Date: 2004-07-13
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Three States
Miles today: 22.1

Today challenged me with another long day of hiking, but the terrain was relatively easy, that is, until the first miles of hiking were finished.The initial miles covered the remainder of The Rollercoaster. My goal was to finish this wretched stretch of the trail without aggravating my rash, which was somewhat improved after having taken a shower and sleeping.I covered the rash with powder. Over the final miles of The Rollercoaster, the chaffing did not trouble me. Thank goodness!Another positive development: I passed a sign that read, "Welcome to West Virginia."I hiked alone during the morning. The trail followed a wide ridgetop with some pretty forest. I noticed the first beech trees of the journey, an indication that I am getting closer to the Northeast where I live.At lunch break, I removed my tarp to dry it out. The tarp was still wet from yesterday's thunderstorm. Hikers Wipeout, Smack, and Lambie (a man in his twenties) showed up. I hiked with them to a shelter where we sat out another thunderstorm.Smack got her trail name because she likes to eat a brand of Ramen noodles named Smack. At this shelter, she ate some uncooked Ramen noodles with peanut butter.Wipeout, Smack, and Lambie were still at the shelter when I struck out for a nine mile push to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.The rocks underfoot slowed me down. I was somewhat thirsty from not drinking enough water due to a lack of water sources. When I got closer to town and passed some roads, I declined to draw water from streams due to concern about contamination. For those reasons, and due to a general state of tiredness, I did not enter the town until the evening.White blazes have led me all the way from Georgia to this community. But in this tourist town, there were few blazes to guide me through the historical district. I think the lack of blazes is intentional; they would seem out of place in a setting that attracts tourists because it appears historically authentic. At a couple of locations, I had trouble determining the route which the trail follows, in spite of a guidebook that I was reading. The day was late and few people were about to obtain directions from. I crossed a footbridge over the Potomac River and entered Maryland. This development represented another milestone, but I was preoccupied with finding a hostel to appreciate the significance of the moment.Darkness fell as I walked on a path adjoining the Potomac River. I put on my headlamp to find a spur trail which was supposed to lead me to the hostel. I found the trail, ascended a slope, and arrived at the hostel near 10:00 p.m.. Wipeout, Smack, and Lambie have not shown up at this hostel which was their destination.I am relieved to have finished hiking in Virginia. I and other hikers had been told that it was an easy state in which to hike. Instead, Virginia was a hard state in which to hike, at least for me. Tomorrow I will return to Harper's Ferry and visit the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conference. There I will sign the official thru hiker register and get my photo taken. I will visit an outfitter and will purchase a skin treatment for chaffing. I will visit the Post Office and get my drift box. Then I will return back to this hostel and give my body a rest.