she does as well but considers work and responsibility ahead of hiking. Not everyone’s priorities are straight. 

We stopped to check out Byrds Nest #3 Hut.  That’s where we ran into Maureen and Mecatte.  Mecatte is a new ranger at Acadia NP.  Maureen works for the forest service in CO. The bottom line is we would love to have either one of their jobs IF we are forced to return to work. (So far, we have exceeded our budget every month (but one) in the year and a half we have been hiking.  I have a hard time reminding Bunny we don’t have incomes while we are doing this.)

Leapfrog with Spenders and Murdock was the game for the afternoon. We tried breaking the cycle when we got to the Pinnacles Picnic Ground. With it being Memorial Day, we thought there would be tremendous numbers of families with extra food willing to exchange it for exciting trail stories from smelly hikers. Wrong!  We gave up yogiing and headed on to Mary’s Rock.

On the way up to Mary’s Rock, we caught up with Spenders and Murdock again.  Spenders told us to take a look under a rock he had just passed. It’s always suspicious when someone tells you to look under a rock unless it’s Easter Sunday.  Today was Memorial Day, so we were expecting a snake.  What we saw was a bird’s nest full of eggs with mamma chirping madly in our ears until we left.

Mary’s Rock held the best views we have had since McAfee Knob.  There was a break in the ridge to our left and clouds were spilling through the gap like an ocean wave.  I sat and talked with Spenders about dog training for about 20 minutes. He is on par with Crossfit Clay for training dogs.  Clay makes nice money training hunting dogs while Spenders make nice money training more specialized dogs as grounds dogs or as needed.  Murdock is 10 1/2 years old and is an amazing little dog.  

All smooth and straight after Big Meadows!  Should I be mad at Bear Foot or Geo?  I don’t know which one was actually yanking my chain on this one.  The hike down Mary’s Rock took forever. I’m pretty sure this section could easily be transported to northern PA and feel right at home.  It was raining, again, before we made it to the bottom.

We arrived at Pass Mountain Hut and only Hangman was there.  There were lots of people camping around the area, including Chad the Dad and Shay.  We decided to stay in shelter.  Just after dark, a sobo couple arrived.  They were the loudest people we have run into since hiking with Koreans on the Camino last year.  Everything they carried was in plastic bags—pretty wise.  The problem was they didn’t mark or color code the bags in any way so if they were looking for something, they had to rattle every bag to find what they wanted.  By the time they went through everything, they usually forgot what they had been looking for and started all over again.  I took Benadryl, but that wasn’t enough.

EFG