Date: 2009-07-09
From: Campsite

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Even though I woke up early, I didn¢t leave camp until 8:30 am. I headed back up the roller coaster, continuing the ascents and descents of the 13.5 mile section. The climbs, themselves, weren¢t all that bad ¢ it was the horrible rocks that were beginning to tear apart my feet, making them swollen and bruised. I stopped at the Sam Moore Shelter, where I made a quick visit to the privy and signed the register. I noticed that Recom signed on July 1 and that he would be getting back on the trail in 7-10 days. If it works out well, I might be able to see him out on the trail again ?I wasn¢t at the shelter for too long, but somehow Jungli managed to race ahead and as I was climbing up the one face of the mountain, she had already stopped and was enjoying a nice snack. I then passed by and caught up to some day hikers. It is absolutely amazing how day hikers are so fresh and so clean that it feels as if you are following ¢candy¢ that is directly in front of you. It is so incredibly easy to tell the difference between a day hiker and a thru-hiker ¢ just from one¢s body odor. It was a bit of a tough climb up to the Bears Den Hostel, but I was looking forward to getting out of the heat. The Bears Den Hostel is a beautiful mansion that overlooks the Shenandoah Valley to the West and is owned by the Appalachian Trail Conversancy. While I was there, I met Hopeful and Red Wing (both past thru-hikers and caretakers of the hostel) and Hikelet, their two year old daughter. They would be expecting another child in a few weeks. I also met Jeff, a middle-aged man who decided to take some time off from his job at Accenture to come hike the trail for a month. He seemed as if he was at the crossroads of his life ¢ deciding to continue focusing on his work, of which he had a great deal of responsibility, or to scale back and take up a teaching position, which would allow for him to spend more time with his wife and kids. I also met Rubble, another hopeful thru-hiker. Red Wing told me all about how ¢The Phoenix¢, who I met at Neel¢s Gap, but haven¢t seen him since, was bit by a rabid raccoon, while staying at a shelter in Maryland. Supposedly, he was pretty banged up and may require some pretty serious stitches and rabies shots. I ate a full pizza, filling my stomach beyond its normal proportions, and then hiked on. I still had a good distance to go and, since I was starting so late in the evening, I figured that I would be night-hiking for some time in order to arrive at the Blackburn Trail Center. During this trek, I found out from my aunt Kathy that she and the kids would not be able to make it down to visit in Harpers Ferry. I had also been throwing a lot of requests in her direction recently and I don¢t think that I realized the magnitude of what I was asking and not truly recognizing the many roles that she plays in her own life ¢ mother, wife, counselor, AT organizer, etc. It¢s a tough gig. I arrived at Blackburn late, only to see Raindancer and Raspberry, who I hadn¢t seen since I left the trail in Bland, VA due to my injury several hundred miles back. It was great to see them again! I also met Splice and Pete and managed to meet up with Jungli, who had arrived hours earlier and had grown increasingly worried over my whereabouts. I was tired and sore, so I crawled up into a ball out on the porch and fell asleep.