I am the first one up this morning, not surprising since I was the first one out last night. I quietly take two trips to carry all my belongings upstairs so I can pack without waking anyone.
The hostel manager turns on the coffee maker in the kitchen. I'm making a cup of coffee and see a tent set up in the backyard that wasn't there the night before. The manager remarks that the camper probably wishes they slept inside last night, the storms were so wicked. I didn't hear a thing, but I'm very thankful I stayed inside!
The manager tells me to mind one of the dogs roaming the hostel, because the Great Pyrenees thinks unattended socks are chew toys, then she proclaims she is going back to bed.
I enjoy my coffee while packing, not in a hurry, but wanting an early start. Especially now that I'm suspicious of having caught Lyme disease, and worrying I will be fatigued and slow making some miles. Harper's Ferry is 20 miles north, and I need to get off the trail early tomorrow morning so I can get home before the doctor's office closes. The traffic around Baltimore and Washington D.C. are bad on a good day, but the beach traffic going over the Bay Bridge on a Friday is off the charts.
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We walk the length of the side trail and emerge onto the AT. The scenic view near the hostel is socked in by fog, but at least it's not raining, my pack is dry, and my clothes are clean. You definitely learn to appreciate the little things when out in the woods for any length of time.
Our first adventure of the day is to cross VA Route 7 at Snickers Gap. We emerge from the woods onto the shoulder, and Babysteps asks if I am ready to play Frogger across the road. The rush hour traffic is really in full swing this morning. This area is a bedroom community for Washington D.C., and traffic is whizzing by fast in both directions. Thankfully we don't have to wait long for a break, and we make a mad dash across the road.
Shortly after crossing the road, we see Too Fast and his daughter catching up to us. We all walk together. I think Babysteps has bonded with Too Fast's daughter over the last two days at the hostel.
A Ridgerunner comes up the trail and he tells us of some downed trees up the trail, but nothing that we can't climb over or walk around. He says the C&O Canal trail is seriously flooded and the trail is closed leaving Harpers Ferry. Apparently all of the hikers that rode out the storm there are now stuck, unable to leave until the water recedes.
We are really excited to reach a couple of milestones today; the end of the rollercoaster, and checking another state off the list, when we finally leave Virginia for West Virginia. Both of these are high on my "to do" list, and I am really thrilled. We arrive at the state line 2.5 miles after leaving Bear's Den. I have not been this happy to cross a state line since I started this journey! Virginia has been absolutely beautiful, but 544 miles in one state is enough! I finally feel like I am really making forward progress!
Just after crossing the state line, we arrive at a rocky outcropping called Raven Rocks. We all take off our packs and I enjoy a snack while looking at the view. On the 19-mile hike in Shenandoah, I found out I can pretty much live off Honey Stinger Waffles and Triple Berry Trail Mix.
Less than 1.5 miles from the state line, we leave the Rollercoaster behind. One last parting shot from Virginia. I am not sad whatsoever!
Today is shaping up to be absolutely gorgeous! The weather is mild, and just a little chilly. The trail is relatively smooth, sometimes appearing to be a forest road. Now that we are out of the rollercoaster, the hills are easy and gradually we climb to the top of the ridge.
We all chat, and I am enjoying the company of other hikers after hiking alone for so many days. I don't mind hiking alone, but with so few people on the trail lately, I miss talking to others on the trail during the day, and at the shelters at night.
Babysteps, Too Fast, and daughter are staying at the next shelter up the trail, the David Lesser Memorial Shelter, 11 miles hike from the hostel. I would love to join them, but that means a 9 mile hike out tomorrow, and with traffic I probably wouldn't get home in time to get to the doctor. I tell them I am going to hike ahead so I can get to the shelter, filter water, and heat and eat my dinner. I can see them before I head out for a last goodbye to try to get closer to town.
I pick up my pace and I'm making great time on the ridge walk. If only I could get into Harpers Ferry tonight, I could be home really early tomorrow. But I don't think I have 20 miles in me today. Plus, I would have to camp out just before Harpers Ferry or try to get a room in town tonight.
I think about the trail coming out at Keys Gap. I wonder if I should try to get off trail there. I can hike the 6 miles into Harpers Ferry when I return to the trail. Maybe I can hitch into town from Keys Gap... Wait! I have a shuttle driver! I will call BG and if he can't pick me up, I will keep going. But if he is available, I will take it as a sign.
I have cell service, and I call BG and explain my dilemma. I would like to get to the doctor ASAP, but with tomorrow being Friday, I am worried about bridge traffic to the beach. He is available and can be at Keys Gap right around when I should be there. I am about five miles away, but making great time on this awesome stretch of trail.
The trail here on the ridge is probably the nicest stretch of trail I have hiked in a long time; it's wide and the slopes are gradual. A few rocky spots for sure, but overall a smooth dirt path. The vegetation is cut way back, so I am not brushing against tick-laden grass or bothered by thorny bushes and vines.
I pass by the side trails to the Blackburn Trail Center. I visited the center once before, a long time ago. I recall a nice main building and a few outbuildings. The ATC has a caretaker there that keeps up the center and regularly dishes out trail magic treats for hikers. There is a free cabin that sleeps four people, first come-first served, with bunks. Electricity and water is also available.
I encounter downed trees at regular intervals along the trail, but they don't slow me down very much. The woods are so flat and open, that it's easy to cruise right around the big ones. All of the downed trees I have seen the last two days are recently fallen; they all are covered in green leaves.
I think I am almost to the road; I can hear the increasing whine of cars at Keys Gap and the frequent exhaust brakes of trucks. My phone rings, and it's BG letting me know he is at the gap, but to take my time crossing the road because it's very dangerous. I tell him I will be there in minutes.
He wasn't joking about the road crossing. The trail comes out at a blind curve, and traffic from the right is really hard to see. The cars in both directions seem to be going really fast, but at least the road is only two lanes and not four.
I don't have to wait long to cross the road, and I am jumping in BG's car a few minutes later. We are only 10 minutes from Harpers Ferry. The road crosses the Shenandoah River, and the river is very high and looks very angry. BG says the flooding is really bad, and a town in western Maryland was hit hard from the flooding. We recieved about three inches on Tuesday, well above the expected one inch originally forecast.
BG drops me off at my vehicle and I am off from home for a couple days. I try to keep my eyes on the road, but I drive across the Shenandoah River and I am shocked at how high and fast the river is flowing. Usually, it's fairly shallow, with a lot of big rocks visible across its wide expanse. But now the river is churning and brown with mud. I have never seen it with all the rocks covered. The river runs north from Shenandoah National Park until it merges with the Potomac River at the eastern side of the town of Harpers Ferry, flowing to the Chesapeake Bay in Washington, D.C..
I parallel the Potomac River briefly, then cross the raging river as I leave Harpers Ferry behind for a couple days.
Todays Stats: 14 miles, 2,400 feet gain, 2,700 feet loss
Trail Stats: 1020 miles, 225K feet gain, 230K feet loss
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