Date: 2002-07-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday, I left off with the much needed zero day at Harpers Ferry. One of the best things I did was hang around the ATC where I met some thru hikers. A couple were really up on going light and started me thinking in that direction.Day 7 - Fri Jul 5th 12.4 miles On the 5th of July I took off SOBO from Harpers Ferry. Not long into the hike I stopped and talked with a NOBO and his girl friend. When we were ready to move on I asked him his trail name, which was Hoss. It turns out he is the nephew of a couple of managers I have worked with for years. I knew he was out here but wasn't sure I'd run into him. We took some pictures and talked for about a 1/2 hour. When I stopped for lunch at the Lesser Memorial Shelter I met four of his friends that had fallen behind. I took their picture and e-mailed it to them upon return. The next stop was the Blackburn Memorial Shelter. It seems there was a local group there for the weekend. It may have been the local club that manages that part of the trail. Slept in a cabin on a hard bunk with one other NOBO thru hiker.Day 8 Sat Jul 6 7.9 miles The next day I hiked only about 8 miles to Bears Den. This is really a neat place and the people here are so nice. I was going to buy and fix a frozen pizza for dinner when the hostess asked me to hold off. She then invited me to a wonderful beef rib dinner with several of her neighbors and friends. Sort of trail magic at its finest. The dinner was great. I helped with the dishes. That night I slept on a mattress in the upstairs mens bedroom. They rent you a sheet and towel for a buck each. It was great. The next morning I had their $3 breakfast which was all the pancakes you wanted and some great fruit plus cereals, etc. What's more, after about 4 hours of hiking the next day there they were at a road crossing handing out trail magic (soda, beer, snacks, cookies, etc.) Really a great couple running the place. The last night the manager's father was staying there and performed magic tricks for the guests. One of the dinner friends played the piano and sang which was a lot of fun and entertaining. I will definitely stop there again on my thru hike. Day 9 - Sun Jul 7 18.9 miles The next morning I bought some tuna to make my evening sandwich and took off around 8:30. I hiked 19 miles to Dick's Dome where I tented. On my way I ran into Yin and Yang who are NOBO thru hikers taking a rest. They are in Trail Journals. I had to give them the bad news that Rod Hollow Shelter was dry. There were a couple of small streams ahead for them though. When I got to the shelter I was beat and ready to eat and turn in. A young NOBO thru hiker from Germany who was staying in the shelter came over to say hello. Another thru hiker couple showed up just before dark. We ate together and everyone turned in for the night.Day 10 Mon Jul 8 15.1 miles and Tues Jul 9 0 miles The next morning after getting up a 6:30 I didn't leave until after 8:00. I stopped at Manassas Gap Shelter for water which had a great spring. In fact, it was the best on the trail..pouring out of a pipe into an aluminum pan that someone left behind. Manassas is famous for its copperhead snakes but I didn't see any. Around noon I got to the highway and hitched a ride into Linden for a mail drop. The Post Office people were nice. They let me sort through my stuff and gave me tape to seal the same box to send back some stuff I didn't need like long pants, extra shorts, etc. I then went to the small grocery that had sandwiches where I bought lunch..a corn dog, chips, pop and a popsickle. I got to the Denton Shelter around 3 p.m. where I got water and talked with some NOBO thru hikers. It has a cold water shower that everyone was taking advantage of in this hot weather. I didn't cause I was headed for Front Royal and a motel room. The couple I met at Dick's Dome said they stayed at the Scottish Inn and liked it. The Inn gave me the hiker rate of $52. Anyway, the forecast was 95 and humid so I took a zero the next day and stayed two nights. I did my laundry, got a battery for my watch, ate and rested up. That evening I treated myself to a filet at the local steak house. It was wonderful! I'll summarize the rest of the hike in my next entry. It was the best in a way as I met and hiked with a young college professor who had done about 500 miles NOBO from Georgea and had done a flip and was now SOBO. Later,