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Appalachian Trail: Days 65-68 – WV & MD
After crossing into West Virginia, I make a stop at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy HQ before taking some much needed days off in Washington D.C.
Enjoy reading my latest journal entry as I backpack the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. If you missed it, here are my previous entries and videos from the trail.
NEW VIDEO
Check out my latest video from the trail as I hike through the misty fog of Shenandoah National Park!
DAY 65
It was a hot and balmy morning. I hadn’t slept much because the low was only 61 degrees. I packed up and left ahead of Transformer and Willow; they’d catch up.
It was only four miles to Harpers Ferry, the psychological halfway point of the AT (it’s actually over 60 miles short of halfway). Soon I crossed the Virginia/West Virginia border. I had completed Virginia, the longest state on the AT. That means four states down, ten to go.
After a few miles I ran into Nomad who was hiking south from Harpers Ferry to surprise Transformer and Willow. He had left the trail a month ago in the snowy cold. Since then he’d hiked the Grand Canyon and gone all over and was ready to rejoin his old tramily (trail family) for a few hundred miles. Willow and Transformer soon caught up and the four of us hiked to Harpers Ferry together.
It was a beautiful sight crossing the Shenandoah River. The temperature was rising but my hiking was almost done. We hiked along the river and made it to town. Harpers Ferry has quite the history and we left the trail to walk down the streets.
We stopped at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) Headquarters which is the organization that helps coordinate the trail maintenance and keeps track of the number of hikers each year. When I began the trail, the ATC handed me a tag to show I was a thru-hiker. This tag was numbered 419 meaning I was the 419th hiker they recorded starting from the south terminus this year. Now at the unofficial halfway point, they took my picture and placed it in their log book with the number 76. I was impressed with myself at being the 76th northbound hiker to make it to Harpers Ferry.
I thumbed through the book of pictures to see if anyone else I knew was ahead of me. Sticks was there but he was labeled as a section hiker since he won’t be completing his thru-hike this year. He was only number 6 of the section hikers. Most of the people ahead of me I didn’t recognize. I was quite proud to have made it so far.
Around noon I made a quick stop at the post office where my friend Leslie had mailed me some allergy meds. Just after, a man from Enterprise arrived to pick Transformer, Willow, and me up. I was renting a car for the next few days and we were heading off trail for some wonderful zero days. Washington D.C. was only an hour away and we were ready for a break. This was especially significant for the other two as Willow is from Germany and Transformer is from Australia. They haven’t seen anything in America except the trail and whatever little trail towns they’ve come across.
With the steering wheel in my hands, we took to the open roads and went shopping. We visited two REI stores and I introduced the foreigners to Chipotle and Cinnabon. Both were well received. At REI I bought a 55° sleeping bag because my 25° bag is too damn hot for the summer.
After shopping we headed for my cousin Noah’s apartment in Arlington, VA. He was gracious enough to let the three of us crash for the weekend and we thanked him with cold brews. After the weekend in DC he would be joining me on the trail for a bit.
It was nice to be off trail, with family and friends, and surrounded by civilization. At the same time it was strange to hear the sound of traffic and see so many people out and about. I have not missed the stress of traffic and city living. The trail was so much simpler. All day we stuck out amongst the civilized. My scraggly beard and smelly clothes drew glances, though I didn’t care. I was a thru-hiker and proud of it!
Day’s Mileage: 4.1
Total Miles Hiked: 1033.6
Remaining Miles: 1,166.1
DAY 66
With cousin Noah at work, Willow, Transformer, and I set off into Washington D.C.. I did my best to give them a grand tour of American history in the city. We walked around the Capitol and then visited the botanical gardens. From there we checked out the National Museum of the American Indian. It was very powerful and moving for me.
From there we visited the Smithsonian Museum of Air and Space which was Transformer’s favorite part of the day. We had lunch at Potbellies and continued to the Smithsonian Castle.
Next we walked through the sweltering heat to the White House and eventually to the Renwick Gallery where they had a special exhibit about the Burning Man Festival. In my hiker trash state, it wouldn’t take much to fit in there. I’m basically a man of the wilderness now.
Finally we headed past the Washington Monument to the World War II Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial.
From there we walked across the Potomac toward Arlington Cemetery but the two foreigners were too exhausted for anymore sightseeing. To complete our day as tourists, we did what Americans do best and ate Chipotle followed by Dairy Queen blizzards.
Day’s Mileage: 0.0
Total Miles Hiked: 1033.6
Remaining Miles: 1,166.1
DAY 67
Today was a very special zero day for me; I headed off to Kings Dominion amusement park. Noah had a job interview so he couldn’t accompany me and Transformer and Willow explored more of D.C.. This was the first time I’d ever been to an amusement park solo but I had a blast.
I rode roller coaster after roller coaster. The thunderstorms held off and the weather was great. The park wasn’t crowded with mostly high school kids running around.
One of the roller coasters was themed to Dale Earnhardt and was so intense I would start to gray out after the first drop from the G-forces. Another coaster blasted you out of a volcano.
From the music playing throughout the park to the favorable weather to the light crowds and awesome coasters, it was a great day. I had a blast!
Day’s Mileage: 0.0
Total Miles Hiked: 1033.6
Remaining Miles: 1,166.1
DAY 68
It was a slow start in the morning. No one was in a rush to leave the comforts of society. We hit the road and said farewell to DC. We had Chipotle for lunch; it’s been a hit with the foreigners. I dropped the rental car off and Nomad met up with us and drove us to the trailhead. Nomad was rejoining his tramily for a couple hundred miles. Meanwhile, cousin Noah was ready to hike a hundred miles with me.
The trail took us through historic Harpers Ferry and past many railroad tracks. We caught the tail end of a rainstorm but it wasn’t so bad. After we crossed the river we were officially finished with West Virginia and had entered Maryland! Five states down, nine to go.
The trail was easy and flat in Maryland. It followed the railroad tracks through a beautifully canopied forest and the leaves were finally out!
I let the tramily go on ahead. It was nice to be with just my blood. Eventually the trail headed upwards and we paused at a nice overlook of the Shenandoah River.
It sprinkled here and there but we were dry when we got to the shelter. We pitched our tents and had some dinner. Despite my days off the trail in DC, I hadn’t done much relaxing; I was beat and ready for bed.
Day’s Mileage: 10.4
Total Miles Hiked: 1044.0
Remaining Miles: 1,155.7
Daily Average: 15.4
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
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