Day 7, Gravel Springs Hut in Shenandoah Nat'l Park (18.6 mi)

Walking in the rain, setting up camp in the rain, or breaking camp in the rain- these activities are some of the most dismal for any long distance hiker.  In fact, after a few weeks to allow one's body to adjust to the physical exertion of hiking, I would say battling the elements is probably the number one issue for AT hikers.  Certainly, that was the case for me during my 3.5 week trek.  Dealing with wet gear and handling extreme variation in the weather were the two most serious issues for me.  I knew it was going to rain on Sunday, but the timing and extent was somewhat unknown.  I was up very early on Day 7 and out of the shelter by 7.00, which was good.
     I had a very good start on the day, about half of the miles hiked by 10.30, when I stopped in a shelter for a break.  During my breaks, i really like to take off my shoes and socks to let my feet breathe, eat something, and read something.  I had begun the process of gearing back up- putting on my socks and shoes, when I heard the sound of rain drops on the shelter.  Just pitter patter at first, but the rain had begun and did not give any signs of leaving.  Although I didn't take any pictures on Day 7, above is a picture from Day 8.  The frontal boundary completely stalled over the mountain, and the weather looked pretty much the same for Days 7-9.  The rain could have been much worse, but I was wet and the air temperature was quite cold.
     By the time I made it to the shelter, I had been walking in the rain for almost 3.5 hours.  I had barely stopped because there were no shelters (or any covering) during that time, and I was extremely cold.  Another issue with long distance hiking that people often overlook is logical thinking.  In this case, how one unpacks their gear when they arrive in the shelter is important, as I want to make sure the things that are dry stay dry as they come out of my pack.  It takes some concentration to keep these things dry and separate from the wet things.  I spent a couple of hours that afternoon in my sleeping bag just trying to warm up.

Day 6, 27 APR, Jim & Molly Denton Shelter (17.8 mi)

One of my favorite highlights of any AT trip is the array of wildflowers that often create a wonderful audience for hiking.  The continual beauty of a seeming infinite number of petite little flowers is almost arresting compared to our usual experience of well-placed and well-thought arrangements of flowers in civilization.  There are often so many flowers that I am astounded at Nature's apparent wastefulness. (Again, the weather was gorgeous but that was about to change.)  In particular on Day 6 was the trillium around Sky Meadows in VA.  I have seen trillium in the Smokies on several occasions, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the white, three-petalled flower that holds a nice balance of simplicity and beauty.  There were both white (common to me) and pink trillium on that day.  Because it was a weekend day, there were many day hikers with large cameras to take pictures of the trillium.  It was the talk of the trail on Day 6.

Day 6 also marked the over-halfway point of the hike.  I usually plan my mileage conservatively, so there is always the possibility of feeling better than expected and hiking more efficiently than originally intended.  I started thinking about trying to finish early, getting home to family, and the satisfaction of completing the section in a shorter amount of time than planned.  There is an added sense of accomplishment in carrying out the section hike in a shorter amount of time than planned.  It's not that I don't enjoy being outdoors or that I'm somehow "ready to come home."  Again, it's that element of pushing oneself, and if pushing oneself means that I get to come home earlier than intended, then "Good on ya, Mate!"  Jim and Molly Denton shelter was especially nice, but unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures.  I met this interesting section hiker, Tony Tiger, who was now in his 50s but had thru-hiked the trail earlier in life.  What struck me as we continued to talk was the confusion in his life about he and his wife actually got divorced.  There are lots of divorcees on the trail, in fact way over half of the folks older than 40 are divorcees, re-married, etc.  I guess what hit home for me was that thru-hiking the trail is not my life right now; it is not who I am.  Good food for thought.
    Sky Meadows State Park (not to be confused with Big Meadows campground, which was my endpoint) was an interesting place.  Sadly, the main visitor's center was located over 1 mile off of the AT.  For better and for worse, most AT'ers are unwilling to visit any sight that is more than 0.3 mile from the main path of the AT.  It may seem ironic that someone who is hiking thousands of miles is unwilling to hike more than 0.3 from the AT.  However, I think it speaks to the plethora of amazing things located right on the Trail.  Why hike off the Trail to see something that is only "just as interesting" as that which is directly on the AT.  For most, it's a no-brainer, follow the white blazes. (the white paint marks, called blazes, mark the path of the AT. You can actually see a white blaze on the tree in the picture at the top of Day 6.)

