Date: 2007-06-13
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: few clouds

Harpers FerryI was up a 7 and quitely packed my gear while my 3 bunkmates slept. I went down to the main house for coffee and pound cake. I signed the register, said goodbye to Hopeful, and was walking by 8:30. The trail was flat and made the walking a breeze, especially after dealing with the coaster. I hauled ass toward Harpers Ferry, stopping only twice for some snacks. I left the border at Loudoun Heights and was oficially out of VA. WOO HOO! I ran down the hill to the Shenandoah River and crossed it on the US340 bridge. The trail then went back up hill and I took the blue blaze side trail to the ATC headquarters. I was hapilly greeted upon arrival, got a snapple, and used their computer. I got my polaroid mugshot taken for the records and am thru hiker number 271 to pass through. I dug into the old records and found Mr. Sweepers photo from 05. When I was done at the ATC I went down to the PO and go my bounce box and old Osprey pack. I was very happy to have my tried and true pack back and will not be trying to switch again. I charged my headlight batteries and got some stuff out of the bouncebox. I left the post office and followed the blue blaze back to the AT and walked down toward old town. I walked up historic High St and went to the outfitters to get more food and a new pair of shoes. My current pair had some serious holes above the toes and the tread was almost gone. Hopefully this pair of Montrail Hard Rocks will last longer than the Montrail Highlines. I also picked up more body glide and a book, the Meditations of Thoreau. When I was done there I went to get dinner at the Secret Six Tavern. I'm not one to complain, but the service was horrible and the food sub par. The waitress brought my appatizer, salad, and entree all out at once. I got a portabello pesto dish and the pesto was possibly the worst I've ever had. This is coming from a hiker too! If I am paying for a quality meal I expect quality. At least the beer was good. They had Rogue dead guy ale on tap! When I was done with dinner Uncle Tom showed up and ofered me a bed in the historic Hilltop Hotel. Looking outside at the thunderstorm coming in I happily accepted. Tom and I enjoyed a few more beers then went back to the room. The view from this place was excellent. The hotel is overlooking the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers with Maryland Heights on the left and Loudoun Heights on the right.I sat on their front porch and made some phone calls then went up to the room. The light and fan in our bathroom didn't work so Tom had said something about it earlier. Well at 9pm a maintainence guy just barged into our room. That threw us off gaurd and was super surprising. What if we were sleeping? I took a shower using my green headlight for illumination, listing to Shakedown Street. That was definetly the most fun shower I've had in a long time. I put my headlight on flash mode for a minute which made it even more fun.My next mail drop will be in Duncannon, PA. I will probably be there around 6/22. The address is:Karl WeissC/O Doyle Hotel7 N. Market StreetDuncannon, PA 17020Hold for AT hiker 6/22Today's StatsStarting Point:Blackburn AT CenterEnding Point:Harpers Ferry, WVMileage:12.6Elevation Gain:1260ftElevation Loss:2410ftHiking Time:4:19Weather:Cool foggy evening rainPain Factor:2