Day 81 - Delaware Water Gap (June 28)

I had a relatively short day getting into the Delaware Water Gap. I camped off the trail between shelters, and had about 12 miles into town. It was a very hot and humid day. The humidity was so high that many of the rocks were wet making the walk even more treacherous. The rocks were almost endless since at least Palmerton. My feet seem to be doing ok.

I'm staying at the local church hostile. Its a nice place with about 12 bunks. Once again, I know no one there. There are no laundry facilities in the town so I used the outside water spigot and a bucket to do my laundry. I hung it out to dry, but it looks like it might rain. If it rains, I will have all of my laundry hanging off my pack tomorrow.

Hikers are mainly traveling in packs. I've been moving between packs every few days. I think most people are traveling at about 15 to 20 miles per day. I've been traveling at about 20 to 25 miles per day. This seems to be a very comfortable pace.

Its been hot and humid, and its been hard to eat much. I'm in town eating as much as I can. I started with two lunches. Then I had two pints of ice cream with more than a thousand calories per pint. Now I'm drinking Guinness and eating bar food. I'm hoping to put on enough weight to get me to Vernon, NJ about 65 miles away. I need to start getting up at 5:00 AM again and walking while its cooler.

I'll be out of Pennsylvania tomorrow. I think there is about 75 miles in New Jersey. Then its on to New York. I'm really looking forward to Connecticut and beyond. I think we are all just enduring Pennsylvania. The state is mostly flat, which is nice, but there are a lot of rocks. Maybe there is only a little more rocks here than in Virginia. I think people remember the rocks more here because there is so little else compared to what we have already seen.

Day 80 - Trail Angels (June 27)

Once again, I met a trail angel when most needed. I got a late start from Palmerton because my options back to the trail seemed rather poor. Uphill told me he followed the railroad tracks into town this morning, but found them to be too narrow for comfort if a train came by. Two section hikers showed up this morning, and said they just blazed their own trail off the mountain. Steve who is hiking with his young daughter said he followed orange blazes into town. I think the orange blazes followed a route similar to the one I took yesterday. My only other option was to walk along a very busy 4 lane highway with very narrow shoulders.

I did not like any of my options because they all had some danger and all required backtracking several miles. This is when I met another trail angel. I was walking out of town when someone called out asking if I needed a ride. It was a lady who was in town buying a baptismal dress for her three month old daughter. I did not even get her name.

Since she had wheels, I asked her to take me to Little Gap. This saved rewalking 3 to 4 miles depending on which option I decided to take. It cut off about 2 or 3 miles of trail I've not seen. I thought that was a good sacrifice to avoid the safety issued stated above and assure that I found the trail again with little problem.

This trial angel I'm sure has no idea how much of a trail angel she really was. I hope I adiquately expressed my gratitude. I wish I knew her name and address so I could send he a thank you note.

The trail has been very dry. I left town with 3 liters of water. I also made sure I was well hydrated. There was only one spring off the trail. I would have had to walk a half mile off the trail and down the mountain, which would have added a rugged mile. I decided not to get water. I walked about 20 miles today. I'm about 6 miles from the next shrelter, which has a spigget. I still have more than half a liter of water left. Getting to the next shelter should not be a problem.

I've been taping my feet every morning, and they are starting to heal. I very foolishly did not take care of my feet earlier in the week. I developed a very painful, but not disabling blister on the bottom of my foot. I've managed to prevent additional damage while walking 20 plus mile days.

Palmerton was a very nice town. Everyone was very nice. I really enjoyed my stay at the jailhouse hostile. I was the only one there last night. I saw several hikers were there the night before, and several already showed up for tonight. I met an old lady on my way to the hostile who told me about the depression, her older bachlor husband who worked on the Manhattan project, her daughter who was born the day the first atomic bomb was dropped, and her 50 years of marriage. I would have enjoyed talking longer with her, but her ride arrived.

Day 79 - Palmerton City Jail (June 26)

I write this from inside the Palmerton City jail. Actually, its the former jail. The city turned the jail into a free hostile for thru hikers You get a wooden bunk, a shower, and other wonderful amenities. I'm the only one here tonight. I see from the log book that several people were here last night. I did not know any of them.

