Date: 2008-06-20
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 210.0
Weather: clear sky

So, I've decided that there is no way I can update my trailjournal with daily updates. It takes too long in town when I don't have much time to use the computer. When I'm in town I want to get clean, resupply, go to the post office, and most of all, eat. Above all else I think my writing has been superficial and boring. This trailjournal thing is going to change. I'm going to do one update when I get to town- starting now.I made it to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. I crossed the 1000 mile mark on my hike which was amazing. I'm also insanely happy to be (mostly) done with Virginia. It turns out that Virginia's reputation as a long green tunnel is rather accurate. 535ish miles is a long, long state and I do feel like I've been in Virginia forever. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy Virginia. There were some great views, great people, and lots of animals. However, particularly after I did some looking at my average miles per day and just did some basic math it was rather depressing to see that it would take me over 6 months, closer to 7 months to complete this hike. That got my down for a bit, but Hot Tang picked my up and bashed my head back into reality that this hike is not about the destination, it is about the journey. However tacky that may sound I believe it is true. That was my mantra for the last 200 miles of Virginia.The trail follows the Blue Ridge Parkway in the 700s (miles). It was a beautiful section that had the most elevation gain and loss in all of Virginia. Big climbs up and the big climbs down. Each day had a several mile climb and a several mile descent. Hot Tang and I walked into one of the best trail magic events ever. At Hogcamp Gap there was a group of 1999 thru hikers that set up a massive camp and just kept cooking. We decided to spend the night and take advantage of good company and good food. Most people who came across the magic also decided to stay so we would up with a nice sized tent city. I think the first day I ate 9 sandwiches and 3 Cokes. Ridiculous amounts of food everywhere! There were several familiar faces at the magic. Landfill, formerly Tortoise, was there and I met him in Georgia and then again at Trail Days. Crutch, who did Trail Magic in 2006 when I was hiking a section was there as was Baltimore Jack who I had met at Hard Core. Double D, Racoon, Cookie Monster, and Snow Plow were also there. It was a great time. After the Blue Ridge came Shenandoah National Park. 100 miles of the trail run through the National Park and many hikers love this park because there are waysides (restaurants) every 20 miles or so throughout the park. What I loved about the park was the animals. I saw 5 bear and about 30 deer. My favorite thing was the last day Hot Tang and I were walking down the trail and I looked up to see a bear right off the trail. I said "hey bear!" and it just sat there. Then I noticed she was a mama and had two cubs with her. You don't mess with mama, so we backed off and then started singing so she might go away but eventually we just walked past her. The deer were insanely tame in the park which is sad in some ways, cool in others. I like getting close to wildlife. There was an epic storm in Shenandoah while we were there but thankfully I rolled into a wayside just before the storm started. After that Hot Tang, Snowplow and I went to a visitor center to wait out the rest of the storm. We watched three interpretive videos about the park before the power went out. I haven't seen that much rain in a long time. I was very happy to be inside.Leaving Shenandoah was exciting. The trail had follow Skyline Drive (a road through the park) for 100 miles and I couldn't wait to escape the road, cars, and people. Stopping at waysides was a mixed blessing. For example, on a Saturday Hot Tang, EZ does it, Baltimore Jack, and I walked into an all you can eat breakfast buffet at the nicest restaurant in the park. After breakfast, I sat outside reading a newspaper until I was bombarded by tourist asking questions. Never before have I felt like a tourist attraction. I didn't quite like it. After Shenandoah came Front Royal for resupply which was a cool town. They had an awesome coffee shop and a very helpful outfitter store. Mostly it was nice to get clean. I hadn't washed my clothes in ten days and they were well beyond nasty smelling. They were so bad I really didn't want to even wear them. ohh well. I stayed at the Bears Den hotel which was reminicent of an American castle. Actually, it was a castle. A large stone ex-summer home with a tower and everything. Now owned by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, it is a hostel. For $25 you get a bunk, laundry, a pizza, a pint of Ben and Jerrys, and a soda. I ate it all. No problem. Then I watched the only movie at the hostel-Cars, the animated film. It was fun to hang out with The Breeze, Tetris, and others.Harpers Ferry is the most exciting of all. It is the psychological half-way marker. the Appalchian Trail Conference is located there. I did a 20+ mile day into Harpers Ferry and I didn't think I'd make it in time to get there so I was practically running down the trail. I did 7 miles in 2 hours. Unheard of for me! The ATC office was great. I was the 369th thru-hiker to visit this year. Hot Tang, Snowplow, and I hung out at a restaurant waiting for Hot Tang's friends from Turkey to come and pick us up. As we speak I am sitting at their dining room table, in Washington DC drinking coffee and planning my day. The Smithsonian is in my future today.