Friday 6/16/00 17 miles/2560 total. 155 Trail Days. Salt Log Gap (Mountain Road 633) to VA 56 at Tye River.
At 4000 feet it was cool and foggy as we started hiking. It rained last night and the trail was fresh and clean, but not muddy. We flushed several ruffed grouse. One ran down the trail a hundred feet or more in front of Sam.
We took a short side trip and climbed Spy Rock to have lunch on the overlook. It was a bit of a scramble to get up the rocks requiring some handholds. I told Linda that her son Ty, an avid mountain climber, would be proud of the way his mom eased right up to the top. The lunch was good, but we were in the clouds so there was no view.
After crossing Priest Mountain, we descended 3000 feet to VA 56 where we would meet Betty. While loading our gear, we saw “Dusty” and “Cowpie” and invited them to have a beer with us. A few minutes later, “Papa Bear” and “Ground Hog” arrived; they had a soft drink. We all had a good time swapping trail stories.
Betty: Today was the last day of school for Brendan and Bobby (our grandsons) and since they would only have a half day, I called Susan and invited them to come out to the RV park and swim in the pool. They did and we had a great afternoon at the pool. I’m really enjoying being close to them for a while, as we work our way north.
Saturday 6/17/00 15 miles/2575 total. 156 Trail Days. VA 56 Tye River to Dripping Rock on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Betty drove us to our starting point on VA 56 by the Tye River. On the way, Sam and Linda drove their car to the finish point for the day. After dropping us, Betty drove to Charlottesville to watch our grandson, Bobby, at a ballgame.
We crossed the Tye River on a long suspension bridge. I saw “Lost Sailor” camping under the bridge on the near shore. It had been several days since we had bumped in to each other. Later, at the Harpers Creek Shelter, Linda and Sam met “Lost Sailor”. When Sam found that “LS” was from Indianapolis, he asked how the Pacers had done in their playoff game. They lost.
The long 3000 foot climb up Three Ridges went quickly and almost painlessly. Sam, Linda and I talked as we climbed and before we knew it we were on top, in the midst of a Boy Scout bunch. We had lunch at Hanging Rocks overlook. It was a little breezy, but the view was outstanding.
During the afternoon we met “Knees” who was a volunteer working on the trail. When “Knees”, a 1994 thru-hiker, learned that I was a member of the Florida Trail Assn, he asked if I knew “Wanker”. I did, “Wanker” helped me plan parts of my trip through Florida. Later, we met “Farm Hand”, who was also working on the trail. They are both with the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club. A thunderstorm was moving our way and Linda was in the lead so she stepped up her already quick pace. We fairly flew through the last three or four miles, reaching the car just prior to a downpour. After a stop by Rockfish Outfitters so Sam could get a map, we met Betty at the RV park.
We all had a good Mexican dinner at El Puerto.
Sunday 6/18/00 Father’s Day 14 miles/2589 total. 157 Trail Days. Dripping Rock to Rockfish Gap (I-64).
Linda and Sam departed for Indiana while Betty drove me to the trail. We wanted to start early and finish early because Susan and EJ were bringing the boys to the RV Park in the afternoon for our Father’s Day cookout.
It was a pleasant morning and I steadily clicked off the miles. An overlook called The Rocks was across the valley from some small ski slopes. A ridge adjacent to the slopes was lined with condo buildings. At this point the AT has been relocated for about three miles. The new trail is well constructed with smooth treadway and it is gently graded.
The Peter C. Wolfe shelter was at the right place for lunch. While eating lunch, I heard the cell phone ringing in my pack, it was Monica. Sam and Linda’s daughter. I think she wanted to know how to locate her Dad in order to wish him a Happy Father’s Day. About two minutes later, Betty called to tell me we needed to change our meeting place to a place closer to a road. Now, I only rarely get a call on this thing and today I got two calls within five minutes. I carry the cell phone for emergencies and in case Betty and I have trouble linking up at the end of the day. Since leaving the Florida Keys, I have only received two or three calls on the trail.
