Date: 2007-04-20
From: Amtrak station,Harpers Ferry

To: Crampton Gap Shelter, MD
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

Penny's reasons to hike the Appalachian Trail (April 20 to.....late fall, '07):1. I'm tired of paying the high price of gas at the pumps.2. I want to test the hypothesis that I'm not getting any younger.3. It will give me time to think of what to get for my niece's Nov. wedding.4. I've always wanted to know what its like to be between a rock and a hard place.5. I can get even with my kid's as t1hey'll never know the answer to, "Its 10 p.m., do you know where your mother is?"6. It's an effective first step in the "Divorcee's Diet" to shape up and loose weight. 7. I'm tired of making small talk.8. I read Bryson's book, "A Walk in the Woods", about his experience hiking the trail, and he can't scare me!!9. I wonder if carrying 30 pounds on my back for 6 months can stunt my growth.10. Its a pretty safe place from terrorist attack, and "Death by Bear Mauling" would at least get my name in the papers.yesterday, 4/19/07------Its rather wonderful that one can take public transportation to the Appalachian Trail. Just a bit over an hour's ride I hopped off the train at Harpers Ferry, W. Virginia, and within moments crossed the bridge spanning the Potomac and was hiking the Appalachian Trail. OK, maybe not the "real" trail, as at this point it just follows a level tow path along the river for a few miles, but I can't tell you how tickled I was to be "doing it"! ------ I'd chosen Harpers Ferry as a starting place because I could so easily get to it from my daughter's Arlington VA apartmentt. Given this was to be a new experience it felt comfortable to know my daughter could "rescue" me if necessary. ------ It seems everyone was worried about me: family and friends, of course, but even the taxi driver who took me to Union Station today. "Aren't you worried about murderers?" he asked. "Well," I answered, "cab drivers get murdered. Do you worry about it?" He laughed.   The octogenarian next to me on the train thought I should give him my phone number because he "was worried about me". I declined, as for the life of me I didn't know what he could do to assist me! Ahh well, thank goodness I'm not worried about it! ------As I walked toward the hostel and my night's lodging I practised the attitude I thought I'd need: Don't feel hurried- it doesn't matter how long it takes to walk from one place to the next. Keep an open mind and a willing heart. Be prepared to be surprised. ------ You know, I didn't take a single thing that I didn't think I needed. But as I stood in line to board Amtrak my watched stopped: 3:28 and 11 seconds. Hmm, perhaps one doesn't need a watch on a trip like this. ------------4/20/07 Harpers Ferry hostel ------ I hesitate to admit it, but I hadn't gotten around to trying out my cooking system. My "Esbit" stove uses solid fuel cubes that one lights with a match. Shouldn't be complicated, but knowing my techno inadequacies I thought I'd try it out at the hostel. Hey, what do you know, it works. I also tried out my cute little coffee filter (my one trip indulgence) and enjoyed a good cup of coffee before setting off. ------A bright, sunny, beautiful day. The trees haven't entirely leafed out so I could see hundreds of yards through them to enjoy the lay of the land. Nothing like a new adventure to have all senses on full alert: even the dandelions excited me! ------The "real" hike began when I left the towpath and faced my first climb. It was steep and took awhile, but the payoff was Weverton Cliffs, a stunning view of three states (VA, W. VA, Maryland) and the Potomoc carving through them. Both canal builders (George Washington being one of the first!) and railway builders coveted this passageway into the country"s interior and, of course, controlling goods and services streaming through this area made it important to both sides in the Civil War. I wished Jim was there with me. ------ Should'a done: I should have taken more water with me this morning. I thought I could save on weight (water is HEAVY) but I didn't realize how thirsty I'd get climbing uphill with a backpack! -------I am supposedly at Crampton Gap Shelter, but I don't see a shelter. I'm in one of seven campsites (ten ft. pressure treated 4x4's that create a square around a relatively flat spot and there's a sturdy eight ft. bench beside this where I can cook my rice and beans). My tent went up smoothly and I'm ready to crawl in. I wonder if anyone else will show up. It might be 6:30 or 7 by now, though of course the official watch time remains 3:28 and 11 seconds.