Date: 2004-05-10
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Harpers Ferry, WV
Miles today: 161.6
Weather: clear sky

5/2/04 SundayBack on the Trail again after a zero day in Waynesboro, and ready for the final stretch of Virginia. I never journal on my days in town, but I spend all my time eating and relaxing. Yesterday I played golf for the first time ever. I was terrible, but I did enjoy playing, even when it started raining. We were the only people out there, but we're used to rain by now.Deja Vu and Mello came in later on Friday night - I had gotten in early in the morning, with only five miles from the last shelter to the road - and we had a big party in the hotel room, with about fourteen hikers jammed in. They didn't zero, so now they're ahead of me.Today I got groceries and headed out by noon, but since the forecast was for thunderstorms I only planned seven miles to the first shelter. It was some of the easiest trail so far, and apparently starting tomorrow it gets even easier, all the way through Shenandoah National Park, or the Shannies as we call them. Even better, there are shops and concession stands all along Skyline Drive, which the Trail constantly crosses and recrosses, so I'm looking forward to lots of ice cream for the next few days/100 miles.When I got a ride from town to the Trail I accidentally left my rain hat in the car when I got out, and I was bemoaning my loss all the way to the shelter. Then Foggy Bottom came to the shelter with my hat! He'd gotten a ride from the same person I did, and knew it was my hat. Thanks, Foggy!The rain keeps coming in bursts of downpour, and then sun, downpour, and then sun. This shelter is full because no one wants to be walking the thirteen miles to the next shelter: Walk On, Foggy Bottom, Waterfall, Lulu, Redbeard, Pilgrim, Heald, and me, not to mention Heald's dog, Annie. We're all nice and dry here, watching the rain fromt he dry depths of the shelter.5/3/04 MondayI love walking in the Shenandoahs. Waterfall, Foggy Bottom, and I walked together this morning and had covered thirteen miles by noon. After lunch we tried to walk more slowly, but we were still going quickly compared to what we've been doing up to now. We met up with Walk On, and tried going to one of the wayside stores/restaurants along Skyline Drive,half a mile off the Trail. It was supposed to be open until 5:30,but it was closed at 4:30 when we got there. That's not fair! We walked back up to the Trail and then to the next shelter, for a total of twenty-six miles. My feet are tired, but my legs aren't really - it was an easy twenty-six miles. We went over a lot of mountains today, but there wasn't a lot of up and down; the ridge connected them pretty steadily. This is the easy Virginia ridge walking that everyone talks about.The deer along the Trail are unafraid, and don't run away when you pass by. Foggy Bottom saw a bear today, just after Waterfall and I passed by. I want to see one!5/4/04 TuesdayI wanted to walk alone today, so I waited until everyone else had left the shelter before getting up, then I ate breakfast, and didn't end up leaving the shelter until 10:30, my latest departure yet. I walked slowly, and took a long lunch. A very relaxing day.I did a lot of daydreaming, just letting my mind wander,and the miles slipped by. Because I was going slowly I missed the chance to stop at a camp store just before the shelter. Everyone else did, and had beer and junk food for dinner. I'll have to stop at one tomorrow, so I can get another day of food - I supplied short because I knew I'd be able to resupply in the park.I guess I don't have much to say today - the miles are easy, but with leaves on the trees and the same views of gently-rolling hills, there's not much to comment on.5/5/04 WednesdayToday we had a mission: to eat as much as possible! Foggy Bottom, Waterfall, and I set off from the shelter and quickly covered the eight miles to Big Meadows Wayside,where there was a cafeteria. They weren't serving lunch yet, so I bought a pint of ice cream from the camp store and ate it while sitting on the grass outside. Then it was time for lunch, so we went in and I got a veggie burger with a side of fries and a side of onion rings. I made short work of that,and once we left the cafeteria I got another ice cream from the store for dessert.We went over to the visitor centre and checked out the exhibits on the AT, the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), and the displaced/evicted residents of the Shenandoah mountains when the park was being built, then we