Date: 2003-10-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Erin says:Dearest wellwishers,Craig and I are sorry that we stopped updating our journal. And here it is October, 16, 2003 and the end of the north-bound season. It is chilly and very windy outside my parent's house in Nashua, NH.Craig and I put in some long days after Front Royal, VA in order to make it to Harper's Ferry, WV before my birthday on August 11. We hiked long days and did bigger mileage than we really wanted to. It was very enjoyable, but felt extremely rushed. I loved the Roller Coaster, though. It was exciting to scramble over some bigger ups and then tumble down the other side of the mountain only to know that another up was coming. It rained on us and the rocks crossing one stream were very slippery. I fell and got very wet as usual. But I didn't seem to mind - all part of the hiking territory.My favorite moment was coming upon the sign telling us we were in West Virginia. Finally - after 545 (I think) miles of Virginia. It seemed like an incredible achievement to finally be out of Virginia! Craig and I took many photos at that sign. And then it started to pour on us. During these crazy days of rapid hiking to get to Harper's Ferry, we decided to take a short break there and go to Washington, D.C. to visit Craig's brother. Craig and I wanted to see the city and figure out our hiking plans for the second half of the trail. We arrived in Harper's Ferry early morning on August 9th. A Saturday -- and in time to get some birthday packages sent by my family at the post office. Craig and I spent a long time at ATC headquarters and had our picture taken out front. The whole hike into Harper's Ferry felt sort of surreal, I was taken aback at the feelings surging through my body at having made it this far, especially since we had to leave the trail due to injury. Over 1,000 miles!!!!Craig and I went to Washington, D.C. the next day and spent 4 fun-filled days exploring the museums at the Mall and seeing the sights. We came to a joint decision to end our journey for now at Harper's Ferry. We did not want to spend the next 2+ months scrambling each day to make ridiculous mileage numbers in order to get to Katahdin. I think we realized that for us the journey was more fun when enjoyed to the fullest and at a slower pace. We also didn't want to return home in October absolutely penniless... which would most likely be the case if we continued hiking. Craig and I were both so satisfied with making it to Harper's Ferry. We realized that if we truly loved hiking like the section hikers we came across on the trail, then we would make it a point to hike the A.T. whenever we could. Maybe we would hike the rest of it in one fell swoop, or maybe we would skip around and hike the parts that interested us. It felt reassuring knowing that the A.T. is out there and could continue to beckon.So, Craig and I returned to Nashua in mid-August. I can't believe it is already October! I think about the A.T. every day. I miss hiking so much. I miss that feeling of purpose when I wake up in the morning --- that simple purpose of knowing that I am going to get up and walk. Life off the trail is much more complicated. While Craig and I may have conserved some of our money by ending our trip, we are surely going to be using it now because the economy here is awful. We are still trying to secure gainful, meaningful employment. That looks like it may not happen for a while. So, we are looking to at least get jobs that pay enough for now for us to move out of our parent's homes.I hope it happens soon. Thoughts and images from our journey constantly swirl around in my head. I plan to write about the journey in greater detail when life settles down a tad more. We also plan to upload more photos on our site in case anyone wants to see our journey through the Shenandoahs and beyond.Thank you for reading, thank you for signing the guest book, thank you for all the care packages and positive thoughts. I feel blessed that I was able to experience the A.T. and I can't wait until my next hike!