Date: 2008-06-19
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Zero Day at Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Sorry I haven't entered anything in a while, no Internet out there on the trail. I'm in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia today and tomorrow for "zero (miles) days" so popped into the library for a 45 minute session. Sorry I can't answer all the emails, there just isn't the time, I still have 350 more emails to go through!!!The hike is going well. I've added a few photos about ten days ago and if all goes well will add a few more tomorrow at the A.T. Conservancy Hqs. tomorrow (I can upload a few photos there, but not at the library). Here you see me in the obligatory McCaffe's Knob photo.The bears? As usual I keep having encounters. The last one was most interesting. I was walking along, there was a pretty good wind blowing so every now and then a twig would crack since the trees snap them as they move, however this crack was somehow "different". I turned to my left and could quite focus in on what I was looking at. Then the mind finally realized what was going on; there was a bear standing right next to me, BUT, his feet were at my shoulder's height, he was standing on a bent over tree, reaching up to get mulberries from a mulberry tree. I was literally staring at his belly button!!! For a second I froze, then he looked down at me as if to say, don't bother me now, I'm busy! I came to my senses and moved down the trail about fifty feet. I got the camera out and was going to try to get a good photo of him when he left the tree. As I stood there, I could see the branches shaking all over the place, then they stopped, I figured he was going to hop down. I waited, then around the corner on the trail comes "New York Minute", the fellow I have been hiking with for several weeks now. I didn't know he was that close behind, I figured he was about an hour behind. For a second my heart raced until I realized it was he, I really thought it was the bear coming at me. He couldn't figure out why I was standing there with the camera, so I mimicked a bear and pointed, the tree leaves had started shaking again. It was amazing, he had just walked by a bear that could have knocked his head off and it just waited for him to pass, then continued it's work. Sometimes we come so close to wildlife and are not even aware that it is there!!! Same with the snakes, sometimes they just lay there and unless you're looking, you'll never see them.My shoes finally wore out. It rained the other day, and walking in the rail really brought out what bad shape they were in. When we got to the hotel room here, they smelled so bad I had to wrap them in plastic, it was awful!!! I picked up a new pair of light weight Vasque size 14 hiking shoes today. The outfitter here in Harpers Ferry actually had an assortment of size 14's, that is rare!I haven't been on the air too much, been too busy hiking to get here. Harper's Ferry is the psychological half-way point (1008 miles) of the trail and chronologically is about half way. The actual half-way point is up in Pennsylvania about 100 plus miles from here. Harper's Ferry is where John Brown staged his rebellion to have the slaves rise up and failed, prior to the Civil War, some consider it the catalyst that fired off the war, maybe, I don't know. I do know this place is a marvelous place to visit if you like history of that period, everything is so rustic and eye candy. A few days ago I had the fortune of stopping into a local pub/restaurant about 30 miles south of here, the Horseshoe Curve Restaurant. It was rustic, not much to look at from the outside, but a national treasure inside. It was a really old pub, with tons of old beer bottles and cans (unopened) lining the walls. The woman that runs the place is a joy to talk to, and she prepared the meals individually when you order something, no frozen food here. I was the only customer at the time and her two very old dogs were at my tableside waiting to see if I would give them anything, of course I did, I can't resist a begging dog! It was just a wonderful place. It is at Snickers Gap on VA Rt. 679, do stop if in the area, you'll love it. It so reminded me of an old English pub.Enough for now, I'll do more tomorrow if there is time, thanks to all for the messages!Dennis "K1YPP"