The guide book said I can either jump the guard rail and follow the railroad tracks or I could follow the well marked blue blazes. I made the mistake of choosing the well marked blue blazes. The blazes took me over a 1,000 foot mountain only to end where that trail intersected with the AT.

My choices were limited. I could have continued walking about 13 miles to the next shelter, which I could not have made by night fall. I could have walked another 3 or 4 miles to the next spring and hoped there was a place to camp nearby. Or I could have hiked back down the blue blazes to look for a way into town.

I decided to hike back down. I called Paul for assistance. He used google earth to find a way along the base of the mountain. The problem was I ended up in a fenced factory of some kind with the gate over a bridge being locked.

I have to climb down over the bridge, and then climb out on a fence that hung over the side of the concrete. I had to lower myself using the overhanging fence until my feet almost touched the ground. Then I dropped to the ground avoiding the barbed wire at the bottom of the fence, and scrambled to the other side of the bridge.

Its was a pretty crazy thing to do, but a was pretty desperate at that time. I was very tired from the pointless climb over the mountain, and I needed to be in town before stores closed. It would have been a couple miles back to the railroad tracks.

Other than that adventure, water was the only problem. I was fortunate that I completely filled up with water the night before, and two road maintenance guys gave me a bottle of frozen water. I did not need that water when they gave it to me. I thought it would be nice to have something cold to drink. It turned out that water prevented a half mile rugged climb down to water when I passed the next spring. I had just enough water to go another 7 miles to a spring I was told was good.

Day 78 - Rocks (June 25)

I got a very late start from Port Clinton. I went to breakfast at the 3C, and met a few hikers there. I heard them talking about how much they want to shake Nona. She is a slow walker, but shows up randomly far ahead of where she should be.

I did not get to the Allentown Hiking Club shelter until after 8:30 PM. The rocks and climb down to a very slow spring slowed me down. I was thinking that I could just hike with a headlamp. I'm glad I did not need one. I set my tent up about a hundred yards from the shelter with the last daylight. After I cooked and ate, I had a real hard time finding my tent. I don't think I could have followed the trail over all of the rocks. What would have made it even harder was the white colored material that was put on many of the trees. This stuff looks like blazes.

My feet really hurt today, but I don't think I've done any more damage. I just need to keep taping them for the next few days until they start to heal.

If you think of the trail as something you have to finish, then it is one of the most difficult endurance events you can do. It would be much harder than running over a hundred marathon races with only a day off every other week or so. There is always some form of pain to deal with. I foolishly did not take care of my feet yesterday, and I will be feeling the pain for days. I

I'm generally pretty ok with most of the pain. I wanted to know what it was like to do a long distance hiking trip. I expected pain, cold, heat, bugs, good weather and fair skys. The pain is just part of the experience as is everything else. It is not necessarily something that can or should be avoided.

The latest photos have been posted on Flickr

Click on the link.

Red Eyes has been Arrested

I talked to Thought Foot today. He said that Red Eyes has been arrested and removed from the trail for threatening someone's life. His mental stability started to deteriorate at least by Pearisburg, VA. Thought Foot said that the police had to remove him from a public swimming pool there. Then in Waynesburg, the police had to remove him from the Church Hostile. Reds Eyes made his way back to the trail where he started threatening people's lives in the Shenandoah. Someone called the police or rangers.

Red Eyes was the most enthusiastic person on the trail. He was the first person Sonic and I met on the trail. We all knew he would never finish the trail, but no one saw this coming. Athough, maybe we should have. Red Eyes was becoming very unstable at the beginning. There were times I was uncomfortable around him.

Acid Mine Drainage

Paul,

Thanks for the summary on local geology. Can you find any information on acid mine drainage? There was some acid mine drainage problems in the area I went through yesterday. Its been a long time since I've heard anything about the problem.

Day 77 - Port Clinton (June 24)

There was an incredible thunderstorm last night. I was tenting near the 501 shelter. The wind was so strong that I decided to pack up and sleep in the shelter. I could not see if there were any large branches that could come down. A small branch fell on my tent.

