A Most Unusual Day

At Pen-Mar county park we reached the Maryland/Pennsylvania border and the Mason Dixon line. There was a huge crowd of people and we were looking for the snack bar we'd heard of. The man in the center of the picture (John Kelley - and family) saw we were hikers and offered us two extra tickets to the Patriot Federal Credit Union annual cookout. Wow! A great meal. Then he lent us his van to go resupply, then he put us in touch with another former hiker who takes in hikers, and 20 minutes later we were on the road to the house of Bernard and Rhoda Custer - who's internet I'm now using. Such wonderful people. We're clean, dry, full, and happy. We are truly blessed.

A Great Section for History

The middle section of the AT doesn't offer that much in the way of mountains - we won't go over 3,000 ft in a while - but it's rich with history. We often pass great old architecture like this pre-civil war church on a Maryland hillside.

Faded Glory

Harper's Ferry, WV, is a beautiful town. Full of history and cool old architecture. It is considered the "psychological halfway point" of the trail and is home to the Appalachian Trail Conference. We stayed at the historic Hilltop House Hotel, which was grand in its day - it even was mentioned in a Carl Sandburg poem from one of his visits. Alas, the plaster is cracking, the paint is peeling, and the whole building is kind of shifting under its own weight, but still it remains a presence - a picture from the past as it sits on its bluff overlooking the confluence of the Patomac and Shennandoah rivers.

Almost Halfway

Harper's Ferry will be the approximate halfway point of our journey. We're almost there...

Bear's Den

Owned and operated by the ATC and smoothly managed by Queen Diva, this is one of the best hostels we've seen so far. Reminiscent of an old castle and situated on a hill, it is peaceful, breezy and comfortable. A very nice place to rest.

Short Dog in Tall Weeds

Some parts of the trail are better maintained than others. This is not one of the well maintained sections. The title of this post is dedicated to Danny Weber.

Big Beard

I had no idea whether or not I'd like the beard, but the bigger it gets, the more I like it.

She Loves the Flowers

Some of Anitra's best friends are plants. She's very happy when she gets to visit with them.

Matt's Birthday

June 6th was also Little Red's birthday, so a big group of us had lunch in the restaurant at Big Meadows lodge in SNP. We then hiked on and Matt found a great rock to climb, as you can see. We continued to the Skyland lodge and had a very nice birthday dinner. Beautiful weather, an easy hike, and two restaurant meals. A perfect birthday.

The Red Robe Bandit

This is Nads, from Atlanta. His pack broke, so Jansport sent him this loaner, a 7500 cubic inch monster. Nads claimed that his pack could eat Low Branch's pack, so he stuffed it inside his already fully loaded pack...AND closed it...and then hoisted it. Low Branch was hoping Nads would actually carry his pack, but no dice. Only a photo op, and Low Branch was back on his own steam.

A Good Crew

Here we are in Shenandoah National Park. Views like this abound here where the rocks are few, the trail is easy, and the the springs flow with blackberry milkshakes. From left to right you see Wolf, Little Red, Evil Eye, Ziplock, and Nitro. Those last two, that's Matt and Anitra, in case you've just tuned in.

The Doyles

It was in Pearisburg that we by chance met Arnie and Kathy. They treated us to brunch on Mother's day and invited us to stay with them in Waynesboro. So after our slackpacking adventure with Jill and the crew, they picked us up and we spent two awesome and restful days with them. Kathy took us to an Amish Market and made a SPECTACULAR macaroni (not pasta) salad. Arnie introduced us to Lonesome Dove and made some KILLER chicken wings. We had a very relaxing weekend thanks to these wonderful new friends.

On our last night together, we all went out for a pizza party at Scotto's. We have had a great time. Many thanks to Jill, Tim, and Logan (not pictured) for a fantastic week.

Boomerang

At the end of our hike on Tuesday, we walked into Rockfish Gap and hitched a ride with Robert Painter down into Waynesboro. We went to the outfitter at the bottom of the hill, got a few things we needed, and waited for Jill to pick us up. When she arrived, we grabbed our packs and Matt noticed his walking stick was gone. He had left it in the truck!

As he had been carving this stick for about two years, he was very sad. But at the end of the hike Wednesday, we were hitching a ride and along came Robert again! The stick was still in the bed. We were almost speechless at this turn of events.

Because it went away and came back again, he has named the stick "Boomerang".

...Into the Fire

Jill's husband, Tim, happens to be a metalworker, and a great one. One evening he fired up the forge, gave me a little introductory lesson, and let me heat up some steel and bang it around on the anvil.

Slackin' with Jill

This is our friend, Jill Byrd. We first met her back in Damascus, where she was section hiking with her daughter, Pebble. She invited us to stay with her in Waynesboro, and has been slackpacking us all week. It feels like vacation to hike with no pack on and get a shower everyday. When we get back to the house there's lively conversation around the dinner table with Jill's husband, Tim (who makes a great dinner!) and then we play some music or watch movies. Their hospitality is truly great.