As I was packing to leave the shelter, “Papa Doc”, from Maine, and “Pa”, from Pennsylvania, arrived. Yesterday they were at an overlook when Linda, Sam and I had lunch. “Papa Doc” spends the winters in South Florida. We had hiked, canoed and explored a lot of the same places.
Betty was waiting as I came across the I-64 overpass. EJ and our three grandsons were already in the swimming pool when we arrived at the RV park. We grilled hot dogs and steaks; a good time was had by all. It was nice to sit and talk with Susan and EJ while the boys played. Betty and I have been looking forward to this as we moved slowly northward on our trip.
Monday 6/19/00 8 miles/2597 total. 158 Trail Days. Rockfish Gap to Jarman Gap (Skyline Drive).
The plan for the day was to meet Susan and family at McCormick Gap and hike with them to Jarman Gap. Betty dropped me at Rockfish Gap at 7AM so I could hike the four miles to McCormick Gap and meet everyone at 9AM. It was an easy hike, Betty arrived a minute after me and EJ drove in about ten minutes later, right at 9 o’clock. In addition to our three grandsons, Brendan – 9, Bobby – 7, and Mikey – 4 (almost), they also brought Brendan’s classmate, Kyle. Excitement was high as we started our 4.3 mile trek. The boys were full of energy, but minded their “trail manners”. EJ led the procession, followed by the older boys, then Betty and Susan and I brought up the rear. Sometimes Mikey hiked up front with his dad, but he mostly floated from adult to adult. He held our hands at times, but also liked to scramble along on his own. The boys quickly adopted their own trail names. We now have: “Trail Skunk” (Brendan), “Mountain Man” (Bobby), “Rock Head” (my name for Mikey since he hits his head on a lot of things and doesn’t complain) and “Cheetah” (Kyle). We met “Groundhog”, who gave each of the boys a candy mint. “Groundhog” told Betty and me that “Papa Bear” had left the trail and would not be coming back. Within the past two days, he had three bad falls and a bite by a black snake. He twisted his ankle on one of the falls. We were sorry to hear the news and know that it must have been a hard decision for him. Most thru-hikers have been dreaming of the AT for years and seriously preparing for a year or more. “Papa Bear” had already hiked about 850 miles which is over one third of the total distance.
Brendan has a Weblo Scout project to identify several trees, so he and I lagged behind as we talked about many of the trees we passed. He already had a good basic knowledge and was very interested. He quickly learned to identify about eight of the trees along the trail. When we caught up to the group, the other boys wanted their turn for a “one on one” tree class; I loved it!
Even though it had rained earlier in the morning and the trail was pretty slick, all the young guys were careful and surefooted. Betty brought along a package of mini-snickers bars; they went quickly. We took a short “blue-blazed” side trail to Calf Mountain Shelter and a spring. At the shelter we met “Train Wreck”, she was waiting for some friends to catch up to her.
Somewhere along the trail we were overtaken by Harvey, and later by “Stretch”.
Near the end of our hike a light rain started falling, but no one seemed to care. EJ had positioned his van at Jarman Gap and the boys crawled in and inhaled the sandwiches Susan passed to them. By the time EJ drove us back to our vehicle, the fog had become really thick. When EJ stopped to let Betty and me out, young Mikey had gone to sleep in his car seat with a crust of bread in one hand and a snickers bar in the other hand. Betty captured the moment on film. As we descended off the mountain, the fog cleared and rain started pouring. We were glad to have everyone dry and safely on their way home.
It was a great day!!
Tuesday 6/20/00 16 miles/2613 total. 159 Trail Days. Jarman Gap to Doyles River Overlook.