PA is known for rocks. That is all everyone talked about until we got here. While there are a lot of rocks, its nothing we have not seen before. There is just a little more of them. They really hurt before, and they really hurt now. I'm getting a blister on the bottom of my right foot. For as thick as my callouses are, I did not think this was possible. I thought that my foot was bruised, and did nothing for too long. I think I'm going to be ok, its just going to be another painful few days while my foot heals. I'm sure getting used to pain and pain management.

I'm going to be staying at the Port Clinton pavilion tonight. I stopped at the local outfitter on my way into town for a pint of ice cream when Hotwheels and Shutterbug came in. They wanted a ride into town for a resupply and dinner. They had two others waiting. I throw in a few dollars and went for a ride with them. I'm writing from the Pizza Hut.

I think I have enough supplies to get me to the Delaware Water Gap on the northern PA boarder. Its just another 75 miles and I will be out of PA.

Speaking of miles, I just crossed the 1,200 mile mark. This just doesn't seem that far. I have less than a 1,000 miles to go. It will be a spiritual exercise not thinking about miles to go. I am looking forward to the northeast. I've seen PA before. The scenery is not that great, but its still a pretty state.

Day 76 - Disappointment (June 23)

I kept hearing about how you can order pizza and take a shower at the 501 shelter. I decided to go a few extra miles past the William Penn shelter where I was originally going to stop. It turned out that nearly everything in town is closed today. There was no pizza. In addition, the solar shower was not that warm. It was more of an ambient air temperature shower if no one adds any more cold water. The shower was cold but very nice.

Heather dropped me off where we hiked yesterday. The trail went up a gentle incline and stayed on top of a ridge for several miles. I walked through an old town called Yellow Springs that dated to the mid 1800s. All that remained were several piles of rocks. Further along the trail there was a stone well with a diameter of at least 10 feet along with the stone work remaining from a rail road bridge. So much work went into peoples lives, and all that remains are stones.

It looks like there are four parallel ridges in the area. The sandstone on at least two of the ridges look similar. Can someone tell me if these are all one sandstone unit?

I saw the first abandoned mine on the trail. I think it was a coal mine. The drainage was yellow. I remember talking about acid mine drainage in college, but its been a long time since I've seen it. I also saw two wells filled with limestone that are being used for remediation. Stream water is diverted into the wells where the limestone increases the pH. A sign said this method has been very effective at increasing the water quality of the local steams.

The shelter tonight is packed. These are all people I've not met before today with the exception of Nona from Nowhere. Heather and I met her at breakfast on Sunday. Nona doesn't seem to be well liked today. She was putting her feet in a spring that other people were using for their water source, and she gave a snippy remark to someone who asked her to keep her feet out until he got his water.

Also here tonight is Butters who draws comix in the trail registers. He got a few complaints about his material so he said he started rating his work as mature or something like that. Super Chunk and Rock Solid are here. Lady Cluck, Sampson, Howheels, and Shutterbug are here. The guy Heather lent her hair cutting scissors is here too. I think he might be hiking with his wife, but she seemed to go off somewhere by herself.

Day 75 - Slack Packing (June 22)

I spent the day with Heather. We slack packed parts of the trail, and drove along other parts that ran through Duncannon. It was a nice day.

There was a lady at one of the trail parking areas who returned to find her car stolen. She was hiking with some other people for a couple days. She returned to find her car missing.

We hung out at the Doyle Hotel. It would have been nice to see it in its prime.

Day 74 - Time Warp (June 21)

I entered an industrial age time warp today when I walked into Duncannon and the Doyle Hotel. This hotel was built in 1905. It is very similar to my dad's old Empire hotel. The Empire was built around 1918 if I remember correctly, and it was demolished by Cleveland State College in 1988.

Both hotels have a small room with a small closet. There are two bathrooms on each floor. The lady who owns the Doyle said the original advertisement for it stated it had the best of everything. She said she has four permanent guests. My dad had 50 permanent guests.

The current cost at the Doyle is 30 dollars per night. The Empire cost was 2 dollars and then 3 dollars in the mid 1970s. It was about 110 per week in the 1980s if I remember correctly.

Its amazing how times have changed. My grandparents used to rent rooms in their house up to the 1970s. It was common for single men to rent these rooms or the rooms in the Empire. We all seem to want more these days. The trail has sure helped me understand what is really necessary.

