Date: 2007-10-01
From: Washington, DC

To: View Entry
Miles today: 124.2

Howdy folks!I haven't updated in a while, mostly because I've been having too much fun. A lot has happened in the past few weeks, so I'll jump right in...After spending a few days with my Mom in Hershey, I rode with one of her colleagues back to Duncannon. Thanks Kip! Once there, I happened upon some familiar faces (Rambo, Dreamer, Sketch) and also met "Willie Nelson" for the first time. I spent a night at the Doyle Hotel, which is dilapidated yet full of character nontheless. I found out that my old friend from UTD, Ross Ulbricht, was attending graduate school at Penn State. Back in Texas, we went on numerous camping trips together, so it was all too easy to convince him to put down the books for a few days and meet me on the trail. I hiked like hell to get to our rendevous point in time, but we met up without any problems and spent a day and a night hiking around Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Sometime the next day, the wheels in my head started spinning, and I decided to return to State College with him with the intent of visiting my long lost cousin, Laura.The next few days were a blast. I managed to fit alot into such a short visit:A tennis game, covert high-diving, a tour of Ross's labratory, where he grows nano-crystals, a great morning jog around the school, a youth church service, a sit-in on Laura's accapella choir rehersal, attending an excellent Environmental Science lecture, a sunny nap on the school lawn, being attacked by obese squirrels, a hip yoga session, african drumming, and a midnight camp-out atop Mt. Nittany. Oh yeah, also the best ice cream that I've come across so far. Overall, an awesome weekend; I am extremely glad I made the trip up there. Thank you Ross and Laura for a wonderful weekend.The hitch back down to Pine Grove Furnace State Park seemed daunting, but I found myself there the next day. I was picked up by some guys who had just gotten back from adventuring in New Zealand. They took me home, showed me pictures of their travels, skydives, and scuba dives, and then cooked a salmon dinner to die for. SCORE! They dropped me off at the general store near the park in the morning, where I ran into a few other thru-hikers who had come to attempt the "Half-Gallon Challenge": a dubious thru-hiker tradition involving the consumption of copious amounts of ice cream in a single sitting. I (wisely) sat this one out, but was happy to coach my compadres through the ordeal. They were mostly succesful in their endeavor, but I don't envy the stomach-ache they must have felt.I ended up spending the night at the youth hostel in the park, which is in a historic mansion that used to be part of the Underground Railroad. I helped the caretaker with some chores around the place in exchange for a bed, spent the evening playing the grand piano in the living room, and cooked a pot of apples from a nearby tree for everyone. "Take-Two", who I had hiked with in Maine, "Luz-Verde", "Tortuga" and "Jumpy" also spent the night. After everyone went to bed, I stayed up late to watch The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly and found myself whistling the theme for days afterward :PThe next day was spent hiking with Luz Verde mostly, and we hiked down to Caledonia State Park, where we spent the night, listening to an impressive thunderstorm. As we talked throughout the day, I learned that he had travelled extensively in South America and was fluent in Spanish, so I took the opportunity to try and learn some new phrases. In the end, only one stuck in my head:"Sus sonrisa despleja como una mariposa."(Your smile spreads like a butterfly.) I hiked 27 miles the next day, crossed the Penn-Mar border. I made good time and I was able to stop at the post office to recieve a thoughtful package from my grandparents back in Texas. I also took a short side trail to a hang-gliding jump off point, where I could see for a hundred miles (or more?). Luz Verde stopped at the borderline so that he could attempt the "Four-State Challenge", another dubious thru-hiker tradition which involves hiking in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, some 53 miles, in one day. I kept going a further 10 miles to the next shelter, where I got fitful sleep that night, as I had an irritated sinus and was also kept awake by some hikers who kept popping beer cans late into the night.At 4:45 the next, morning, I was woken by Luz Verde and Treats, both attempting the Four-State challenge. They had been hiking since 12am so that they could get the most out of their day. Once again, I decided to cheer from the sidelines, but their enthusiasm was irresistable, so I quickly packed up and we took off together. We hiked like mad all day, stopping breifly to rest, but as the day wore on, we wore out. I was intent on getting to Harper's Ferry, 30 miles away. We arrived in West Virginia at dusk and I happily decided to call it quits for the day. Luz Verde and I had an expensive dinner of burgers and crab dip to celebrate. Afterward, we said goodbye and he continued on. I wonder if he made it to Virginia that day...That night, I slept on the steps of an old catholic church which overlooked the Potomac and Shennendoah rivers. Harper's Ferry is breathtaking. Thomas Jefferson wrote about it:"You stand on a very high point of land. On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain an hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Potowmac, in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together against the mountain, rend it asunder and pass off to the sea."Once again, I slept fitfully. There is alot of rail traffic along the rivers; at least one train every hour. Also, my cough was getting worse. I made it through the night and watched the moon and eventually the sun rise above Maryland and the Potomac. I spent the morning hanging around the Amtrack station, read Siddhartha all the way through, and then hopped on the first train to Washington D.C. I arrived in the early afternoon, and soon was on my way to the University of Maryland, to call on another old friend from college, Brandon Anderson.I've spent a day with him here, and have been tying up loose ends, but having a good time too. I got some medicine and some sleep, and am feeling much better. Today, Brandon and I practiced our juggling routine during a break between his classes, then I introduced him to rock climbing at the UMaryland Outdoor Center. He really enjoyed it, and plans on climbing regularly from now on. I also plan to head further east to visit my Grandad in Annapolis and also Granny in Easton. I might even drop by the boatbuilders that I met in the White Mountains earlier this summer. Quite a bit to do, I know. But I think I am finally getting a sense of the balance required between pushing hard and enjoying the ride. Somebody wise once said, "Don't let hiking interfere with your trail experience." No sweat there. I can happily relate that the majority of this month has been spent with various friends and family members. There's still a long way to go, though. 1000+ miles, 4 more states, and !WINTER!I'm so stoked! I can't wait