It rained hard during the night, the trail was soft and fresh, but not muddy. The temperature was in the low 70’s, the humidity was down and the sun was out; a good hiking day. Last night’s rain makes it easy to spot animal tracks along the trail. At puddles and streams there are usually signs of chipmunks, squirrels, birds and sometimes raccoon. I was following a large deer that had walked the trail earlier when I heard bushes moving on the left side of the trail. A gray squirrel was chasing another one through the tree tops, then another appeared. As their playtime continued, at least six young gray squirrels were having a good time scampering around in the large tops of three shagbark hickory trees and two oaks. The show lasted for about 10 minutes then we all went our separate directions. A few minutes later, a day hiker was standing on the trail about 75 feet in front of me. He stood, frozen, but for an index finger which slowly pointed to the side of the trail. There, between us, was a young, whitetail buck also motionless. After a few minutes, it continued browsing until it finally drifted away from us. The hiker was Norm Herseman, a retired Utah Park Service Ranger. As we talked, I saw a deer approaching behind him. It may have been the same young buck with nubbins for antlers. While watching it browse, an older buck arrived and chased the younger one through the underbrush at full speed. It was an interesting show.
The trail led up Turk Mountain and over Wildcat Ridge then around the top of Blackrock Mountain. The grades were gentle and the trail well marked and well maintained. Since passing through Rockfish Gap, two days ago, we have been in the Shenandoah National Park and usually near the popular Skyline Drive. This area is within an easy day’s drive of the densely populated east coast and gets a lot of visitors. Most of the day hikers are focused on their own activities and ignore the presence of others as if they were pedestrians on a sidewalk in Washington, D.C.
The miles passed quickly and I arrived at Doyles River Overlook, the point I was to meet Betty, about an hour early. The view across the valley was great.
Wednesday 6/21/00 16 miles/2629 total. 160 Trail Days. Doyles River Overlook to Smith-Roach Gap (Skyline Drive).
On our way up Skyline Drive to the trailhead, we saw “Lost Sailor” and thought he was hitching a ride. We stopped and found he was only crossing the road. As we chatted, “Pa” and “Papa Doc” walked up, then “Nemo”. They said “Swiss Miss” and “Swiss Cheese” were right behind them. Betty had a cooler in the back of the Honda, stocked with ice water, juice, soft drinks and beer. Everyone helped themselves and sat on their packs around the car. Of course, the Swiss couple are from Switzerland and even though it was about 9AM, they chose beer. It was a good time: chatting, exchanging ideas and addresses.
Back on Skyline Drive en route to the trailhead we saw the camper that “Baby Ruth” drives in support of “Rascal” and Sunny”. I had not seen them for about two weeks and Betty had not yet met any of them. As we pulled up behind them, all four came out to meet Betty. Jason, their son is still not able to hike due to an injured knee. It was good to see them all again, they are an active, upbeat family. All of them quit their jobs to spend six months hiking together.
Now, again back on Skyline Drive going to the trailhead, we are stopped by a road maintenance crew. They have a bucket-loader picking up large rocks that have fallen down the steep mountain side and onto the road. Add to this a couple of dump trucks, the boss’ pickup and five guys just standing around, this sums up to blocked traffic in both directions. After a little work and a long break they started moving some of the vehicles to the edge of the road. By the gestures they were using during their break, they must have been discussing the final game of the Lakers vs Pacers.
It was 10:30AM when we reached the trailhead. I started up Loft Mountain and Betty was off to visit Susan and our grandsons in Charlottesville. School is now out in this part of Virginia and Shenandoah National park has lots of visitors. Many day hikers are on the trails. About mid-afternoon, I overtook “The Godfather”, “L. L. Bean” and “Gaited Mule”, all are thru-hikers. I have seen their entries in the trail registers, but this is our first meeting.
Nearly everyday I see a few deer. Today I was close enough for some good pictures.
