Friday, July 11

We did the easy walk into Port Clinton today. On the trail you don’t just get a wilderness experience, you learn about small-town life. Now that I have been in a few Pennsylvania towns I have learned to read their history in their architecture. These are old industrial towns that were founded on coal mining and steel working.

Historic Marker


Port Clinton Anthracite Coal


The civic buildings, City Hall or the police station, were built a hundred years or more ago during the first rush of affluence that came when PA coal and steel was rebuilding the major cities of the world. They are made of stone, solid and substantial.

The houses are newer. Maybe they were built in the 40s or 50s to house factory workers. At the time they were built, they were respectable middle class homes for hopeful families. Now the brick row houses and shotgun houses look worn and hopeless. Urban renewal won’t ever strike PA’s rust-belt towns. Their heavy industries are gone. When I was a child the steelworker pouring molten metal into a mold was an iconic image of America’s strength. Today that image is slowly fading into history.

There is a little industry left. I’ve seen a brewery, a lumber yard, and a mobile home manufacturer. I’ve also seen a lot of businesses catering to an aging population, like hearing aid retailers. I don’t know what will be left here in 20 years but I’m glad to have seen it now.

All’s well.

Port Clinton, PA. Today – 8.6 mi. Total – 1205.3 mi. Remaining – 970.9 mi.

Saturday, July 12

When Philadelphia natives brag about Philly-made cheese steak sandwiches, I always thought it was a harmless regional boast. After all, why would cheese, steak, onions, and peppers on a bun taste better in PA than in Texas? Well I can’t explain it but it does. I’ve had two awesome cheese steak sandwiches in PA, one in Pine Grove, one in Port Clinton. Maybe something about the meat’s preparation? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll figure it out in the next town.

Quick Notes:
- Day hikers smell funny. Clean. Thru-hikers have no smell to my nose.
- Cabela’s, a big outfitter, replaced my malfunctioning Katadyn water filter.
- Earlier in the hike, people would ask me where I was going and I’d say “I’m trying for Maine.” With 1,200+ miles done I now confidently answer “All the way to Maine.”

All’s well.

Port Clinton, PA. Today – 0.0 mi. Total – 1205.3 mi. Remaining – 970.9 mi.

Sunday, July 13

The first day out of town is always tough. My belly is full of high-fat food. I always start with a climb since towns tend to be in valleys. I always get a late start from my comfortable town bed. I always have a heavy pack from my town resupply. I may have had an adult beverage while in town. Despite all that I had a fun day because I met interesting people.

I met a woman who brings snacks to the trail hoping to trade for thru-hiking stories. I’m perfectly willing to sing for my supper. She gave me apple slices, I told her about the North Carolina bears.

The encounter I really enjoyed was with a couple coming down the hill I was climbing. As we approached each other the girl sang in a soft but pretty voice “Left a good job in the city.” I knew the words and I did leave a good job in the city so I sang the next line with her, “Working for the Man every night and day,” just as softly.

As we passed each other she yelled “Woo!” and went into the rest full volume using the R&B tempo Ike and Tina use in their version. I stumbled over the first few words after she changed tempos but kept up after.

“And I never lost one minute of sleeping
Worrying bout the way things might have been
Big wheel keep on turning
Proud Mary keep on burning.”

We did the “Rollin, rollin’s” as we passed out of earshot.

Nothing else to report except that the afternoon storm was more violent than normal.

Chipmunk near shelter

All’s well.

Eckville Shelter, PA. Today – 15.2 mi. Total – 1220.5 mi. Remaining – 955.7 mi.

Monday, July 14

It was a long day and hard. AT hikers complain about Pennsylvania’s sharp jumbled rocks. I thought those complaints were overblown until today. The rocks really hurt my feet and slowed me don today. This is the first day I would have traded my trail runners for a heavy pair of boots. My thin soles hardly give any protection from the sharp rocks.

Rocky PA Trails.


Again, the best stories are about the people I've met. I guess I’m a little lonely since Animal stayed an extra day in Port Clinton. I saw a man and his three young sons at an overlook. I went over to check the view and to say hi. I always like the zany questions kids ask about thru-hiking. These kids asked how far it was from Georgia to Maine. One was maybe eight and the twins were about six. I told them to guess. They conferred and guessed 30 miles. Anyway, Mark, the father, worked for Backpacker Magazine when it was based in PA. He stayed in PA when it moved to Colorado. Mark asked good questions about the AT and gave me some water since I was on a ridge with few spring. Then he gave me a fruit drink and some fruit bars. They couldn’t have been nicer.

Blueberry Patch


I have some unfortunate trail attrition to report. A hiker called Nips who I just caught up to had to walk off trail when his reserve unit got activated to the Middle East. In the past when someone has gone off trail and out of this blog, I’ve casually written “good luck.” I really mean it this time. Keep your head down and you eyes open Nips.

