Date: 2015-06-10
From: Bears Den Hostel,VA

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 20.5

Awoke to an endless pancake breakfast, though I forced myself to stop after 4 or 5. Burnsides was quickly off and wouldn't be seen until the evening. Moosehead and I prepared at a slower pace before hitting the trail around 8:30am. With 20.5 miles to go before Harper's Ferry and unsure whethermwe wanted to reach town today or tomorrow, we decided to move at a slower pace and enjoy the easy trek in.The morning began with a quick overlook at Bears Den Rocks before dropping into Snicker's Gap where we'd meet Rocky Mountain High and Sunscreen. We exchanged greetings, I accepted a cinnamon bun they had found as trail magic, and we were soon continuing on. Hoping to enter Harper's Ferry still wearing freshly laundered clothes, the idea was soon forgotten as sweat poured freely in the early morning heat. We reached Raven Rocks, another overlook offering a decent view, and took around ~15 minutes to rest. Moosehead and I passed the time leading to this point by him describing the intricacies of the stock market and life insurance to me. Just one of those mornings.After ~3-4 miles of traversing a few small mountains, we finally reached the northern end of The Roller Coaster and entered relatively flat terrain spanning the next ~16-17 miles. We eventually headed .3 miles off of the trail to visit the Blackbourn AT Center to visit some of the volunteers that so graciously maintain The Roller Coaster to give them a piece of our mind (not really), but I changed my mind when offered a soda as soon as I arrived. Moosehead and I spent close to an hour eating, relaxing, and briefly chatting with Rocky Mountain High and Sunscreen when they arrived. Eventually we motivated ourselves to return to the trail and continue on towards the end of Virginia.Exiting the woods at Keys Gap, a busy road with cars speeding by, I stood along the gray area between Virginia to my right and West Virginia to my left. We met 2 local gentlemen enjoying themselves a little too much along the trail on a Wednesday afternoon. Living a half mile off the trail, they explained how they routinely take to the trail as they drink, slurring every few words in the process. Although they were nice, neither Moosehead or I were in the mood to discuss our thru-hike with men who most likely wouldn't remember much. Instead we decided to hop off the trail and walk just under half a mile to a gas station that we heard served a decent variety of food. We spent the next 30-45 minutes sitting in the grass of the busy gas station enjoying our Italian subs and drinks. Assuming we were only going to continue another ~3 miles and camp just outside of Harper's Ferry, we ate slowly until Moosehead received a text from Burnsides informing us he scored a free place to stay in town and that we should grab some beers and get a move on. Packs quickly loaded down with beer, we hit the trail in order to cover the final ~6 miles in the final 2 hours of sunlight.The going was easy as we reached the Loudoun Heights area that would lead us down into Harper's Ferry below. Just before the trail began heading downhill, we saw a brown sign signifying we had finally reached the VA-WV border and were officially exiting Virginia for the last time. We grabbed a picture together and it was at this point I decided to end my tradition of peeing back into the state I had exited. Virginia is a beautiful place, more so than I was able to express in these journals over the last month or more while passing through, and I felt it deserved my respect. She tested and angered me at times, but inspired me more times than not. Having read so much of other hikers experiencing the Virginia Blues, I felt pumped knowing I was exiting on good terms and that I hadn't fallen victim. I contribute this not only to some of the most beautiful views on the trail, but to the friend's I've had the pleasure of hiking with, the new hikers I've continued to meet along the way, and some of the friendliest trail towns I've experienced thus far.Reaching the Shenandoah River Bridge just as the sun dropped behind the western ridge, Moosehead and I crossed over the shallow river, flowing through and cascading over a maze of flat rocks and boulders scattered along its length. Reaching the other side, we entered the woods and continued along the ridge above the river in the direction of the historic town half a mile away. On the way we passed Jefferson Rock, a large boulder balancing on an outcropping above the river that Thomas Jefferson visited during a visit in the 1700's With just enough light remaining we found our way along tiny streets until we reached the house we would be staying for the night; it was 9:00pm. The trail angel is known simply as Harper's Fairy and would spoil us, along with Burnsides, Yoohoo, and Doc well into the evening. A quick shower would begin my stay, followed by laundry. The remainder of the night would be spent letting loose and enjoying a great evening with nice friends with the help of a number of beers I quickly lost count of. The hours would pass in a blur of good games, good laughs, and would end as we all fell asleep on the living room floor to the serenading of Adam Sandler in the Wedding Singer. A good start to a couple of days of rewarding ourselves for our accomplishments so far.Here's to the rushing of the Shenandoah, the conquering of Virginia, and the kindness of Harper's Fairy.