Harper's Ferry...and so many other things.

I haven't been able to post in a while and so much has happened.

I made it through the Shenandoah National Park in 3.5 days doing 28, 32 and 26 miles in that park as full days. The terrain was flat (ish) and allowed for big miles. Unfortunately, I was kind of in between two "bubbles" of hikers and never really saw many thru-hikers in there. I did see, however, 11 more bears in the park, making my total trip count 17! One mother with two cubs was a little aggressive (to say the least) and actually charged a weekend backpacker who tried to go around her (idiot). He said he knew what he was doing, but I doubted that when the mother bear charged 10 feet toward him and he fell on his face trying to get away. I wanted to laugh but thought that might not be appropriate. She eventually wandered off, but her cubs starred at us from their perch above us in the tree as we passed. And yes, he was okay...

I made it to Harper's Ferry, WVA, traditionally and "mentally" the half way point. It is actually about 75 miles south of the half way point, but it felt good to make it there. The town is home to the ATC headquarters and is very historic...thus making it a tourist hotspot. A few days later, I hit the actual half way point (1090.5 miles). There was a really neat sign residing on the trail, EXACTLY the same distance from Springer Mtn, GA and Katahdin in Maine. When making it to the half way point, a thru-hiker can choose to participate in the "half-gallon challenge". This is eating an entire half gallon of ice cream at the Pine Grove State Park General Store. Of course, I had to try it. Unfortunately, the only flavors left were Cherry Jubilee, Banana Split, and Peanut Butter Twist...all bad. In fact, every flavor is bad for that kind of a challenge. I chose Banana Split...at least to get a fruit serving for the day. I (unfortunately) finish the whole thing in 52 minutes. The first half..delicious. The last half...horrible. I hit a wall with the last 10 bites, but I forced them in. That was the first...and last half gallon of ice cream I will eat.

I am now in Duncannon, PA. I have finished up the state of Virginia, W. VA, and Maryland. Pennsylvania is known for its rocky trail, and I can already see why. The terrain is fairly flat though. The heat has really kicked in the past few days. Today the high is 105F, and the LOW...80F. That makes for some pretty miserable hiking, especially crossing those scorching Pennsylvania corn fields. It's only temporary though and still really pretty.

I am shooting for NYC August the 5th. That is averaging 20 milers to get there, but after hiking 1,138 miles, it's pretty doable. I will be staying with Luke and Jess Wilkins in the city, and I am very excited about it. The concrete jungle is obviously quite different from the AT, but a change of scenery is always good. I'll try to post more often, but these small Pennsylvania towns aren't bursting with technology. Until next time!...