AT Days 123-135

Thanks for checking in. This installment of the blog covers trail dates 6/26 through 7/8. I wrote most of this while we were resting/vacationing/waiting in Harpers Ferry, WV. If you have been following along, you know that Angel had to go back south for a while for some appointments and to do the AT through the Smokies. Gavin and I waited on her and Bullfrog to rejoin us in Harpers Ferry for about a week. I am pleased to say that we are now back together as a trail family and we’re working our way through Pennsylvania. I hope to add the entry that bridges the gap between Harpers Ferry and where we are now in the next few days.

At 9:00 Wednesday morning we were picked up and dropped back at the trail. Gavin and I started hiking with Riddler (Jar Head decided to take a day off), but it was soon evident that he was going to be much faster than either of us, so we bid him farewell. Like most of the SNP, the trail to Gravel Springs Hut was not bad in the way of climbs. It was also much drier than was our trip down the mountain two days previous. There were still some muddy sections of the trail which were easily bypassed, but they did serve as a soft medium for animal tracks. For quite a way, I followed where a deer had walked along the trail that morning. I also came upon a giant bear paw print. It turns out that most everyone in the shelter that night had a photo of that one. I’m glad that we didn’t get surprised by whatever bear left the footprint!

In the afternoon, we passed by the Elkwallow Wayside, the last one in the SNP. We met back up with Tugs and Tank Top, and met several other hikers we’d be seeing for the next several nights. We also were reunited with Snickers, whom we met at Boots Off Hostel and saw last at Angel’s Rest. It turns out that he had to spend about three weeks off the trail being treated for Lyme disease. I’m sorry that he had been sick, but it was great to see him again. For lunch, we had burgers and milkshakes. Apparently the Waysides are supposed to be famous for their blackberry milkshakes, so I had to try one. I’d rate it as “okay,” but not worth $0.50 more than a chocolate or strawberry shake. The burger, on the other hand, was excellent, and the price wasn’t completely unreasonable. After loading my pack with a couple of cold drinks for later, we set off for Gravel Springs Hut.

Most of the folks we saw at the wayside also stopped at the Gravel Springs Hut, as did Pruney whom we met a week or two ago. It is always fun to camp with folks you know. I think it is wonderful how easily friendships are formed on the trail. Only a few of the hikers stayed in the shelter; most elected to tent. Gavin and I were alone in the shelter except for one other section hiker. With limited snoring, we drifted off to sleep quickly and stayed that way until my alarm went off the next morning.

Many of our friends left out of the shelter before us Thursday morning, so Gavin and I headed out on our own. We had planned to hike 13.4 miles with a stop in Front Royal, VA. The trail went generally downhill nearly the whole way, with only a few small climbs here and there. It was a peaceful hike. Before long, Gavin and I passed a new hiker whom we had not met. She would pass us later on in the day and we’d learn that her name is Ghost. She’s an 18-yr-old student who is hiking the trail by herself. We also passed Tank Top, Tugs, and their dog Raisin, as well as Three, all folks we had stayed with in the shelter area the night before.

Around late morning Gavin, and I stopped at a stream to replenish our water supply. While we were there, Ghost paused to do the same. Gavin wound up hiking on ahead once his water bottles were topped off. I hiked away from the water source with Ghost, and we had a very interesting conversation. She is a rising sophomore at Florida Institute of Technology and plans to attend medical school after graduation. She told me about some of the research she is doing as part of her schoolwork, and it is truly remarkable. I was quite impressed that someone her age is already involved in meaningful research that will make a difference to many people in the future.

Today was the day we needed to complete our hike before 2:20 to catch the trolley into town. Gavin pulled off at the Tom Floyd Shelter, and as I passed, I encouraged him to come on, but that I was going to continue hiking with Ghost. She and I made it to the road crossing around 1:50. After a few nervous moments of waiting, I called Gavin to find out where he was- still over a mile back. I told him he really needed to hurry so that he wouldn’t be late. I knew that he could cover the downhill trek to the road crossing in 20 minutes, and he did. Barely. Pruney hiked up around 2:15 and said she’d passed Gavin a ways back. The trolley arrived just on time, and as I was negotiating with the driver to wait a couple of minutes, Gavin rolled out of the woods. For $0.50 each, we had a nice ride into town.

Front Royal was a beautiful town. One of the first things that struck me was the gazebo on the town green. It was adjacent to the visitor’s center. Adorned for the July 4th holiday, it completed the town’s small town look. Our hotel, the Quality Inn, was just a couple of blocks from where we got off the trolley. Next door was a gas station and Dunkin’ Donuts. Score.

After settling into the room, I went down to sit by the pool and ran into Mad Max and Bahama Mama, whom we had met the day before. They weren’t staying at the hotel, but had decided to chill by the pool for the afternoon before moving on that night. Pruney came down, and the four of us together hatched a plan for dinner.

