Date: 2016-06-30
From: Shenandoah National Park

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 54.0

Monday June 27 to Thursday June 30 - Shenandoah National Park to Harpers Ferry - 54 milesThis week has been a whirlwind of emotions. I got picked up by my friend Paul and spend the weekend with him and his family. It was a weekend to resupply, get cleaned up and rest and most important prepare and send Riley home to Marilee, We took Riley to the vet for a checkup and certificate from the vet to fly, got a cage, etc and then spend a few days with Riley. Gave him a bath to look good and also ensure no fleas or ticks. Paal and I took the dogs kyyaking on the Potomac. Then the emotional final trip with Riley to the United Airlines cargo for the flight home. It was a hard day for me. After a great weekend with them Paul returned me to the trail towards Harpers Ferry.The trail provided little new with most more of the same of hiking in a green tunnel of trees on a trail that is in very bad shape. You really could not hike but instead had to constantly step on and over miles and miles of boulders. I twisted my ankle three times and now it is sore and becoming a hinderence to my daily mileage plans. After the third trip I literally screamed as loud as I could multiple times that "....I hate this F!!!ing trail...." I am sure that other hikers heard me through the forest. Each day got harder and I could not keep to my daily mileage to stay on track. By the time I reached Harpers Ferry I began to question if I even wanted to continue. I had to accept that trying to maintain a daily pace to reach Maine in time before snow was not working. Several times ove the last few months I kept modifying my plan to keep pace but that was my real problem - trying to catch up that was doing more harm than good. I had already lost 22 pounds and each day I was exhausted aver ten or so miles and my pace had slowed down to 1 to 2 miles an hour. I was dejected and ready to quit then and there.I even called Marilee to get her thoughts on just quitting. I realized I needed to get to 13 or so miles every day to be safe and that did not include any down day. That was not realistic. My step daughter is getting married over Labor Day and I want to be there. That would take 5 to 6 days off. I planned to flip to ensure success but that could take another 3 to 4 days and I want to see Marilee taking another 3 or 4 days off. My mileage is now really 10 to 12 a day at best considering both my ankle and comleted loss of energy. As I sat at the ATC HQ I calculeted at best I would not get done until lat October to early November. I miss home and everything Colorado offers over the summer including biking, concerts and camping with Marilee.Quiting seemed to solve all those problems but I leterally broke down after talking to Marilee feeling like a complete failure. I slept at the ATC campground in Harpers Ferry. As I laid there I had to either make plans to go home or create a new plan - a PLAN B.So what is plan B. It starts with the idea that I will not try ot make any daily goal. Instead hike from shelter to shelter each day, stopping to see if I want to try the next otherwise call it a day there. I will not flip and save those travel days. I am going to the wedding regardless. With this plan I have set the bar low enough to take the pressure off me and decided that I will simply keep going north and on September 1st I will exit the trail and go home for the wedding. If I have not completed the entire trail by that poing then I nee to accept that I must rturn next year to finsh whatever is left over. I feel much better because I will still hike the entire trail and complete my goad and will still receive my ATC hiker certificate for completing the entire AT. The only difference is it took me two seasons instead of one. Having that plan made me feel much better than I did last night and re energized me to keep going. The only issue is how fast or slow will my ankle heal. Now instead of dreading each day and the White Mountains instead I hopefully can get back to seeing each day as a success and feeling good about myself. So with that in mind I am off from Harpers Ferry and headed to Maryland.This week did bring one great experience and that was the Bear Den Hostel run by the ATC. It is a huge old mansion on 66 acres next to multi million dollar homes. The crew here was great and the facilities more like a five star hotel instead of a hostel including hot breakfast and yes my morning coffee.