Day 5, 26 APR, The Rollercoaster and Rod Hollow Shelter (17.5 mi)

There are many talked about sections of the AT and Day 5 contained the much talked about Rollercoaster, a 13.5 mile stretch of ups and downs, that was a marked difference from the rolling and nicely graded terrain of MD and WV.  I was a bit apprehensive but there was another nice surprise awaiting me on Day 5, a beautiful skyscape.  I stopped for a small break and just happened to look up.  The way the blue of the sky, the greens of the newly budding trees, and the trickling of the stream caught my attention in a fresh way.  The picture to the right probably doesn't capture it, but it was arresting in a delightfully surprising way.  It broke up the seeming monotony of the ups and downs of the Rollercoaster.  Another great day on the AT; it is the surprise of the scenery on the AT that is most delightful.  The tiring nature of the walking heightens the beauty that is consistently and readily available.  Here are

the pictures from my conquering of the Rollercoaster.  Rod Hollow Shelter was a nice place to land for two people that I met:  one, Lynn Rimmel, from Montana has a friend that publishes children's books and was especially interested in my stars book; and two was a thru hiker from N. GA named Arrowhead with whom we shared good memories of the Nantahala Gorge.

Day 4, 25 APR, Harper's Ferry and Blackburn Center (18.6 mi)

Trail Towns (towns through which the AT actually passes) are a real highlight on the AT.  Not only do they provide the opportunity to pick up food easily, for me I prefer mail drops (packages mailed to myself containing mostly food), but they also provide the opportunity for food not easily obtained (or carried) on the trail.  Harper's Ferry, WV, is probably the most talked about trail town (at least from a historical perspective) because it is known as the "emotional or psychological halfway point of the AT."  Having never visited HF, I was especially excited since it would be a new place to visit.  To the left is the walk into HF along the historic C & O canal path.  Plus, who wouldn't want to arrive at the emotional halfway point of the Trail.
     One disadvantage of a Trail Town (TTs) is the amount of time spent not hiking.  TTs are often places that bog-down thru hikers because they present too much of the life once lived by the thru hiker.  Hostels, restaurants, and other conveniences cause hikers to linger, sometimes to great detriment.  It seems like TTs always cause me to spend about twice the amount of time I plan, and HF was no exception.  HF is a TT rich in Civil War history, as well as AT history, since it was the location of John Brown's rebellion as well as the international boundary between the Confederate States of America and the Union.  I really felt like one could spend a day or two soaking in all of the history HF has to offer.  There is a significantly preserved "old town" to HF, filled with rich buildings and museums.  To the right is a snapshot of the historic main street of old HF.
    After picking up my food at the post office, mailing back some trinkets acquired at the AT Conservancy (ATC) headquarters, registering my section thru hike, and grabbing a piece of NY style pizza, I still had quite a bit of hiking before arriving at my
intended destination, Blackburn AT center.  It was a long afternoon as it was a rather hot day, and it is always hard to make time after noon with a full pack of mail dropped food (5 days worth for me) and a full stomach of pizza (or other TT foods).  I had picked up a Backpacker's Pantry Indian meal (considered high-class cuisine on the AT) so I was pretty encouraged to get to my end point.  Plus at Blackburn there was an unlimited supply of already filtered water, which is always nice.  The attendant at Blackburn actually offered me a sprite, which was a nice addition to the BP meal I picked up earlier.  It was a nice end to a long day and I ate and slept well. :)
   The morning at Blackburn provided another nice sunrise directly from my tent pad, which provided a great incentive to get started on the new day into the great state of VA.