I arrived at Smith-Roach Gap early and made myself comfortable while waiting for Betty. “Wildflower” and “Gigi”, two “mid-life” ladies on a section hike, arrived a few minutes later. Then in came “The Godfather” and his two hiking friends. All of them wanted to avoid staying at the next shelter because 21 high school students were planning to be there. Smith-Roach Gap was the logical alternative for a campsite, but there was no water. As expected, we were all nearly out of water at the end of the day. Betty arrived and had about two gallons of water with her but that was only half of what they needed. Betty said she knew of a place about six miles down Skyline Drive where we could fill our jugs, so she and I brought back another two gallons. Everyone got their fill on water plus a soft drink or a beer, then we were on our way back to the RV. During all of our driving around we saw nine deer. Yesterday afternoon on the way home a bobcat ran across the road in front of us.
Betty: This must be a male thing, but notice that when Swamp Eagle describes the women he says “mid-life”, but when he describes the males, he doesn’t, so I’m going to tell you that they are “mid-life” too. We have lots of fun chatting with the other hikers and also, it’s fun to have something special, like soft drinks and beer for them. Most of the hikers don’t have the advantage of having a vehicle, so their chances of getting the extra “goodies” is limited.
Thursday 6/22/00 16 miles/2645 total. 161 Trail Days. Smith-Roach Gap to Bootens Gap.
It rained hard during the night and through the early morning. We wondered how our friends on thetrail were faring, especially those who usually take advantage of the shelters, but chose to use their tents because the nearest shelter was expected to be crowded.
We moved the RV forward to Elkton. While moving, we filled up with gas. That was not pleasant. We are now in Swift Run RV Campground. It was late morning before I was on the trail, so Betty won’t plan to pick me up until 7PM.
Everyday we are seeing so many deer that we have stopped counting and almost stopped taking pictures. Today we surely saw over a dozen. Also, I saw a large wild turkey gobbler running down the trail ahead of me. He was at least three feet tall, maybe more.
During the early afternoon I overtook the two groups of high school kids. They split up while hiking because there is a limit on the size of groups. All of them are from Northwest Indiana. They are studying the Civil War and visiting battlefields for academic credit. Also, they hike the AT for a couple of days, do some rafting and tour Washington, DC. I don’t remember high school being like that.
Betty: Swift Run Campground is right next to the public pool. The pool is large and has slides and many “fun” things. Susan and the boys are coming tomorrow to swim.
I talked to Roger Rose aka “Boca Pete”, a couple days ago. His mom is doing great after her operation. His knee is still bothering him a great deal, and he is planning to return to Naples and won’t be back on the trail for a while. We’ll miss him and hope he’ll be able to return later.
Our niece, Tiphanie, was planning to come out this summer and do some hiking. She hiked in Colorado, on the Colorado Trail, with us. She has been accepted in the Department of Defense School system and will be moving to Germany this summer, and she won’t have time to hike. But, guess where we’ll be going next summer!
Friday 6/23/00 15 miles/2660 total. 162 Trail Days. Bootens Gap to Hughes River Gap.
The plan for the day is: get on the trail early, knock out 15 miles, meet Suz and our grandsons at the pool in the RV Campground.
Betty had me on the trail shortly after 7 AM. The miles went fast. I saw lots of deer and day hikers. Betty and young Mikey picked me up at Hughes River Gap which has a good view of Stony Man Mountain.
We joined Suz, Brendan, and Bobby in the pool. Bobby was eager to show us how he can use the pool slide to make a big splash, over and over. Swimming underwater was Brendan’s big accomplishment. Betty and I really enjoyed the afternoon relaxing with the little guys. Grandma treated everyone to ice cream as we left the pool. Back at the RV, I was happy to help Brendan identify more trees for his Weblo project. Brendan was impressed by his grandmother’s leaf collection, so she helped him start one of his own. I showed him how to use an identification key and was amazed at how quickly he learned to use it. He correctly identified silver maple, thicket hawthorne and box elder. Bobby and Mikey helped us collect leaves. It was a great day!!
