Date: 2015-05-29
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Harpers Ferry/TeaHorse Hostel
Miles today: 166.8

Day 16 - Paul C. Wolfe Shelter to Waynesboro Va - 5.1 miles - Nero day!!!!! After a decently ok day yesterday I did a Nero/little miles into town and stayed the night.Nothing amazing to go into!! Except that I'm awesome!!! LolWORD UP!!!! Day 17 - Waynesboro Va to Blackrock Hut - 20.6Really good day for the most partBear ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! Yes a large bear was right on the trail in front of me about 30 feet! I was scared as ......!!!! After it got up on its hind legs and huffed at me a couple times I backed down the trail around a corner. Then I heard something running up on the hill and a car slowed down. I thought hey I can go now.... Move very fast Jeremy!!!! As I get to the same spot I glance to my right and the momma bear is sitting waiting on her cubs. She was like 10 feet away!!! I started moving very fast and looking back every 3 seconds to make sure she was not chasing me down!!! Ran into same not .3 miles away and she could see I was shaken "a lot" lol we hike the rest of the day together!! Last couple miles I was really hurting pretty bad. Cold night sucked!!! Omg note: don't send your 10 degree sleeping bag home in exchange for a fleece sleeping bag until the cold weather moves through! I was miserable last night!! WORD UP!!! Day 18 - Blackrock Hut to Wayside - 8.5Omg what a day! Woke up freezing and to Wiperwhils. Both seem to be a theme all night long!!! We got out about 7:20. Me, SAM, and Bonzi, we all hiked the first 6 miles pretty easy, it was just freezing and a slight mist in the air. Then the showers started!! Ugh it felt like 2013 all over again! So for 2 hours we hiked in the car of pouring down rain. Very different from the last 2 weeks. At the wayside stop we saw the lady crew drive in that was at the shelter last night and they offered us a drive to the Country View Motel since the weather was going to get worse and colder. Neither could I deal with on top of the blisters on my two right small toes and my calve hurting like crazy (I have no clue why!!! Except for the weather maybe?)So me, SAM, and Bonzi are at the motel. Washing clothes, staying out of the cold rain, and relaxing our hurting bodies. Tomorrow the weather is better and the hiking great. WORD UP! Day 19 - Country View Motel to BearFence Mountain Hut So I got really sick last night, prob from the rain and cold this morning I did not feel like going anywhere. I thought about staying another night but Sam and Bonzi convinced me to come on and maybe I'd feel better by the time we make the hut. We made slow time, started later and it was still pretty cold. I was feeling really bad still but it started to warm up, I sweat a lot. By the time we did lunch at the cute cabin in the woods I was much better. So here I am and I feel much better, although I'm not sure how the cold tonight is going to work out since I'm with the bear bones in warm gear. We will see. WORD UP!!! Day 20 - BearFence Mountain Hut to Birds Nest Hut #3 - 22.4 milesGreat day!!!! Not to bad not to sad!!! Just a note: when your trying to do lunch at the Resort in the Shenandoah Mountains, make sure you check the time. Me and SAM had to hall butt to make it before 2:30. 16+ miles done way to fast. The second half of the day was only made better only because of the wonderful food we just ate.Got to shelter and I'm the only one inside. Still chilly tho. This shelter was a day use area at one time so the whole front part is totally exposed. Ferrish had the great idea of having me put my tarp up in the shelter to break some of the cold. Best idea ever. Made for a great night, didn't even bother me that a mouse wanted to be my bestie all night long. LolWORD UP!! Day 21 - Birds Nest Hut #3 to Gravel Springs Hut - 17.5 milesHard day physically challenging, I felt whipped. Me and SAM were slow today. Great trail magic sloppy joes and watermelon!!! Yummy!!!! Then went to the wayside and had a blackberry sundae and yahoo!! Made it to the Hut at 5:09 and a guy named Chris shows up and hands out drinks for all sooo good trail magic today!!! 3 mile and ISO are here tonight!! So cool to see people that I saw first day!Meet Garm today cool guy!WORD UP! Day 22 - Gravel Springs Hut to Front Royal Hostel- 9.5 milesSAMs last day! :-( that's allWORD UP!!! Day 23 - Front Royal Hostel to Dicks Dome Shelter - 19 miles (plus the half mile out of the Hostel!! ALL UP TODAY!!!)Overall a great day!Strange lady!!Lunch helped with energy level! Meet a section hiker who is a youth minister. Hanging in the hammock tonight to get a feel!!! WORD UP!!!!Day 24 - Dicks Dome Shelter to Sam Moore Shelter - 15.3 milesWoke up feeling a little tired and drained again. I think my pack is pinching a nerve on my left hip cause my whole left side was feeling numb half the night.Headed out and felt like I climbed all day. Some parts were cool tho. Flat meadows. A little Gatorade for trail magic which helped me get to this shelter!!!!! Meet some nice group hiking that's considered a "Active Elderly Group" at least that's what they said. About 20 people in there late 50s to 80s hiking about 7 miles of the "Roller Coaster" it's pretty intense even for me, I commend them for all smiling and being of good cheer. Even if it's hard. Made it to shelter. Looks like I might be the only one here for the night. Several others stopped at last shelter or went ahead to "Bears Den Hostel" about 3 miles ahead. It sounded tempting but I'm already doing a Nero and zero in Harpers Ferry so I'll just save the bucks. Tomorrow I'll finish up the "Roller Coaster" and then have it a little easier past the Va-WV line. Only 14 or so miles tomorrow. If it's not to hard I may press on further and camp for the night so I make Friday even easier. WORD UP!!! Day 25 - Sam Moore Shelter to David Lesser Memorial Shelter - 14.2 milesGreat day started out last part of Roller Coaster YAY it's finished!!!! Then easy 7 miles to the shelter. Meet some great folks at the shelter who are section hiking. Shelter is great but no hiker log. :-( Warning: WATER is way to far away from this shelter and all downhill!!!! It sucked!! WORD UP! Day 26 - David Lesser Memorial Shelter to Harpers Ferry/TeaHorse Shelter - 9.3 milesGreat easy day!!! Made it to Historic Harpers Ferry, wow what a beautiful place! I could so live here. Had a burger and fries and a orange cream soda....yummy!!!! Then headed to the ATC Headquarters and got my pic taken. Very cool place with great people!Then to the Post Office to get my awesome mail drop from Brittany and Lauren... Great stuff in there and it will last at least the next 4 days!!! Yay!!! Love them gals!!Got to the TeaHorse Hostel early so waited around for check in. Now just relaxing! Tomorrow will be a Zero day, and site seeing the town. WORD DAY!