Date: 2008-07-01
From: West Va. camp site, near W.Va 9

To: Harpers Ferry.
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: broken clouds

Heavy Rain last night.This morning is shaping up just fine. I have a feeling of "calm excitement" right now. As it is a mere 6 mile walk into Harpers Ferry.I have to say it outloud as it still doesn't fully register that I am here.Harpers Ferry, Harpers Ferry... Coming out of the woods, brought me to US 340. It is a busy hiway. Although, I feel the same way when I walk through the aisles of a busy Super market too,It's all relative and sensory overload for sure.The trail crosses over the long bridge spanning the Shenandoah River. Anticipation is building, I have seen pictures, but I am curious as to what else I will see?A side trail brings me to the grounds of Storer College. In passing, I run into Spidey & No Amp. I first met them the day before reaching McAffee Knob.The blue blaze passed through the small college and adjoining neighborhood.About 2 blocks later I arrived at the ATC Headquarters. I just stood and stared for a moment, taking a mental snapshot and imprinting this moment.The next thing to do was to drop my pack and go in. Wide-eyed and walking around, the volunteers provided alot of information. I registered in as #512and had my picture taken."No Pains" was just leaving, I last saw him in Waynesboro. He's catching the train to D.C and will be home later today.In speaking with "Barfight", a young gal with such a contradictory trail name, I learned of a new hostel that just opened a week ago. This was significant as there are few options here for lodging. The ATC was not even aware of this new hostel. The 3 of us then walked several blocks until we came to a new general store. It was so new, they didn't have their coolers or complete stock in. The cashier looked after the Hostel registration next door. It was a house, that was renovated for this purpose. And just like that, we had a place to stay. Showers, laundry, kitchen, and a room for just the 3 of us with AC, all for just $15.00. An incredibly good piece of luck!Here as well are Frodo, Caboose & their pup. I haven't seen them since the Captain's Hiker Fest outside of Pearisburg. Caboose had been bitten by a Brown Recluse, but luckily had it treated with antibiotics before they had to cut a chunk out of her. Unfortunately they were heading out today.New faces here are Big jake, Fire fighter,& Paul from Saskatoon. In addition there were 3 Romanian exhange students living upstairs, Nicolae, Sassa & ?We didn't see much of them.After showers, it's time for chores. Harpers Ferry is a small quaint & historical town. There are no grocery stores, you have to go to the next town for that, a few miles away. We learned of a shuttle bus going there and caught it out front.We were able to get a good resupply, get something to eat, and bring back goodies for later. Now it was time to check out Harpers Ferry. We walked several blocks going past the ATC again. The main street sloped down into the Downtown section. The main drag was a narrow street with shops and stores on either side. Naturally we checked out the candy store (Outfitter). I borrowed some tools to fix my treking pole and bought a pair of pants.Other than that, there wasn't alot of attraction. We returned to the hostel, sorted our food and chilled out. I called Kim, only to find out she was having a difficult time, anxiety mostly, but there was little I could do except to console her. Hang in there.Later, we learned that we could catch a train at the station that goes into D.C. for $9.00. It leaves at 05:15 a.m. Freckles once had a job driving a tour bus there, so she had some area knowledge. How often do most people get this kind of opportunity? Done, we're going to Washingtopn D.C. tomorrow.We spent the evening in our room with the AC cranked, eating dinner and just talking.