watched a movie about bears (still the only bears I've seen so far). Finally, four hours after arriving at Big Meadows, we left to hike three more miles to the next shelter, whereupon arriving we began to eat again. I finished off a bag of cookies I've been carrying since Waynesboro.After an hour we set off again, going four miles to Skyland, a restaurant on Skyline Drive. We ate dinner in the bar there, and were joined by Redbeard. After two hours, some beer, and some live music, we departed in the dark to do some night hiking. The trail was rugged - especially for the Shenandoahs,and we went about six miles by midnight. We stopped and camped (illegally) in Byrd's Nest #3, a stone pavillion for picnicing that happens to look extraordinarilly like a large shelter.5/6/04 ThursdayI was kept up most of the night by a mouse in our food bags. We'd hung them from a rafter, but that didn't seem to stop the mouse. I got up once to chase it out of Foggy's food bag, and again to chase it out of Waterfall's food bag. I finally decided to just take them down, since hanging them wasn't doing much to stop the mouse, and it would be easier to chase it away if the bags were next to me. Anyway, not much sleep.I set out in the morning, and within ten minutes of leaving camp I saw a bear! It took off into the woods as soon as it saw me, but it made my trip through the Shenandoahs worth it (oh yeah,and all the eating opportunities along Skyline Drive as well). I had a late snack at the next shelter, and then hiked seven miles to Elkwallow Wayside (notice a pattern developing here?), where I had a blackberry ice cream sundae (notice a pattern developing here?), a bag of chips and pretzels, and an ice cream cone. We hung out at the wayside for three hours, then hiked the last six miles to the next shelter.Just after leaving Elkwallow, I saw four more bears! Three of them were in a group: a sow and two cubs. One cub stood up to watch me, and it was about three feet tall. They took off when I pulled out my camera. I left and kept hiking, and five minutes later startled another cub,who just bolted into the woods.5/7/04 FridayIt was a short thirteen miles into Front Royal, VA, where I needed to resupply. I got in just after eleven, and went to the outfitter to check things out, since that's where all hikers always check in. I was the first in for the day, so I checked my email and bought groceries and ate two pints of Ben & Jerry's for lunch. Then Waterfall and Foggy Bottom showed up, then Heald, Waldo, and Redbeard.In the outfitter I made the mistake of trying on a new pack. Then I made the mistake of putting my gear in it to see how it felt. Then I made the mistake of finding out it was on sale. Oops. So now I have a new pack, one with a real suspension and that holds all my gear without bulging out of the exterior pockets. It weighs a pound more than my hold pack, so now my base weight is up to 13 lbs. I'm no longer ultralight, but I'm okay with that. This pack will carry so much more comfortably than my old one, for the second half of my hike.I'm staying at the Terrapin Station Hostel tonight, with a shower and laundry. I got a ride to the hostel from town just in time - as soon as I arrived the skies opened up and it started to storm, heavy rain with thunder and lightning. I'm glad I'm warm and dry here.5/8/04 SaturdayThe Trail today was gentle and the temperatures cool, but I developed a blister on my heel halfway through the day, and ended in a sour mood. The first half of the day was wonderful, and I spent all morning in eager anticipation of lunch: soy chicken breast in barbecue sauce, with a quarter pound of mozzarella cheese, wrapped in a piece of onion flatbread. It did not disappoint, and I have another for tomorrow to look forward to.Then I got my blister, and limped for the last ten miles. I ran into Deja Vu on the trail, which was nice, and she, Waterfall, Foggy Bottom, and I walked together to the shelter. Waterfall also got a blister, so we spent five minutes talking about "I could be doing..." instead of hiking - I could be working, and she could be taking finals. That raised our spirits a bit. When we got to the shelter I didn't even feellike eating, but I fixed a pack of ramen, and by the time I finished it I was ready for another. We walked 24 miles today, and it really makes a difference when you walk more than 20 miles. 