Duncannon looks like an old industrial town. There are lots of old stone work in buildings, retaining walls, and bridges. The Doyle Hotel probably was used as a traditional hotel until the 1960s or 1970s. It looks like there are two or three large rooms on the second floor that may have been used as kitchen areas or ballrooms. I would like to know how people ate when staying at a hotel like this. Most of the guys at my dad's hotel had hot plates, I think. I do not remember kitchen areas in my dad's hotel.

I started today at Boiling Spring, and hiked about 26 miles to Duncannon. It was hot, and I was tired from yesterday's hike. I learned that one should not go 6 days without a shower or bath in conditions like this. I don't remember if I mentioned yesterday how I missed a turn in the trail just before the campsite. I ended up on the railroad tracks. I knew the campsite was near the tracks so I picked a direction and walked until I saw a tent.

The terrain was mostly flat today with some of the trail on some ridges. I went past an old cemetery. It was a raised plot with large sandstone blocks and an iron fence around it. Many of the tomb stones were the old limestone slabs. It looked like some of those were at least as old as the early 1800s. The two newest were polished granite dated from the 1890s. The cemetery was abandoned and overgrown with weeds. It was interesting to think about what life was like for people who lived their lives over two hundred years ago.

I think I'm getting into the rocks that everyone keeps talking about. They do not seem that different than what we have already seen except they are supposed to last for a couple hundred miles.

Heather is coming in for the weekend.

From the USDA Forest Service, The State of the Forest

The Highlights of the article
• Statewide, there was no net loss of forestland. However,
certain regions of the Commonwealth are losing forestland to
sprawl and development.
• Private entities own 69 percent of Pennsylvania’s forests,
while public agencies own 31 percent.
• Red maple is Pennsylvania’s most abundant tree species.
Black birch had the largest increase in tree numbers,
surpassing black cherry as Pennsylvania’s second-most
common tree species.
• Tree regeneration is severely lacking and half of
Pennsylvania’s forests are at risk of regeneration failure, due
mostly to white-tailed deer overbrowsing.
• Board foot volume continues to increase. Since the 1989
inventory, all major species increased in volume except sugar
maple and eastern hemlock.

To read the full article go to the link or click the title above
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/documents/PA_DCNR_FIA.pdf

From the PA dept of Conservation and Natural Resources

DCNR to resume spraying woodlands to combat gypsy moth damage
Pennsylvania will begin spraying again to control gypsy moths, whose population has grown recently despite a virtual collapse in numbers of the woodland insect a few years ago.

“The decision to resume spraying in selected areas follows a second consecutive year of oak defoliation by gypsy moth larvae in the northeast and north- and south-central regions of the state,” said DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis. “Spray areas were selected based on the number and concentration of gypsy moth egg masses, previous defoliation, and ecological, historic, or economic significance.”

DCNR opted not to undertake aerial spraying in 2003, 2004 and 2005 because of sharply declining gypsy moth populations, during which a naturally occurring fungus proved deadly to the insect that defoliates certain hardwoods. In spring 2002—at a cost of nearly $1.5 million for insecticide and aerial application—DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry oversaw gypsy moth spraying operations targeting 58,641 acres in 18 counties. In 2000, more than 100,000 acres were sprayed in 24 counties.

“Spraying helps contain the widespread gypsy moth damage we have seen in the past, but the major controlling factor is, and will continue to be, the prevalence of a fungus in our woodlands,” said State Forester Dr. James R. Grace. “Thanks largely to the gypsy moth’s natural enemy—Entomophaga maimaiga—moth numbers had been way down for several years in most areas of the state.”

Gypsy moth defoliation also has dropped sharply. During spring 2002, a total of 55,798 acres of Pennsylvania forestland were defoliated by the gypsy moth. That was a 76-percent reduction in defoliation from 2001's total of 237,559 acres. In 2000, almost 837,600 acres were defoliated.

“With an eye toward spring 2007, we will, of course, continue monitoring the situation in our woodlands, working closely with county officials, and conducting our annual egg-mass counts from mid-summer into fall,” said Dr. Grace. “Egg masses make it fairly easy to predict what next spring will bring.”

