Date: 2017-08-17
From:  Harper's Ferry Town's Inn

To: Blackburn trail center 
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I had breakfast at the towns in cafe in Harpers Ferry at about 6:30 a.m. cuckoo and I got there about a half an hour before anyone from the hospital showed up so we made a pot of coffee and chatted for awhile. Then at about 7 Karen the owner arrived and she made us a skillet breakfast of eggs bacon and toast. Afterward poop poop packed up and headed south as did I although I took my time and took several photographs in historic Harpers Ferry on the way south out of town. And we'll she you continued self I stopped at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters.  I talked to the staff there for quite a while. One of them Lori was very interested in the fact that I was doing a flip flop and she interviewed me on video with her iPhone. She asked for my permission to use the video in there online advertising in the agreed. I also signed there logbook and they took a photograph and recorded my arrival date and trail name and other information. The photograph and that information went into a book of similar photographs. I was evidently the 280 second person who had started somewhere in the middle of the trail to have checked in with them for a first photo. This is something I forgot to do before I left Harpers Ferry in April. I left the ATC headquarters around 10 a.m. and continued South. Just before crossing the Shenandoah River I'm at southbound flip flop Lasher Ireland who appear to be in his forties and was from... Wait for it... Ireland. This was his fourth time on the Appalachian Trail. He had complete today through hike in 2014. This time he had started from Harpers Ferry in June and made it as far as Hanover New Hampshire. Then because he had a little less than a month before his return flight to Ireland from Washington DC he decided to return to Harpers and hike south and then back to Harpers before returning home.After crossing the river which I noted was flowing North to meet the Potomac which was coming from the west and would join in a confluence that the northern tip of Harpers Ferry, I started the steep southbound to sent the wrestling and the south side of the river. At the top of this the trail level out but was rocky like I remembered Maryland and Pennsylvania. I took a picture.Today was also my first day hiking with my new Footwear. During my break I got a pair of Altra Superior 3 Trail runners. I also got a pair of solid black dirty girl gaiters. I had considered getting one of the fancier patterns of which their selection has hundreds. However in the end I opted for them or subdued approach. Picture.Around noon I met northbound section hiker Sofacco ( he had spent time Lesotho, Africa, and that name means hey Lynn some African language). He was 57 and had long ash strongly hair and a beard that was mostly white. He also said that he was vegan and was planning on catching a bus in or near her purse Ferry to a town with a grocery store so that he could restock is food. After a little more pleasant conversation we bid each other farewell and happy Trails, and I continued south.Sometime after 1:30 p.m. I reached the David lesser memorial shelter. Cuckoo was already there and was wrapping up as I arrive we chatted really before she left and then I ate a snack and drink some water. I wasn't really all that hungry and income from two weeks of well fed him off the trail. I signed a log book after lunch and then headed south again what are the 3 miles to go for the day. My new shoes feel good on my feet but my feet self tired as I reached the 10 mile marker for the day and I took it easy as I continued.I arrived at the Blackburn trail Center around 3:20 ish. Cuckoo was already there. We chatted for a while, waiting for the caretaker to get there. Later as one of two people working on the building was leaving, he told us the caretaker should be there sometime I the evening and to make ourselves comfortable I the bunkhouse or on the porch of the main building. We chose the latter. I showered off the sweat of the day in a solar shower when I discovered it.Later, about 530pm, Ireland showed up. We all ate dinner, and soon it was bed time.