Saturday 6/24/00 16 miles/2676 total. 163 Trail Days. Hughes River Gap to Elkwallow Gap.
We moved the RV to Luray, VA and left it in the parking lot for the Luray Bulldogs ball field. Betty then drove up to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and dropped me at Hughes River Gap.
The morning was a little cooler than we have had for several days, and it felt good. About 11AM, I heard loud crashing in the understory to my right. Immediately, I thought bear and reached for my camera. A flash of black and a medium sized black bear disappeared behind a large rock. Waiting quietly, I saw two black ears just above the top of the rock about 50 feet away. Finally, the bear’s head appeared above the rock and I snapped a picture just before it ducked. This creature was inquisitive because a couple minutes later it peeked around the rock posing for another picture. Then it slipped down over the hill and was gone. This was the fifth bear I’ve seen since leaving Key West and the first time I have been able to get a picture. I hope it turns out well.
A quarter mile side trip up Marys Rock was well worth the time. At 3514 feet, Marys Rock is one of the highest points in this area. While enjoying the beautiful view of the Shenandoah Valley, I talked with Ken Jakes and Jane. They are from New Jersey and have section hiked a couple of hundred miles of the AT over the years. They were currently day hiking to this overlook which is one of their favorite spots.
Later, I met two scout groups. They wanted to know if I was a “thru-hiker”, then they had dozens of questions.
The afternoon was hot and the trail was mostly overgrown with grass and weeds with few trees for shade. Then it seemed hotter as the trail climbed Pass Mountain. It is times like this that thoughts turn to cold beer and other sensual pleasures. By 4PM, it had cooled a little and I only had two miles before meeting Betty. A young couple stopped to ask me some questions. They both had heavy accents and spoke only elementary English. They were from the former Soviet Union. I asked the girl, who was from Moscow, if it was safe to travel there and that we had heard of a lot of gangster activity in Moscow. She quickly replied, “Yes, I know how you feel. We had heard many stories about violence in America.” The guy said we should visit his city, Kiev; less crime, good chicken and great ballet.
Betty was waiting with ice cold drinks and ice cream. How did I ever find this angel?
Sunday 6/25/00 13 miles/2689 total. 164 Trail Days. Elkwallow Gap to Compton Gap.
On the way to the trailhead, we drove the RV and parked it, for the day, at a visitors center. As we drove in the parking area we could smell brakes burning. It was our right front RV wheel; it was hot as a firecracker. I had been driving in second gear to avoid braking, but apparently the brakes on the right front were dragging. They never did lockup and I could not detect any pulling on the steering wheel. We parked the rig to let the brakes cool and I’ll worry about it later, right now it is time to hit the trail.
We planned a short day in order to save the last few miles of Shenandoah National Park (SNP) in the event the grandsons wanted to hike. They will arrive tomorrow for a two day stay. The trails in SNP are well maintained and more gently graded than some of those outside the park.
About six miles from my planned finish, I was overtaken by two trail runners. They were on day three of a 100 mile run in SNP. Already today they had done about 25 miles and were now walking (very slow running) zombies. I fell in behind them and we talked about ultra trail running, their training and their strategy. When they paused for a quick snack, I hustled on ahead. I wanted to have some cold sodas and cool water waiting for them at Comptons Gap. The trail was slipping by fast as I ran-walked the last three or four miles. When I reached Comptons Gap, Betty was talking with other ultra trail runners who had already set up a refreshment station. Ah well, I finished about 15 minutes earlier than I had expected.
The brakes had cooled and seemed to operate properly. We drove about ten miles to an RV campground and the right front wheel was warmer than normal but not hot. We’ll have it looked at during the next service. Meanwhile, we’ll keep it under surveillance.
Monday 6/26/00 14 miles/2703 total. 165 Trail Days. Comptons Gap to Chester Gap (US 522).