Four helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft will be used to complete this spring’s aerial suppression project. Again all areas will be treated with the biological insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), comprised of naturally occurring Bacillus spores. In some areas, the bureau also will be applying using Gypchek, a naturally occurring virus specific to gypsy moth larvae.

The 2006 Cooperative Gypsy Moth Suppression Project is expected to last approximately five weeks. Daily updates of spray progress can be viewed here.

Forestry bureau experts identify the gypsy moth as one of the most destructive forest pests in Pennsylvania. Feeding while in the larval, or caterpillar, stage, gypsy moth caterpillars hatch and begin feeding from mid- to late April in southern Pennsylvania, and in early- to mid-May in the northern part of the state. Oak, sugar maple, beech and aspen trees are affected the most by the forest pest.

When populations peak, the insects may strip trees of foliage, leaving them weakened and susceptible to disease, drought, and attack by other insects. A tree begins to suffer when 30 percent or more of its leaves are lost.

Forest insect spray programs are a cooperative effort among DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry, county and municipal governments, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service's Forest Health Protection Unit. County and municipal governments share the cost of treating private residential and local government-owned lands for gypsy moth suppression.

The gypsy moth was introduced to North America in 1869 at Medford, Mass., where it was used in a silk-production experiment. The gypsy moth first reached Pennsylvania in Luzerne County in 1932, and since then has infested every county.

For more information on insect pests and other forestry topics, visit DCNRs’s web site at www.dcnr.state.pa.us (click on “State Forests).

Day 73 - Boiling SpringsCampsites (June 20)

I have absolutely no idea where I am tonight. I know I did about 30 miles to get to the camp site outside Boiling Springs, PA. However, I have no idea where the trail is. I was walking through agricultural fields. There were few white blazes. I knew the campsite was near rail road tracks. I found the rail road tracks, but did not know which direction to go. I saw someone walking in a field and decided to try left. I found the campsite.

There were two tents set up here, but no one was around. Mo and David came by shortly after I set up my tent. I was still physically recovering from the walk and had not yet entered my tent when they arrived. They gave me some water which saved me a 0.4 mile walk to the ATC office. The ATC office is supposed to have an outdoor spigot.

The Pine Creek Furnace state park was interesting. It was a 10 mile walk from the shelter. The camp store had the first half gallon ice cream challenge. I eat for pleasure and calories so I had no desire to do the challenge. I had two pints of vanilla ice cream, which was enough for me. Timeless ate a half gallon. Vashon just had a couple pints like me.

The trail was a scramble the second half of the day. It went back and forth over the ridge top. I had to do some rock climbing with a full pack and hiking poles. It would have been an easy climb without the pack. I think if trail clubs want to take the trail over ridges like that, then each member should have to hike that section with a full pack in the rain after already hiking 20 miles.

I've been through many areas with iron furnaces or charcoal production. Both were common activities in the production of iron in the Appalachians before trains. Iron was made near the source of iron ore and charcoal. Pine Creek Furnace had a great description of the process. Maybe Paul can post a description of the process.

The Gypsy moth has deleafed large areas of the forest I'm walking through. I thought the destruction was getting worse in PA, but I think its just later in the year. Many trees are completely deleafed. Maybe Paul or Boomer can post a gypsy moth update. I would like to know what their current status is.

Day 72 - Birch Run Shelter (June 19)

I did another 23 mile day to get here from the Deer Lick Shelter. It was an easy day with a stop in at an Italian restaurant for lunch. The medium calzone was so large I could only eat half. I saved the rest for tomorrows breakfast.

I hiked most of the day with Vachon and Timeless. Both are here at this shelter along with Doctor who is a psychologist. Vachon is a recently retired dairy farmer. He just sold his half of the dairy farm to his brother. He seems to be very happy to be out of the business. Timeless has been working at ski resorts in the winter in order to get a ski pass and national parks in the summer. He said he will likely move to the ocean to try surfing.

The shelters in PA are the best we've seen with only a few exceptions. So far, there are no sign of the rocks everyone talks about. I hear the rocks start after Duncannon.


I've had no pain in my ankle the last two days. My cough is slowly getting better. My sore throat is mostly better. I'm just feeling a little more tired than normal. It was a very cold night last night, and we all slept in in the morning. I really needed the rest.