Each of the three of them had a hankering for Thai food, cuisine I have never before tried. I was willing to join them as long as they’d help me order something I could/would eat. Gavin was not, so he chilled back in the room. I have no memory of what I ate, but it involved beef, peppers, onions, and rice, and it was pretty tasty. It certainly wasn’t the ribeye and baked potato I had dreamed about, but it was good nonetheless.

After supper, I walked back to the motel to see about getting Gavin something to eat. On the way into town, the trolley driver recommended a pizza place for their pizza and wings, so I called for takeout. They said there was a wait of 1:45, so we decided to just walk there. It was only 0.5 miles or so. Just after placing our take-out order, the rains began. It wasn’t a torrential downpour, but it was enough to make me question why we hadn’t brought raincoats with us. Thankfully, by the time Gavin’s order was ready the rain had slackened off enough that we didn’t get drenched going back to the hotel.

On Friday, we had planned to take the 9:00 shuttle back to the trail, but instead, we decided to wait until 2:00 so we could have a leisurely morning and spend some time looking around the town. There is a local brewery in town that is friendly to hikers, offering showers, laundry, restrooms, and places to store your gear while you’re in town. All for free. After stashing our packs, we went into several shops uptown including the local outfitter. They didn’t have anything we really needed, but it is always fun to look. We also went into a Civil War Museum for a short visit. On the way back to the visitor’s center, we passed by the Virginia Beer Museum, but unfortunately, it wasn’t open yet.

Having seen all the sights and eaten lunch, we picked up our packs and headed back to the visitor’s center for the 2:00 trolley back to the trail. It dropped us just at 2:20, and no more than a few steps into the woods, it started raining a bit. It wasn’t a heavy rain, but it was enough to make me stop and pull on my pack cover. Our destination was the Jim & Molly Denton Shelter, only 5.2 miles up the trail. We made it there a couple of hours later and were amazed at what we found. This shelter area is among the nicest on the trail. The shelter has a front poach with seating. A few feet away there is a cooking pavilion with picnic tables so that folks don’t get crowded around the front of the shelter. It is also a good idea not to cook in the shelters because the food odors can draw critters. On the manicured lawn outside was a horseshoe pit and just down in the woods there is a solar shower. I wasn’t convinced the sun would heat enough water to be warm enough for me to bathe, so I passed on that luxury.

An hour or two after we arrived, a thunderstorm of magnanimous proportions set in. It was one of those “flash-bang” storms that also included marble-sized hail. In the middle of the downpour, Tank Top, Tugs, Three, and Raisin straggled in to the area soaked to the core. They ran under the picnic shelter to dry off and wait for the storm to pass. The rain eventually ran its course, and I was grateful to have been able to enjoy it from inside the shelter rather than outside on the trail.

On Saturday we set out with Pruney heading for Whiskey Hollow Shelter. We knew that we’d be held up in Harpers Ferry for the better part of a week, so we didn’t try to push big miles. Our trip to the shelter was only 10 miles, but Pruney left us at midday as she had planned to do an 18-mile day.

Along the way we stopped for lunch at the Manassas Gap shelter. I was nervous about stopping or staying there because Bullfrog had posted photos of three snakes he and Angel saw there. Two of the snakes were copperheads, and I don’t want to have anything to do with those. When we arrived, a hiker who had been named Mom by her former trail family was there, and shortly after, Cookie and Tree Beard arrived. We all chatted, ate, and filled our water, and we were on our way. We only had 4.5 miles to go to reach our destination for the day, so I let Gavin hang behind a few minutes after I hiked on. I trust him has a hiker, and I knew that there were plenty of people we knew behind him, so I was fine letting him hike at his own pace.

I arrived at Whiskey Hollow Shelter about 20 minutes before Gavin and had the place to myself. I changed out of my sweat soaked clothes and hung them on a line to dry. I then pulled out my sleeping pad so that I could take an afternoon nap. This shelter was built in 2016, and it is probably the newest and cleanest one we’ve stayed in. There were two sleeping levels, and the upstairs one was accessed by a nice staircase. It even had a railing to keep hikers from falling out during the night. All the interior wood was stained and varnished. They may have even used birch plywood for the floors. After a while, many of the folks we had been hiking around for the past few days arrived. Almost everyone there that night tented. There was only one other gentleman in the 20-person shelter with us. It was a very peaceful night.

We set our alarms extra early for Sunday because we had planned to do 18.3 miles to the Bear’s Den Hostel. About halfway through the hike we would come to an infamous section of trail called the Roller Coaster. This 13-mile section features tons of short ups and downs and rocks galore. It was a very difficult part of the trail to traverse, but by 5:30, we had arrived at our destination.

