A current thru hiker just sent me a copy of my photo from 2008 when I stopped in at the ATC office in Harpers Ferry. This was one of the toughest days on the trail. I had a sore throat and a broken backpack frame. I had almost completely lost my voice. My friend's uncle-in-law (Al) offered to drive most of my stuff into Harpers Ferry while I slack packed from Bear's Den hostel. Even with little weight, I arrived in Harpers Ferry under very intense pain. With a broken pack frame, all of the weight was on my shoulders and none was supported on my hips. This photo was probably taken shortly after I arrived in Harpers Ferry.
When Al arrived with my stuff, he offered to take me to the outfitter to buy a new pack. When he heard me asking about a local clinic, he offered to take me to the hospital where he worked. I got antibiotics there, and then rested a day at Al's house before returning to Harpers Ferry and zeroing another day. The kindness of strangers was one of the things I appreciated most while on the trail. None of us could make it to Katahdin without some help from strangers.
I think the red 313 means I was the 313th hiker to be photographed that year by the ATC.