Suz and family had told us that they could not join us until sometime in the afternoon, so I planned to hike only during the morning. Betty had me at the start point by 7AM and the trail was a gradual decent, good hiking. This final section of Shenandoah National Park is a very pleasant hike. We are descending out of the Blue Ridge Mountains and I have been told the next several hundred miles are not as scenic. At the Tom Floyd Shelter, I met Joseph from Atlanta. He has just started a section hike to Harpers Ferry and is hoping to link up with his thru-hiking friends, the “Thru-Hicks”.
One half mile out of the Park I heard something crashing through the underbrush. It was a medium sized Black Bear climbing up the mountainside away from me as fast as it could go.
While crossing US 522, I saw “Baby Ruth’s” camper in a small parking area. She and Jason were talking with “Rainbow” who was about to hitch into Front Royal for supplies and recreation.
About a mile away from the trailhead I met a group of eight day hikers. It was the Bolden family and a young couple, Chris and Christy. We had a good time talking and they had many questions about my trip. Caleb (I think) was pretty quiet, but Joshua, Micah and Leah had lots of things to tell me and as I was about to leave, Joshua whispered in my ear. He said that I should know that his dad was famous. Rickey Bolden played football with the Cleveland Browns for several years. I apologized for not being enough of a football fan that I might recognize him. It was easy to tell that Rickey and Glenda are raising a great family. As I walked down the trail, I wished that I had gotten a picture of the group, especially the kids. Plus, I should have made a big deal about getting a picture of their dad.
I met Betty at 1PM and we arrived at the campsite just before Suz, EJ and the boys. It was a fun afternoon on a long waterslide and in the pool.
EJ and the boys set up their tent for some “real” camping, then we all went out to celebrate Susan’s birthday and came back for cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday, Susan.
Tuesday 6/27/00 5 miles/2708 total. 166 Trail Days. Chester Gap to Verlin Smith Trail.
Brendan (“Trail Skunk”) and I were on the trail by 7:30AM. Betty and Susan pre-positioned our Honda at the trailhead where we expected to finish. “Trail Skunk” liked to dazzle me with his knowledge of trees, weeds and bugs. We had a good time moving slowly and missing very little along the way. It is amazing what a nine year old boy can see in a forest. We were overtaken by “Sunny” and “Rascal”, then we met Joseph as he was leaving the Manassas Gap shelter. It was only 10:30 but “Trail Skunk” and I were both hungry; we had lunch at the shelter. “Trail Skunk” had a sandwich, three snickers bars and some “birdseed”. Before departing, he entered some comments in the Trail Register. We found the Honda with no difficulty, had a cold cream soda, took some pictures and returned to the campground.
Back at the RV park, we had more fun on the waterslide, then at the pool. Mikey, Bobby and I went down the waterslide as a threesome, over and over and over.
EJ grilled steaks and Betty cooked up some corn on the cob. Life is good!
Betty: We’re camped in the Front Royal/Washington, D.C. KOA campground. Usually when Chuck and I are looking for a park we are looking for the basic hookups, however, this is the perfect park for kids. They have a playground, pool, waterslide and lots of space to run and play. We’ve all had a wonderful time here. We’ll leave this park tomorrow afternoon and will be heading into West Virginia. We will most likely “dry camp” (that’s without any hookups) for a couple days and then on Friday we will move into a campground in Pennsylvania – hopefully Letterkenny Army Depot (a military campground near Gettysburg).
Wednesday 6/28/00 15 miles/2725 total. 167 Trail Days. Verlin Smith Trail to VA 605.
We all had breakfast then Betty and I departed for the trail while Suz, E.J. and the boys prepared to visit Skyline Caverns. It rained last night and the woods were still dripping as I hiked down a connector trail (about one-half mile) to join the AT. About 10AM a light rain started falling and continued all day.