The Bear’s Den Hostel is a castle-like structure that was built in 1933 by a medical professor and his opera singer wife. It served as their summer home through the 60’s when the passed away. The home and 66 acres was purchased by the Appalachian Trail Conference in 1984. Since then, it has been used as a hostel and weekend getaway for families and groups. I have to say that staying there felt very much like staying in the Baltimore Estate. It is certainly nowhere as large, but the thick rock walls are very reminiscent of the Asheville structure.

Our original plan for Monday was to hire a shuttle driver to drop our packs in Harpers Ferry and to slackpack the 20 miles to town. Unfortunately, I arrived at the Bear’s Den with my first case of chafing of the trail. Though showering and putting on dry clothing helped substantially, I wasn’t willing to risk making it worse, so we decided to call a shuttle and ride into town. We checked into the Quality Inn on Monday afternoon and spent much of the remainder of the day walking around the historic downtown of Harpers Ferry. We visited the John Brown Wax Museum which told the story of the original abolitionist who sought to lead a slave uprising. There was an outfitter down the street, and we had lunch at a place called Almost Heaven. I guess we’re in West Virginia now. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the ATC headquarters and met several folks we’d hiked with in the previous week.

As I finish writing this, it is Saturday and we’re still in Harpers Ferry waiting to reunite with Angel and Bullfrog. She has completed her trip through the Smokies and should be in town tomorrow morning. We have had a good week here, both resting and vacationing. On Wednesday we visited Gettysburg, a place I’ve always wanted to go to. When I was about Gavin’s age, our Scout troop hiked a historic trail in Washington. To qualify for the trail medallion, I had to read at least one book about Lincoln and the Civil War. The one I chose was by Bruce Catton and was about the Battle of Gettysburg. It was quite interesting to drive through the town and fields where this three-day battle unfolded. It was also exciting to actually be at some of the important points of the battle such as Cemetery Hill and Seminary Ridge. I can remember a neighbor of mine telling me about the battle and that an Alexander Co. regiment lead the way on the famous Picket’s Charge.

Thursday morning we got a shuttle back up to Bear’s Den to complete the 20-mile hike into town. Carrying only water and some snacks, it was a fairly easy walk, except Gavin wasn’t feeling well from early in the day. Around mid-afternoon he began having stomach cramps and we got off the trail about six miles short of our goal. There was a gas station near the trail crossing with a busy road, and we stood around there for nearly two hours with our thumbs stuck out. I was almost at the point of walking the trail on back to town and coming back to pick Gavin up when some day hikers we had met earlier offered us a ride back to the hotel. Glory Be! The kindness of others on the trail never ceases to amaze me.

There were quite a few hikers here at the hotel because it is only a few hundred feet from where the AT comes into town. At the edge of the parking lot is a small “park,” but really it looks like just a patch of grass with a gazebo. At one point in the evening we had twenty hikers and a dog under the gazebo listening to music and talking. Our rendition of Take Me Home Country Roads was something to behold!

On Friday we called a Lyft driver and got a lift (see what I did there) back up to the trail crossing where we left off the day before. In just a few short hours we hiked the remaining six miles into town and stopped again at the ATC Office to have our picture made. Each hiker that comes through town is photographed in front of the ATC. Names, trail names, hometown, direction of travel, and start date are recorded on the photo and it is placed in an album that remains in the office. I think it will be really cool for Gavin to take his children there many years into the future and pull out the 2019 album and show them our picture.

On Saturday we visited the battlefield at Antietam. They have a nice visitor’s center with a 20-30 minute film and a small museum filled with artifacts from the vicinity. I was hoping there would be ranger talks, but they were busy hurrying people through so they could close half the park for a concert and fireworks later in the afternoon. We picked up a map and drove through the park, stopping at a few of the important waypoints along the way. While we were touring Antietam and Gettysburg, I couldn’t help remembering the thousands of men who lost their lives on those battlefields. In the documentaries, they depict lines of men advancing straight into enemy fire. I cannot comprehend how the men who fought in this style had the courage to walk directly into certain death. I am looking forward to watching some videos about the Battle of Gettysburg tonight so I can more thoroughly appreciate what we saw there a few days ago.

Sunday, July 7, was day 134 “on the trail for us.” It was also the day that our trail family would be reunited. Angel got into DC via Amtrak and Bullfrog and his cousin Tiffany picked her up. They all arrived at the Quality Inn around 3:00. It was good to have everyone in one place again. Angel wasn’t able to sleep much on the train, so she really needed to take Monday to rest and rejuvenate. We didn’t do much that was especially exciting on Sunday or Monday other than resupply and eat. I think we were all eager to get back to the trail.

I appreciate you for following our trip. We really are having fun, even though we aren’t as far north as we’d like to be at this point. As I said above, I wrote this more than a week ago and am only now posting it. We are now in Pennsylvania, and I hope to catch up the blog in the next day or two. Please check back soon, or better yet, enter your email address at the right to get notifications when we post future installments. Thanks again, and remember to keep taking the Next Step.