Date: 2007-06-18
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry WV
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: clear sky

As I was packing up in the female bunk room, Skiman greeted me at the door and signaled me to come to the living room. We sat down to talk and I knew...Even though we had choices to hike 8, 14, or 20 miles today, his leg was not up to it. The swelling had subsided but the tenderness still hurt. So, Skiman's thought was to stay off his feet until Richard comes this weekend, then resume hiking with me. Made sense. So, today Skiman stayed at the Hostel to meet his Air Force colleagues from the Pentagon who were planning to pick up our packs around 9 am to slack for us and hike with us. Now, they will pick up packs for TK Express, April Showers and Montreal,too, as well as Skiman! We had pancakes for breakfast and Skiman walked me outside toward the trailhead and said good by. Twenty minutes later, after two attempts with help from other Thru Hikers, I couldn't find the white blazed trail, only blue and yellow blazed ones, so I returned to the Hostel livingroom feeling dumb and sad. Kimi helped me find the trail and we cried and hugged, talking about Skiman's injury and mainly how sad we were that this was their last day as TK Express AT Thru Hikers. They would figure out how to get a rental car to drive to Ashville, NC, where their car and dog was with relatives..then onto Missouri and ultimately Seattle. My hike alone was hot, hilly and rocky. At 8:30 I was happy to see the sign entering West Virginia. I propped the camera on a rock to take a time exposure picture of myself at the sign. However, I realized it was from the back side of the sign saying I was entering Virginia! So, I trashed the photo and just took a picture of the sign. As I hike, I wonder if I should just call it quits for the hike, and return to NH after Richard's visit, in time for our annual July 4th family reunion. I would be in PA and have made it beyond half way. I am not with a group now, so it makes being alone different. Actually I couldn't leave the Trail now. I love it too much! I went to the Blackburn AT Center and met 7 mo old Lydia and her Mom who are the caretakers of the free Hostel, where they provide a free spaghetti supper to Thru Hikers every evening. The porch was welcoming with the blue hydrangas nearby in the garden. I needed to hike on in order to get to Harper's Ferry today before 5 pm. TK Express caught up to me and we hiked a little while together. Then, Skiman's Air Force friends Angie and Benny, hiked south in from WV9 Keys Gap, and joined me for my remaining 10 miles. It was nice to have their company and get to know my brother's friends. They took my picture at the 1000 mile mark on the AT, which was indicated in sticks. We arrived at the Harper's Ferry Appalachian Trail Conservency Office at 4:30, greeted by Skiman and his friends, Bob and Jan Manning who live in the area. Bob and Skiman were classmates at the Air Force Academy and were joining us for dinner. At the ATC Office they took my photo, and I became officially #335 from the Class of 2007 AT Thru Hikers. (I was #488 on Springer Mt March 31) I looked through the June/July 2003 photo album to try to find my son Kevin's (aka Tucker) and his partner David Rinker, (aka Nuge) but was very disappointed not to find either one. I bought a t-shirt and a few souveniers. The 6 of us went out to dinner. Afterwards, Skiman went home to Fairfax Station, VA with Benny and I was invited to Bob and Jan's home for an overnight, for which I am very grateful and thrilled to have a shower. Tomorrow they will bring me to the Post Office and back to the trail to enter Maryland!