Day 3, 24 April, Ed Garvey Shelter (16.6 mi)

I was fairly impressed with the number of excellent sites in Washington Co., MD.  Not only do they have the REAL Washington monument (see to the left), built about 75 years before the one in DC, but they also have some very interesting historical buildings and sites.  I think that is one of the best things about hiking the AT in a state that I have not visited- I really feel like I have learned a lot about that state.  This was certainly true for WV, MD, and PA.  It was just a great day for hiking, and the day was broken up by the different places to visit.
      To the right is a neat little stone chapel that I passed. Apparently a very wealthy lady in the area had it built because she didn't want to travel into town to worship.  When she died the building sat vacant for some time, and then was sold to folks who do weddings and receptions.  It is no longer a church.
   Another interesting place that the AT runs pass is the Civil War Correspon- dents Monument, which is located where the battle of South Mtn took place.  This civil war battle was one of only a few offensive attacks by Lee and the Confederates.  The monument paid honor to those women and men who gave their lives informing the public about the war and its effects on the local residents.  The monument is actually about 30-40 feet tall and the names of all the correspondents are written into the edifice.
  Regardless of the number of wonderful views and sites that are present on any given day of hiking, it always relieving to see the shelter.  In particular this afternoon, there was a predicted shower so it is nice to make the shelter before the rain.  I spent the afternoon speaking with a couple from Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC.  I also met two of my future south-bounding friends, Cobweb and Magnolio.  Here is a view of the shelter, and then the sunrise on the following morning.

          

Day 2, 23 April, Pine Knob Shelter (MD), 13.5 miles

This was the first AT section hike for which I did extensive training.  I began walking with a pack and taking a fully loaded pack into the Y (when it was raining) about 3 weeks before the actual hike.  I can certainly affirm the usefulness of pre-emptive training, especially for my knees by lunging and hopping intermittently (thank you, Backpacker magazine).  It usually takes me 5 days to feel trail savvy, and with the exercise I cut that time in half.  Plus, I never really obtained that deep lactic soreness in my thighs and hamstrings. Those things make for happy hikers! :)
It is always odd to me that the AT can be SO remote at times (like this pic from Raven Rock cliffs), and yet also be so stinking close to civilization.  At Pine Knob, we were less than a mile from I-70 (nice traffic hum) and there was another hiker who was listening to Pandora's "stand-up comedian" channel.  In those moments, I'm glad I packed a tent although I really didn't escape the interstate noise.

Day 1, Appalachian Trail (AT) Across the Mid-Atlantic, MD-WV-VA

    During the months of April and May this year, I was graciously released by my family to spend 24 days on the AT.  The planned trips were to send me over 370 miles, 4 states, and put me at about 60% of the entire trail.  What is it about the AT that is so attractive?  For me, it is partially the opportunity to be completely consumed in physical activity, pushing oneself to the boundary of physical and emotional limits, and the challenge of setting a lofty goal to attain. In retrospect, the AT provides seemingly unbounded time to reflect, ruminate, ponder, and pray.  It also provides the opportunity to visit places that I have never spent time (WV, MD, and PA).  I learn things about the places traveled on the AT that I would never learn staying in motels, visiting well-known cities, etc.  It is a gritty, well-worn knowledge that is obtained, and in some ways it is more valuable and lasting than easily-obtained knowledge.
In some ways, one has no idea of what is ahead when a journey is begun, even though I've hiked the AT several times.  Here I stand at PenMar mark beginning the first of 24 days on the AT- innocent and somewhat aloof.  As my dad dropped me off, we shared a short prayer, the kind of prayer that I now pray for my son, and I was off for a short 4.5 mile walk to Raven Rock, MD.  Excited, nervous, and unsure of what to expect, I set out for my first 10 day adventure- PenMar Park, PA to Big Meadow Campground, VA.