I'm doing mileage in the 20s very comfortably for a while. Timeless has been doing the same mileage or maybe even a little less. He has yet to take a zero and expects to finish on August 12. I need to be careful with the number of zeros I do.

Day 71 - Greetings from PA (June 18)

I crossed the Mason Dixon line this afternoon to officially enter the North. I would consider West Virginia a Northern state. I suppose Maryland could be considered either a northern or southern state.

I've been hearing a lot about PA. One one universal statement about PA is that it is rocky. Thought Foot is from PA and has already hiked the entire state He never complained about the state. I'll find out more soon enough.

I started at Pine Knob shelter, and finished up at Deer Liick shelter at a distance of about 23 miles. My ankle had no pain today. I think yesterday's pain was a tendon problem. I asked several people about foot pains, and it turned out that everyone else has had the same problem. The advice I got is go slower and stop when it hurts.

HD and Sticks were the two section hikers I met at the shelter last night. Both gave me some ramon noodle soup when I told them I would like to stretch my next resupply to US 30 another day's walk froom my original plan.

I heard that Cerial left the trail because someone stole his pack. This was way back along the Blue Ridge Parkway. He apparently left his pack someplace to go back and get his camera that he forgot. When he returned to his pack, it was gone. He may have done a foolish thing to leave his pack unattended, but its a really bad thing for someone to have stole it.

Joe is in Pennsylvania!

Whoopie!!! Way to go Joe!!!!

Free State Hostile

I found it interesting that it costs 32 dollars to stay at the "Free State Hostile". I did not stay.

Day 70 - Greetings from Maryland (June 17)

Its hard to believe I've been on the trail for 10 weeks. When I started, I did not know if I could make it past 10 days. Î had done week long trips that would have included both weekends, but not nothing longer than that. I did not know if anything longer would be too much.

I think taking the second zero was the right thing to do. I feel much better today than yesterday. My throat was still being irritated by breathing hard during climbs. I'm not feeling as much of the irritation today.

I loved Harpers Ferry. It was a beautiful little town with lots to see. This morning, I went past the building John Brown was captured. I also walked along several miles of a canal towpath. A sign said the canal was used to 1924, I believe. Is that possible? I though all of the canals were obsolete by the mid 1800s.

The trail went along some civil war battlefields today. I think all were associated with Antietam. It was quite interesting to read the roadside signs.

I also saw the first of all of the Washington monuments today. There was a great view from the top.

I took some cough medicine that made me want to nap this afternoon.

I did about 24 miles to get to Pine Knob shelter. I got here early with plenty of energy to go another 9 miles to the next shelter. I decided to stop because my left ankle was starting to hurt again. If this was a short week long or two week trip, I would not be so concerned about the little aches and pains. I've been doing long miles, and have avoided serious problems so far. I'm going to continue to stop early when ever something starts to hurt. By doing this, it makes walking the trail with anyone very difficult.

Its possible my ankle problem is shin splints. I'm going to start taking iburophin a few times a day, and making sure I stretch more often.

Brown Bag is at the shelter tonight along with two section hikes. I already forgot the names of the section hikers.

Kyanite and Sunkist are the two Ohio geologists. They have been hiking with Brown Bag, but they had to go to Charles Town because they could find no place in Harpers Ferry that would take their dogs.

Day 69 - Double Zeroing in Harpers Ferry (June 16)

I started the morning walking back into Harpers Ferry, which allowed me to determine if my new pack would be ok with weight. The walk in was nice. I have my voice back, and only a slight sore throat. However, I've been coughing more.

Staying in Harpers Ferry was a hard decision. I finally decided that I could use another day of rest to let the antibiotics kick in. Harpers Ferry is an incredibly cool town especially for a geologist. The town looks to be carved into the rock, but it actually is mostly made of native stone. There is a lot to see. Its one of the few places I don't mind zeroing.

I will be back on the trail tomorrow, and will be in Maryland early morning. I should be crossing the Mason Dixon line the following day.

South Paw is here tonight. I last saw him at the Bear's Den. He zeroed at the Blackburn Center to wait for a package. I met Brown Bag here for the first time and a retired man whose name I did not get who hiked at least from Damascus. Brown Bag told me there is a young couple whom I've met before that are geologists from Ohio. Kyanite is one of there names. I do not remember the other name.

