Happy Days on the AT.

Day 61 - 6/16/10
Today was just one of those days where you're so happy to be on the
AT. Even the cruddy parts of the day don't drag you down.

I woke up this morning, looked over at the clock and nearly fell out
of bed. 10AM!!! I ran over to my phone that was charging and checked
the time, letting out a huge sigh of relief when I saw 8:00 pop up on
the screen. From the angle I was at in bed the time looked different,
or maybe I was just way out of it. Anyway, I slept great, the bed was
super comfortable with real linens and everything. Awesome AC too. I
waited around until 8:50, then walked up to the ATC to check if my
bandana was there. I couldn't find it last night, and I remembered
taking it off after I had taken my picture. When I got to the ATC
Timber, Safari, and Rabid were just checking in and getting their
photos done. (Btw, didn't mention this yesterday, but I was NOBO thru
hiker #355 to go through Harper's this year) They didn't find my
bandana anywhere, so I went back down to the Inn, and found it tucked
deep into a pocket of my pack. Made the trip for nothing.

Then I grabbed a nice breakfast at the place next door, joining both
Dodger and Ace who I saw sitting there. I had found out a few days
before that Dodger also knew Not Worthy, but had met him last year
when NW was doing his section from Springer to Fontana Dam. Crazy how
small the world seems some times. I guess NW was going to meet Dodger
tomorrow at Bear's Den (he's SOBOing for a few days), and I was
telling him how I was trying to meet up with Not Worthy as well. I
looked at my guidebook and figured out where I thought I'd be tonight,
then sent him an e-mail about it while sitting there at the breakfast
table. In it I said I'd check my phone later in the afternoon to see
if it was going to work out. After eating I rushed out of there and
hurried to get going. It was already 10:15, and I wasn't even close to
leaving.

I ended up getting out right at 11, which was pretty late considering
the shelter I told Not Worthy I was aiming for was 23 miles away. The
first couple miles was very flat and nice. I crossed the Potomac River
on a railroad bridge, and while doing so saw a crane swoop down below
onto a small sandbar in the middle of the river. I don't think I've
seen one of those before, so I thought it was very cool. Then I was on
this dirt path also used for biking. The railroad followed parallel
alongside it, and so I knew at some point the trail would have to go
across it. When it came to that time I had to wait for two trains to
go by, so I ended up calling my Mom and working out my next maildrop.

After that I hiked for a good stretch, up one mountain, then it got
mostly flat up there near the ridge. Took a short break, then moved
on, and didn't stop until I came to this parking area slash exhibit.
It was a bunch of Civil War related stuff, so I read some of the
signs, reading about the buildings and battles and so on. I'm not a
huge history buff, but getting a chance to go through and see actual
historical places is making me want to be one and learn more. And I
hope I will when I'm off the trail. As I'm walking past the restrooms
I see a couple coke machines, so I walk over to see if I want to get
one. Sitting in the little dispenser is a cold soda, Vault, which is
similar to Mt. Dew. It's just sitting there! I don't know if it was a
screw-up or someone doing clever trail magic, but I yoinked (grabbed)
it for later. If it wasn't a vending machine error then thank you to
whomever did that.

I keep walking and see a few hikers sitting at some picnic tables, so
I went over to say hello and found out they were a father/son section
hiking team. Really nice guys. They told me it was supposed to hail
around 5 (!), which I had not heard, so I was a little worried by the
news. I hurried along, not only for that but also because it was about
3:30 and I still had some big miles to make if I wanted to make that
23 mile shelter. You know that movie Jurassic Park? Of course you do.
Well remember the scene where they're in the car, and they hear a low,
distant rumble, and the water in the cup shakes? Then it happens
again, but louder and harder shaking? Well that's what it was like
when I heard the thunder coming. First a low distant boom that got
louder and progressively closer, like a T-Rex. The father/son team
caught up to me pretty quick after that. They were trying to rush it
to the shelter to beat the weather. We stayed together for a while,
but then the rain hit. They stopped to put on rain jackets but I just
kept moving. It rained hard for about 15 minutes, then let up. It was
the strangest thing too, because after it started raining less, the
sun came out, and there was a period of time where it was bright and
sunny, but with rain still coming down. Very peculiar.

I made it to the next shelter at 5, and decided since it had stopped
raining that it was okay to take out my phone and check to see what
Not Worthy was going to do. He had written back and said that he could
meet me, and that I-70, the road right before the 23 mile shelter, was
one of the best places I could have picked to meet him. The only
problem was I was still 7.5 miles from there. I gave him a call, and
we worked out a different plan. We decided on meeting at Reno Monument
Rd. aka Fox Gap. It was only a mile from the shelter I was currently
at, so I told him I'd be there in less than a 1/2 hour. I rushed over,
and just before the road I came upon an awesome patch of wild
blackberries. Plenty of ripe ones, so I grabbed about a dozen and
scarfed. Berrylicious. I came to the road, and while I waited I looked
at a bunch of signs there about the Civil War. It's called Reno
Memorial Rd. because Union general Reno was mortally wounded there
during a battle. It's funny because a Confederate general was also
mortally wounded in the same battle very close by, and I bet if the
South had won the road would be named after him instead.

Not Worthy showed up about 10 minutes after I did. It was cool to see
him again, it felt like such a long time ago but was really only a
little over a month. He took me into town and treated me to Pizza Hut,
very nice of him. I told him when he finishes up in a few years I'm
going to meet him somewhere in Maine and do the same for him. While we
ate we talked a lot about the trail and some of the memories of "the
old days". After eating he brought me back to the trail and I said
goodbye. I didn't take the leftovers, but he said he was going to drop
them off at the Dahlgren Backpack Campground 1 mile up the trail that
I was now going to stay at. By this time it was 8:30 and I was cutting
it close on daylight. In the time it took me to hike there he had just
driven over and dropped off the pizza with some other hikers who were
here. So I saw him again one more time, and said goodbye once again.
Not Worthy if you read this thanks again, I really appreciate all you
did and it was great to see you again. You are Worthy in my book.

I set up my tent, then hurried to get settled in so I could start
writing this up. It's a very long one. Sorry. But it was just a great
day, one that makes you so happy to be on the AT.

A couple small things. One, I cut my mustache a bit, or trimmed it
rather. It was getting a bit unruly, and causing me some problems
while eating, especially saucy foods. Two, Harper's Ferry has a train
that takes you right into DC, so I think it'd be cool to take that in
and stay in the city for a few days sightseeing. That can be tacked
onto the vacation idea I mentioned in the previous post.

Total miles: 1031.3