Date: 2007-05-04
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 50.0
Weather: clear sky

Two months to the day after starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia, I finally arrived in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia! Here is a little re-cap of the first half of my adventure.   Started at Springer on March 3rd, arrived in Harper's Ferry, WV on May 3rd.   I hiked 48 days on the trail, taking 14 zero days, for a total of 62 days.   I have covered 1,009.1 miles.   My shortest day was 2.7 miles.   My longest day was 40.6 miles.   The most my pack has weighed, 22 pounds.   The least my pack has weighed, 11 pounds.   Animals seen: Deer, rabbits, bear, owls, opossum, lots of mice.   Warmest weather: Sunny and 85 degrees with no shade to be found.   Coldest weather: 20 degrees with wind gusts of 40 mph.   Favorite trail food: The trail mix made by Hatchet Jack's Mom   Favorite town food: Pizza and soda   Favorite moments: Hiking by myself at dawn and dusk when the woods are quiet except for the birds, and the animals are out. Listening to the rain on the tin roof of a shelter that you've made it to just before it started raining. Inhaling 500+ calories of Little Debbie brownies and honey buns knowing that you'll burn them off in a matter of minutes. Seeing my first owl and bear. Hiking into town after a long day and enjoying the basic comforts of a shower, a bed, and food.    Least favorite moments: Discovering that your poison ivy is spreading. Mice running around the shelters. When you some how manage to step on one end of a stick in the trail and kick the other end of with the top of your foot, ususally sending you sprawling. Getting sun burnt because there hasn't been any shade for the last 100 miles. Discovering that your guide book is incorrect and that you actually have 3 more miles to walk that you had planned.   It's so hard to grasp just how far a thousand miles actually is. It's an unbearable distance to drive, much less cover on foot. Sometimes it feels like the last two months have flown by in an instant, other times I feel like my feet can recall every single step taken, every stone and stick kicked or tripped over, and every hill, both up and down. The trip has been great so far and I wouldn't trade the experiences or memmories for anything; but man it can be hard. I had the 'Virginia Blues' bad the last couple of weeks. You start out hiking on excitement from Georgia. Then, a week later, you enter NC and then on into TN. You get to see a lot of exciting things and pass many memmorable landmarks in that first month. And then you enter Virginia. It takes an eternity to get through Virginia. The notable landmarks through Virginia are spread far apart. After an exciting first month, it can be depressing slowly making your way through VA. You start getting a real sense of exactly how far 2174 miles is... especially if you take a look at where you're at in relation to a full length map of the AT... which are kindly placed at almost every hostel you stay at. I was definately feeling the blues through central VA and questioning not if I could cover the distance to Maine, I knew I could do that, but whether I really wanted to. Another 12 weeks of sweat, poison ivy, mosquitos, and mice? But there's no better medicine than a relaxing evening with good food, whether in town or sitting around a camp fire to help keep you going.    Now that I've walked through Virginia, and am only 41 miles from knocking of West Virginia and Maryland and entering Pennsylvania, things are once again looking up. It's exciting to be walking into the Northern states. I look forward to seeing the places that I've read about and heard about from other hikers. Three days after leaving Harper's Ferry, I will reach the exact halfway point of the AT and as I walk from that spot I will actually be closer to Mt. Katahdin than to Springer Mtn. Four weeks from now, I will actually be able to start making plans around a finish date in Maine. It's hard to believe that the goal of completing the Trail is beginning to come into focus. Half way there and still moving!   My Dad and brother picked me up in Harper's Ferry last night after I hiked 30.4 miles to get there. It was a long day over "The Rollercoaster", but it was great to walk out of VA and into WV. Today we will pack up the car and drive back down to Appalachian State University in Boone, NC where we will meet up with Nita. This weekend, Nita walks in her Masters graduation ceremony. It will be wonderful to spend some time with her and our families. I am planning on returning to the trail after another five days off or so.   Thanks so much for reading! I will be able to post photos from the last few hundred miles of my trip tomorrow once we get down to Boone.   Talk to you all soon! - Tuna Mac, The Southern Gentleman