The retired man who is getting off the trail said he was enjoying himself less than he was enjoying himself. He said his impression of most of those who are staying past Harpers Ferry are staying just to finish the trail. He might be right. Although, I'm feeling pretty good, and I'm sure there are plenty of others like me.

Day 68 - Zeroing (June 15)

I decided to zero today, and let the antibiodicts kick in. I have my voice back now. I still have a slight sore throat and caugh. I'm hoping both will be gone soon. I'm also feeling soreness in my shoulders from carrying a broken pack.

I'm staying with Theresa Bowyer's Uncle Al. Al's hospitality is most welcome, and it came at just the right time. I was sick, and my pack frame was broken. Al helped me with both.

I had the most wonderful experience of eating a pint of Baleys flavers ice cream. Although, it just had a measly 1,000 calories.

Awesome!!! Congrats on the Grand!

Joe,

Congrats on the first 1,000!! Keep it up - There'll be a cake waiting here in your honor when you get back. Maybe I'll put one candle for every mile walked... Better start stocking up on the candles (and the fire extinguishers!)...

Tad

Harpers Ferry View from Town's Inn

JOE HAS WALKED 1000 MILES!!!!!

You have walked so far and long, your endurance is magnificent! Your journey is monumental! You are truly an inspiration for us all. I hope you have a quick recovery so you can get back on the trail.
I love you!

Early Travel

I think it was the Shenandoah River I crossed yesterday going into Harpers Ferry. It was broad, shallow, and fast moving. I believe it was also the route people took to transport stuff. While I can understand how stuff would be moved downstream, I do not understand how stuff would be moved upstream. Does anyone have any insight into how stuff got moved upstream in the early days of this country?

Day 67 - First 1,000 miles and Harpers Ferry (June 14)

I slack packed this 21 mile section of the trail with only about 10 pounds in my pack. When I got to the ATC office in Harpers Ferry, my shoulders were in a lot of pain. Just a few pounds of weight on your shoulders is enough to cause muscle strain. It took me a while to recover enough to have my picture taken. I forget what number I was for thru hikers this year. I think I was in the upper 300s.

I saw my first rattle snake on the trail. I don't think either of us saw each other until I almost stepped on him. It rattled just as I was stepping next to him. I could not have been two feet from him. I took a few pictures.

I hear that it is extremely rare to be bitten by a rattler, and that nearly all who have been bitten, were trying to pick one up or in some other way handle one. Based on my experiences with rattlers, I would tend to agree. I saw someone actually step on a rattler once while at field camp in Montana. The snake just rattled.

Once again, the kindness of people I met along the way has been much appreciated. Teresa's uncle Al met me at the ATC office with my stuff. He had also called the local outfitter, and took me there to get a new pack. When Al found out I was planning on finding a doctor on Monday, he offered to drive me to an emergency room at a hospital near his house. I have some antibiotics now so I hope to finally shake the sore throat. Al even let me sleep on his couch.

I knew when I got to the Rod Hollow shelter a couple days ago that I had to get a new pack and get something for the sore throat before I went much further. These two things were really weighing on my spirits. My body was telling my mind to stop now. It was surprising how fast that message was communicated. I was dealing with minor pains with little psychological effects, it was just the combination that was too much. I'm really grateful for Al's help. As I said before, the trail is full of strange surprises.

Maybe its not strange surprises, but an openness of people. I think we close ourselves off from others in our normal lives. There are sales people and scammers that force us to be cautious. The trail doesn't have these people. People seem more open along the trail. All of us thru hikers have a common experience and understanding, but I think that the people we meet along the trail are also very open to us. Maybe it is doing something different that allows the openness of others.

I would like to keep this openness after I leave the trail. This may be the single greatest experience of the trail. I would like to have this openness toward everyone I meet.

I still have a curiosity about the trail. I'm really looking forward to seeing the northern states. It will be a different trail with so many people leaving. When I started the trail, I worried about not being able to make it out of Georgia. The first 100 miles seemed like such a long way off. I still can't think much further down the trail than when I started. Katadhin seems just as far away now as it did in Georgia.