Date: 2010-06-18
From: Amtrak train, headed east

To: Weverton Cliffs
Miles today: 5.5

I thought I left the roller coaster before Harper's Ferry, but it would appear I'm on it again. No, not the terrain this time; it's been an emotional day. I got into H.F. (and off the train!) around noon and stopped off for lunch. I was hungry at first, but soon realized I had such a knot in my stomach that I could only eat about half of my lunch, and even that I had to force down. I took the rest to go and headed off to figure out my shoe situation.When I got to H.F. last week, my old Montrails were shot. I went to the outfitter, and after trying on many different ones, bought a pair of Asolos that I really liked. I also kept the receipt and had the store keep the box, just in case something didn't work out. Well, Wednesday I finally got wearing them a bit on the boat. After an hour or so of having them on with new (ie, not worn out) socks, I knew I had made the wrong decision. they felt way too tight and were already hurting my heels. So, today I went to the outfitter. The guy there (one I had not met) immediately got me fixed up. He measured my feet and brought up a bunch, but suggested I first try a men's size 8 Vasque Trail Runner. What an eye! They were perfect.I then proceeded to spend several hours at the ATC taking care of reorganization, emails, mailing a few things off, etc. Let me take this moment to say a HUGE THANK YOU to my last two transcribers-my cousin, Megan, who enthusiastically took on April/May and my good friend, Jessica, who has been all over May/June (and also sent me that awesome package in Front Royal). I just FINALLY sent Jess about two and a half weeks of entries that I've been holding onto. Thank you, ladies, SO much for all of your support! These entries now will go to dear Montana friend, Lisa, who has also supported my hike in other wonderful ways.While we're on the subject of thanks, I had a very fun visit to the post office today. Waiting for me there was a package from Class of 07 hiker, Persistent. She sent an encouraging card and delicious goodies (including some Ferro Rocher truffles-YUM!), but my favorite part of the whole thing was the two small Hawaiian bracelets/anklets. As I was getting all set to hike out, I decided they'd go perfectly over my ankle gaiters. I LOVE them and will definitely wear them in this fashion until they fall off. Thanks, Persistent!Around 5:00, I finally headed out. Since I had missed them last week, I meandered through the historical exhibits on my way out. So cool! I really struggled emotionally on the way out today, and coached myself as I walked on why I need to not only keep hiking, but also be happy about it. Here's the thing-I did not want to hike today. I wanted to go home and snuggle with Braids, play with my neices, sip a glass of wine with my parents and Naomi, go tubing down a river. BUT...Here's what I want even more-I want to stick through something through good times and bad. I want to experience all the magic the northern half of the trail has to offer. I want to be proud of myself. I want to be an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker.And so I hiked.And guess what? All four of those things have happened at least to some degree. I am cowboy camped on beautiful cliffs (far from any ledge!) overlooking the valley and river below. When I got here, I was soon joined by a family of five. They had hiked up for a lovely evening picnic. We talked about my hike as they ate and I got some dinner going. I was really enjoying the conversation, but also secretly coveting the large fruit tray they were sharing. It's a very hot day, and I am trying to conserve water. As we talked, I kept thinking about how amazing it would be if they offered me a grape. Well, as they were packing up to hike down, they offered me a pack of peanut butter crackers that they weren't going to eat. I enthusiastically accepted, and they also offered a bag of carrots. Of course, those sounded even better than the crackers. This was when the dad said, "I'm sure you wouldn't want this fruit, since we've had 5 different forks in it." My mind immediately screamed at me trying to figure out a less crazy way to say, "I don't care if you've licked every piece-it all looks delicious!" Long story short-I got the same point across more delicately and they insisted they weren't going to eat any more. I have FEASTED tonight! There were tons of melon, grapes, blueberries, fresh pineapple and strawberries. I was also able to share the love with some other hikers. This really was some of the best trail magic I've received from since the start, and it came at the perfect time, when my spirit really needed a boost. If you all found your way to my journal-THANK YOU!