Date: 2015-10-30
From: Harper's Ferry WVA 

To: David Lesser Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: few clouds

This is it, the last stretch of the trail I need to hike to complete my AT thru hike. Harper's Ferry to Standing Bear Hostel - a MERE 781.5 miles left.The storm system passed through, and it was time to hit the trail. As usual, I got a later than planned start out of town. The pack felt like it weighed a ton. It was full of my resupply items plus a few pieces of cold weather gear I put back into my pack now that summer is definitely over. It has been a while since I carried a full pack. The last time I carried the Blue Beast was the day I hiked out of the 100 mile wilderness, in early October. There was nothing I could do but suck it up and keep hiking.I left the Econolodge, hiked to the AT, headed south, and crossed the Shenandoah River Bridge.   The wind was really whipping. After a brief road walk, the AT went into the woods and started a long steady 1000 foot climb. After about 1.5 miles of climbing I reached the VA/WVA border. Another state completed - sort of. The AT meanders between WVA and VA for a while before completely settling in VA. So I did not get all that excited when I saw the border sign.After the border sign the trail leveled out somewhat, but the rocks started. Similar to VT, a thick blanket of leaves hid the ankle twisting rocks on the trail. I saw 3 backpackers and 2 day hikers. I also saw a few deer. Except for the wind, it was a nice day for hiking. I reached the shelter about mid afternoon. The next shelter was 14.2 more miles, too far and too many miles to hike before dark. The shelter was very nice, with a separate covered picnic table near a fire pit. I thought I was going to have the shelter to myself. I tucked my tent into the shelter to avoid any bugs or rodents and to help shield me from the wind, but I was prepared to take it down if the shelter started to fill up.The water source was .2 miles down hill. I collected and filtered water, made dinner, changed out of my sweaty clothes, hung my food on the bear pole provided, and went to bed early.At 9:30 p.m. the first wave of noisy weekend campers arrived. When they saw me in the shelter they quieted down, went to the covered picnic table, and built a fire in the fire pit. About 15 minutes later the next group of noisy hikers showed up. 15 minutes after that the last group of noisy hikers arrived. They all quieted down quickly, and I thought they all tented. Unfortunately, about midnight, I discovered that 2 of them and their 2 dogs had joined me in the shelter. All night long I was repeatedly woken up by the dogs shaking or scratching, which shook the wooden floor I was trying to sleep on, or by their owners moving about to take them to go potty or to quiet them down.When I was thinking about hiking the AT I considered taking a dog along for protection and companionship.   After researching and giving the matter a lot of thought, I decided it was not fair to the dog or other hikers to take a dog on the trail, and it would present many logistical problems.Dogs are not permitted in the Great Smokie Mountain N.P. or in Baxter S.P. According to LNT, dog owners are supposed to bury their dog's waste just like their own waste. And dogs can get or transmit Giardia just like people, so any water they drink should be filtered, and dogs need to be kept far away from water sources.No one wants to sleep in a shelter with someone else's dirty, smelly, wet dog. Many hostels and hotels do not allow dogs. And hitch hiking with a dog can present all sorts of challenges. Of course there are also the issues of the extra weight of the dog's food, and how to keep the dog warm and comfortable in bad weather.Most hikers with dogs let them run off leash, claiming that their dogs are "friendly" and they have voice control over their dogs. So the dogs run freely, poop where they like, walk through and poop near water sources, and approach other hikers who may not be comfortable around dogs, sometimes jumping up on them. (This can be particularly dangerous with older hikers who may be a little unsteady on their feet or young children, especially where the trail has a large drop off or is very rocky.) Contrary to LNT the owners do not clean up after their dogs. Also contrary to LNT, the owners frequently yell for or at their dogs, thus disturbing all the other hikers trying to enjoy the sounds of nature. I love dogs. I have my own dog (Morgan). But under the circumstances I do not like to see dogs on the AT.Obviously my plans to go to bed early and get a good nites sleep did not work out as planned.The AT is calling. I hope tomorrow night I can get some sleep!