A “trail angel” had left a styrofoam cooler filled with Pepsis on ice. It was compliments of the “Recycled Teenagers”. The cooler was located about 50 feet before reaching US 50. I took a Pepsi to have with lunch and left a Thank-You note. This type thing has occurred about a half-dozen times. Joseph arrived just as I was finishing lunch. We walked and talked for about three quick miles, then Joseph dropped off at Rod Hollow Shelter where he would spend the night. Interesting conversation seems to make the miles go by effortlessly. He has not yet located his friends, the “Thru-Hicks”.
About a mile from the finish point, I came upon a dozen Boy Scouts taking a break. They asked the usual questions then I moved on to meet Betty. As we were driving back to our campsite we passed the same trailhead on US 50 that I had hiked through at midday. We saw two hikers there and recognized “Dusty” and “Cowpie”, Betty quickly turned back. While “Cowpie” and I were enjoying a cold Heineken, “Dusty” and Betty were exchanging website addresses. It was good to chat with our new found friends from New Zealand again. After only a short visit they were off to the next trail shelter and we went back to the RV to wash off the trail dust.
We had a good Mexican Dinner in Front Royal. Back at the RV park, our neighbors said they were on a short day hike on the AT in Shenandoah National Park and met some thru-hikers who said they knew us. It was “Pushma” and “Pullya”. We have not seen them for about three weeks.
Betty: After the trip to Skyline Caverns, Susan, EJ and the boys brought lunch back to the RV, which we all enjoyed, and then were off to Charlottesville. They were invited to a pool party this evening and Susan has an appointment tomorrow. The plan is they will join up with us again by the weekend.
Thursday 6/29/00 20 miles/2745 total. 168 Trail Days. VA 605 to VA 9 (Keys Gap).
The weather is about five degrees cooler so both the days and the nights are more comfortable than they have been for several weeks.
We moved the RV forward to an area near US 340 and VA 7. The moving, then the long drive to my starting point, ate up a lot of the morning. It was 10AM when I started hiking.
The trail now has much less variation in elevation. Climbs and descents are usually less than 500 feet and the maximum elevation is steadily decreasing. In southern Virginia the max was nearly 6000 feet, now it is closer to 3000 feet. I descended into Snickers Gap about 1PM and crossed the only road for 20 miles. The next stop is Keys Gap for the days end. The only sightings of the day were: two deer, one black snake and 12 Boy Scouts. The Scouts and I have been leapfrogging since yesterday.
At the pickup point Betty spotted a Mimosa Tree (Silk Tree), it was in full bloom with beautiful hairlike pink flowers. The leaves fold up at night. When we arrived at our “dry” campsite, Betty saw a deer grazing about a hundred feet from the RV.
Friday 6/30/00 4 miles/2749 total. 169 Trail Days. VA 9 (Keys Gap) to ATC Headquarter at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
Even though I actually hiked six miles today, the running totals only increased by four miles. This is based on actual measurements of the AT from Springer Mountain, GA to Harpers Ferry, WV. The variation is probably due to rounding partial miles to the nearest whole mile.
It was a great day. The hike was short and easy. Harpers Ferry is a very interesting little town, much of it is a National Historical Park. Plus, going to the Appalachian Trail Conference Headquarters is akin to visiting Mecca. They have a good operation. A volunteer met me at the door and asked if he could get a picture of me in front of their sign on the outside of the building. The picture goes into a huge album of all thru-hikers that pass through during year 2000. I was number 497. They use a Polaroid camera, so the album is always up to date. It was interesting to see pictures of hikers that I have not met but have been reading their entries in the registers for two months, and those we have met and have already arrived in Harpers Ferry.
Suz, E.J. and the boys were at the campsite when we arrived. E.J. grilled chicken breasts they brought, for dinner. It was good to have the boys back with all their excitement and enthusiasm.
Betty: We are now camped at Letterkenny Army Depot near Chambersburg, PA. What a wonderful place this is. Tom, the campground host/manager, made us feel right at home the minute we got there. He already had us fixed up with a tent site and RV site. EJ and the boys were constructing their tent while we pulled in and set up.