Date: 2005-05-21
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Storer College Campus
Miles today: 20.5

Miles hiked today : 20.519.9 AT miles + 0.4 miles of side trail + 0.2 roadwalk milesI woke up this morning at 6:00 a.m. and despite still being tired, I got up and read more of "A Dog's Life," which is a fictional comedy I'd begun at Dick's Dome Shelter. It's written from the perspective of a dog living in France. After a bit, I made breakfast and finished reading the book while lounging on a sofa and drinking a mug of hot tea. After finishing the book, I packed up and headed out at 9:40 a.m.My boots were still somewhat wet, which made my freshly cleaned socks wet and this caused some minor discomfort to my feet. Not to mention that the bootlace on my right boot had snapped a few days ago, which, yesterday, resulted in a painfully stubbed big toe on my right foot. I had plans to buy new laces at the outfitter in Harpers Ferry, so I had little choice otherwise but to hike onward.I reached the first crossing of the Virginia-West Virginia border at 11:10 a.m. and took a 5 minute rest break 0.1 mile further at Crescent Rock. I'd been in Virginia for nearly 5 weeks without a border change, so finally breaking free of the largest state of the AT was a nice milestone. Continuing on, I reached the side trail to the Blackburn AT Center at 1:05 p.m. and considered taking the 0.3 mile side trail, though decided against it, as it was a steeply switchbacked descent. The main attraction of the Blackburn AT Center, for me, was the fact that, from the front lawn, on a clear day, one can see the monuments of Washington D.C. I sat for a 10 minute rest break and adjusted my boots before hiking on, eating a snack as I walked.At approximately 2:20 p.m., I reached the 1,000.0 mile mark of the AT. 0.4 mile later, at 2:30 p.m., I reached the David Lesser Memorial Shelter and took a 50 minute rest break. I'm proud to have made it this far and am even more pleased by the fact that I've lost a total of 45 pounds, according to the scale at the Bears Den Hostel. I know that I don't have another 45 pounds to lose, but I wouldn't mind a bit more weight loss over the next 1,000 miles. A few minutes after leaving the shelter, I had to stop and adjust my boots and socks again. I should have changed my socks at this point, as the wet socks were chafing the underside of my toes. Alas, I'm stubborn and wanted to keep moving, so I neglected my feet. The next several miles weren't much fun, as my feet were in pain. Especially my right foot, as a sore had developed on the bottom, most likely because the boot hasn't laced properly for the last few days.At 5:00 p.m., I couldn't stand the pain anymore, so I sat down, took off my socks, and switched into my Keen sandals. I'd never hiked in my Keens before with a fully loaded pack, so I had to step a bit more gingerly with my right foot and some of the trail dirt was irritating the raw area on the underside of my left toes. All in all, my feet felt much better. The next few miles of trail were extremely rocky, which made the going tough, as well as slow. I'd been hiking with Wingit for awhile today and she was kind enough to hike at my dimished pace and kept me company.I had been walking the Virginia-West Virginia border for 14.9 miles and around 6:00 p.m., I reached the Loudoun Heights Trail, leaving Virginia for good. At 6:30 p.m., I caught my first glimpse of the Shenandoah River. Once I was at the edge of the river, I snapped an amazing picture of the Shenandoah winding its way through a lush green valley. By 6:45 p.m., I had crossed the bridge over the river and it began to lightly rain. At 7:00 p.m., I was in Harpers Ferry, standing at the ATC Offices on the corner of Washington and Jackson and the rain picked up even more. The ATC Offices were closed, as I knew they would be this late in the evening, though I was happy to be here. The ATC Offices are considered to be the psychological halfway point of the AT. The actual halfway point isn't for another 78.3 miles, only 1.0 mile before Pine Grove Furnace State Park.Wingit and I walked down Washington Street to Kings Pizzeria, where we each ate a large 16" pizza. Fortunately, it was thin crust, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to finish. As it was, I was barely able to manage and was surprised that Wingit finished, as she isn't a very big girl.During dinner, we were joined by Handlebars, who had eaten there earlier. He mentioned that he was going to stealth camp on the Storer College Campus, which was amusing, as Wingit and I had talked about doing the exact same thing. None of us wanted to walk the few miles to the hostel, only to end up back in this section of town again tomorrow.After dinner, we walked to the campus and found a spot out of sight from the road. We're hoping that since tomorrow is Sunday, that nobody will be around in the morning to disturb us while we sleep. We've got our sleeping pads and bags laid out on the concrete underneath an overhang, which should keep us out of the rain.Tomorrow morning, it's a short walk to the ATC Offices to have my portrait taken and to find out my thru-hiker number. Afterward, I'm going to check out some of the museums in town, visit the outfitter, and then hike 2.2 miles up the AT to the side trail to the hostel, where I'll be staying for the evening.Bedtime at 10:40 p.m.