20 is comfortable; more is not. I'm in a better mood now, but I'm definitely ready to go to bed.On a different note, I'm very happy with my new pack. I have to get used to all these straps - my old pack only had the two shoulder straps and that's it. No hip belt, no sternum strap, no load lifters. I'm carrying my old pack to Harpers Ferry so I can mail it home - I may be the only thru-hiker carrying two packs!5/9/04 SundayThe humidity was thick today, and we walked "The Rollercoaster". Not rode a rollercoaster. There was a series of ten mountains in a row, short, steep ups and downs, and I was definitely feeling it. Because I hadn't eaten much for dinner last night I felt very run-down in the morning, so I stopped and made a big pot of mac & cheese with extra squeeze Parkay. That helped energise me, and I was able to hike on.I stopped briefly at Bear's Den Hostel, a huge old stone building, and then hiked a few more miles to the Blackburn AT Center,a hostel with a caretaker. They served us a great, huge meal, and we were able to take showers again, which I needed because this morning I fell in a mud puddle.The crowning moment of today was leaving Virginia. After 535.5 miles, I'm finally in West Virginia, the fourth state of the Trail. West Virginia is only 17.5 miles long, but I won't cross the Potomac River into Maryland until next week, after Trail Days.5/10/04 MondayI arrived in Harpers Ferry today - now completed 1009.2 miles of the Trail. I still have 78 miles until I reach the official halfway point - 1087 miles - but this is considered to be the "psychological" halfway point. The ATC Headquarters - the Applachian Trail Conference that oversees the clubs and volunteers who maintain the AT - is located here, and they invite hikers in with open arms. I'm the 43rd hiker to arrive here this year, but I know there's at least one hiker ahead of me who isn't in the register here, so the count isn't 100% accurate.I did some errands around town, browsed in the historic district of Harpers Ferry, and then joined some other hikers for dinner at trail angel Blue Moon's house, where we also crashed for the night.5/11/04 TuesdayWaterfall, Foggy Bottom, and I went into Washington, D.C.,today to sightsee. We took the commuter rail in from Harpers Ferry,and arrived at Union Station just before nine. As we were walking up toward the Capitol building, the first landmark we could see, a woman walking beside us struck up a conversation about my kilt. We chatted for a little bit, and then out of the blue she offered to show us around the Capitol. She introduced herself as Sumara, a member of the press for Knight Ridder, and got our names and told security we were friends of hers. There we were in the Capitol building with our backpacks, breaking most of the posted rules about forbidden items, and we got staff tour badges. Sumara showed us around the gallery and rotunda, and a member of Congress asked us where we were camping. She had to go, since Senate was about to convene for hearings about the Iraqi torture pictures, so we had to leave, but what a great experience! We'd been walking past all the signs that said "No admittance beyond this point" with the flash of a badge. Great fun!We walked along the Mall, stopping in a few of the Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery for whirlwind tours. I got to see some of my favourite artists - Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens, Hals, Monet, Pissaro. We somehow missed DaVinci, but oh well. That's the way of whirlwind tours.We reached the White House, and after taking pictures there, went on to the new World War II memorial. It won't be dedicated until Memorial Day, but they've opened it so as many WWII veterans can see it as possible. In a word, it's impressive, but beyond that words fail. My pictures can't do it justice. In scale, solemnity, and grandeur it stands apart. Its location at the end of the reflecting pool, between the Washington and Lincoln memorials, is perfect.As we were crossing the street to take wide pictures I heard a yell, "Haiku!" in a southern drawl that could only be Mello's. There, in a crowd of thousands, he'd spotted me. Of course, I was the only person on the Mall wearing a kilt. He was in town with family, but took a few minutes to walk around with us.We then visited the Vietnam Memorial and the Korean War Memorial - which latter I've somehow missed on my previous trips to Washington - and then headed back down the Mall. We spent some time in the Air and Space Museum until it closed, then went back to Union Station for dinner and our ride back to Harpers Ferry. I thoroughly enjoyed this excursion, a great celebration of halfway through my hike, and a reminder of how far I've come - Georgia to Washington, D.C.!