Date: 2011-06-08
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: clear sky

I didn't set my alarm because of the simple task at hand. I still got up before it was too late. I located some breakfast bagels that I was told I could partake in. The lovely people at Panera Bread Co. had donated them to the ATC hostel for hungry hikers. I put all of my extra gear into a large rubbish bag and tucked it into a cubby hole with my name on it. I started my slack pack around 8:00 am. Unfortunately it was already a hot morning right off the bat. This would then lead into a scorching afternoon. The first few miles were finishing off the damn "roller coaster" which went much better than yesterday's antics. Just out of the "roller coaster" I crossed the West Virginia state line! It's about time I got out of that ridiculously long and uneventful state of Virginia. Another state down. The longest state down. Shortly after the WV boarder i encountered the 1000 mileage marker. This was a good feeling. It seemed hard to swallow before I started the hike, but suddenly the goal - the end goal- was realistically achievable. Onward to Maine... The afternoon was a hot one. I made it to a shelter about halfway through the day and walked the excessively steep descent to the spring for mandatory drink. I came to a road crossing where there was a gas station just 0.3 miles west. I went for it since it was so hot; I wanted a cold gatorade. The sun was far worse walking along the road, but still worth the effort. I encountered a newbie section hiker heading south. It was obvious that he was new because he had a brand new shiny pack stuffed to the breaking point, and a fishing pole to boot. I asked how his day was going in the hot sun with such a large pack. He sounded upset with the excessive weight. I explained that the nice people at Bears Den would gladly give him a shakedown so he could shed a lot of the extra crap he was carrying. He sounded a bit more enthusiastic to keep going. Coming down the last hill into Harpers Ferry had a nice view of the river. It was so exciting to be entering the town since I had made my deadline despite the ridiculous miles. After crossing the river you think you've arrived. Nope. The trail has one more good laugh at your expense. There was one was steep, cheeky ridgewalk to make before it took you to the main street. I walked into town with Daydreamer (a nice german girl I met at Bears Den) and Wolfpack (a sound young chap that I met on my first day in Georgia). Because I had spent the day's hike faffing around I had missed the chance to go to the ATC headquarters and get my official photo taken out front. They closed at 5:00 pm and it was now 5:30 pm. No matter. I had plenty of time to do that over the next couple of days and Serena and mum would probably like to see their setup. Just before we got to the main street we ran into a local girl who immediately offered to show us to the local pub and the hostel we were to be staying in. There was an impressive ruin of an old church (old by american standards, not european) and some civil war buildings. It was neat to see that the town still had a look and feel of old about it. A lot of the building were obviously restored, but everything still looked like the early 1800s. I was confronted with a big disappointment. It turns out that there are lots of nice restaurants and cafes on the main street, they all just close very early. The latest place that stayed open for a beer was 8:00pm. What a bunch of malarkey. I'll make do I suppose. We checked in at the town's inn hostel. The owner, Karan was very nice and welcoming. The place was also really nice. It was old and quaint, but cozy and comfortable at he same time. Karan explained to us that the reason that the restaurants and bars shut down so early each day is because there aren't enough patrons in the evenings, and people don't come to Harpers Ferry in the evenings because nothing is open... what a foolish vicious circle they have put themselves in. Someone needs to break the mold and stay open late to start atracting people. Lame. We rapidly showered and nipped across the street for a nice pub burger and a few beers before we were booted out at a ludicrous last call at 8:00 pm. We went back over to the hostel and whined a bit. Karan felt bad for us having marched so many miles and not being able to moisten our lips with any adult beverages she offered us a bottle of her own wine. We gladly accepted the generous token and shared the large bottle with all hikers in the bunk room; Wolfpack, Daydreamer, Traveling Knome, an older Italian fellow, a thick accented Scotsman and myself. I ended up with a top bunk as we gave the lower bunks to the older folks. The design of these beds was comical. When i laid on my back on the top bunk my nose was about 18" from the ceiling. No worries, I'll have to be careful when rolling over.