Date: 2016-04-28
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Washington, DC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke early to shower before my big trip to the city. Ben (Hostel caretaker) made waffles, but I had to chipmunk mine in order to make the shuttle to the train station. Two other thru-hikers (Time Out & Candle Maker) were also venturing to the capital. The train station looked like a movie set and I was unable (and did little) to hide my child-like awe of the commuter train. The rocking was nauseating at first, but I enjoyed the hour-long ride. With each stop, exponentially more and more passengers packed into the compartments. It was "take your child to work" day. I exited the train at Union Station in a sea of passengers who all looked like they knew what they were doing, so I joined the herd and made my way to Massachusetts Avenue. Thank goodness for Google Maps! There's no way I could have navigated the 1.5 miles to the hostel using a map. The streets in DC are fairly organized in a grid system, though the streets with names (as opposed to letters and numbers) ran in a diagonal and haphazard manner. After arriving at the hostel, I organized my pack, updated my trail journal, shopped at the nearby grocery store, and got the scoop on a local barber and gay bar from Marvin, one of the hostel employees.i also had a very odd, but interesting experience in which I was asked a favor for a group of educational representatives from the Dominican Republic of Congo which went a bit like this:Man: "Can you please do a favor for me?"Me: "Maybe. What is it?"Man: "I have this chicken I bought (shows me a rotisserie chicken) that I would like to eat, but it is cold."Me: "Well, there's a microwave in the kitchen..."Man: "I've never used one and do not know how to operate it."Me: "Okay. (Demonstrates how to use the microwave) You may want to cut up the chicken first so the pieces are heated evenly. "Man: "Stares at me blankly."Me: "Have you never cut up a chicken?"Man: "No, my wife does all the cooking. I just do the eating."Me: (Resisting the urge to roll my eyes or be a smart ass and embrace multiculturalism) Okay, well I can do that for you, but I'm from the south and just use my hands."Man: Smiles as I pull apart his chicken and heat up the pieces. "Thank you very much. Will you please join us for dinner?"Me: "No thanks, I was just about to leave."Other man: "I have two beers left, one for me, and one for you!"I was unable to decline the invitation before the beer was opened and placed in my hand, so I shared a few words with the group as I sipped the Heineken that was given to me in exchange to my culinary favor. I headed out and had a drink and dinner at Nellies, which is a gay SPORTS bar. Despite its contradictory nature, it had a great atmosphere, good tunes, and cute bartenders. I left before the DJ arrived to get me head shaved at Showtime Barbers, which was less than a block away. "Why shave your head?" you may wonder...Well, I've always felt it would be liberating from vanity...I was only halfway able to accomplish this, as I felt the need to ostentatiously have the AT logo etched in the back (the main reason for my trip to DC was to have a barber proficient in etching). I sat and waited over an hour in an all-male, black barbershop and thought I may have stuck out like a sore thumb, I assimilated well, and was taking shots and green blazing before the cut was complete. The patron who filmed the event "That's gonna look damn sexy!" as the first locks fell to the floor (which was counterproductive to my vanity liberation). I not only felt sexy, as suggested, I felt empowered and slightly buzzed. Afterwards, a young and very attractive man propositioned me, further enlarging my newly bald head.