That reminds me of something that happened a couple of months ago that I didn’t write down. Way back in North Carolina I stopped for water with some Army Rangers who were out for training. The Rangers asked me what I was doing and I told them. They were really impressed with the idea of hiking 2,000+ miles and said so. They gave me a “Who-Ah” as I walked away. I tried to take it with good grace but I was embarrassed. They are defending the country; I’m going for a walk. They should get the “Who-Ah.”

I remain totally healthy and I’m moving north steadily. People like Nips and the Rangers make me feel like my health is only due to the fact that Fate deems me too insignificant to trifle with. Here I am though, healthy and committed to my project, whatever it may be worth.

All’s well.

Outerbridge Shelter, PA. Today – 24.2 mi. Total – 1244.7 mi. Remaining – 931.5 mi.

Tuesday, July 15

I started my day hiking through the Palmerton, PA Superfund site. About 100 years ago a company started smelting zinc nearby and they polluted so liberally that it killed every living thing on Blue Mountain. I was warned not to drink from springs around the mountain due to heavy metal contamination (Cadmium 2?). When the EPA started pressuring the company to stop polluting and clean up Blue Mountain in the late 70’s, the company shut its doors instead. The Federal government, meaning you taxpayers, was left to clean up the mess. They are using something called Ecoloam, a mix of garbage and human waste to replace the soil that eroded after the plants died. I caught a whiff of it occasionally as I hiked along. It seems to be working because I saw some grass and scrub growing. Unfortunately, hikers keep trampling it because our feet hurt from the bare rock. There aren’t any good guys.

Palmerton, PA and rusted out factories.


Palmerton Superfund Site


There wasn’t a single good water source on the trail today. I made 21/2 liters last all day. I finally hit a spring and set up camp. I’m not the only one. I’m camping with Green Tea, Feral, Mike, and Donnie. Donnie is fully recovered from the dehydration that sidelined him back in Daleville. I hit camp and drank two liters.

All’s well.

Leroy Smith Shelter, PA. Today – 16.7 mi. Total – 1261.4 mi. Remaining – 914.8

Wednesday, July 16

I’m camping in the backyard of a Presbyterian church that allows hikers a shower and a free place to stay. I took the opportunity to have one more Pennsylvania cheese steak sub, from Doughboy’s Pizza, and it was excellent. I’ve caught back up to the big bunch of hikers I was around after Duncannon. There must be 20 people here behind the church.

Early Morning in Eastern PA


More attrition. Ularu is leaving because of a serious leg injury. The interesting part is that his friend, Slayer, is hiking on. Slayer only came to hike the AT because Ularu wanted to. Now Ularu is off and Slayer is still going north. I’m starting to think that my continued progress north has little to do with skill or fitness or determination. I think now that I have two things going for me. First, I have been lucky with health. Second, I have nothing to rush home to. No home or job, so I might as well keep hiking.

Two Lily Pad Photographs. Delaware Water Gap




I’m sleeping behind the church again tomorrow to rest my sore feet and to let Animal catch up. Samson is a couple days back visiting family.

All’s well.

Delaware Water Gap, PA. Today – 20.2 mi. Total – 1281.6 mi. Remaining – 894. 6

Tuesday, July 8

I once read a book about blogging called Nobody Cares What You Had for Lunch. I think that this blog is a rare exception to that otherwise ironclad rule. Calories have been a huge problem for me since the beginning. I’m down 24 lbs. or so. Wisdom among AT hikers is that men burn 4,000+ calories per day doing this. From a practical standpoint, it is impossible to carry that much food per day. Anyway, I’ve worked out a five meal system that gives me a steady flow of calories even if the total isn’t enough.

I’m never hungry when I wake up in the morning but I know from experience that if I don’t eat breakfast I have to stop and eat an hour after starting. I like a cold breakfast so I can get an early start. Pop-Tarts are a favorite. Two total 400 calories. Add a few handfuls of calorie-dense trail mix or a couple cereal bars and I’m way over 500 calories.

I take an a.m. break around 10:00. To keep it short I eat a rich power bar and some more trail mix. Maybe I hit 500 calories with that, maybe not.

I’ve tried different things for lunch. Hiker faves bagels and peanut butter are heavy. Bread gets moldy. Right now my lunch is just a bigger version of the morning break but I am still experimenting.

My afternoon snack varies with mileage. If I do a shorter day I skip it in favor of pushing on to camp. On a normal day it might be raisins and a Slim Jim. For a 20+ miler I may have dinner early, push through my last few miles, then I have a bedtime snack.

Dinner is my big meal and it’s always hot. I eat a lot of instant mashed potatoes, usually with pepperoni, dried sausage or Spam. Did you just turn your nose up at Spam? It has 250 big calories per serving. Sometimes I eat instant rice with tuna or salmon mixed in. Another staple is instant stuffing with dried cranberries liberally added. Lots of hikers like pasta but it is lower calorie compared to what I just named. I eat honey or dried fruit for dessert.

For a long time I only drank plain water but lately I have gone to powdered drink mixes to spice up dinnertime. Propel and Crystal Light both make good drinks. Small, lightweight and tasty.

There are two exceptions. First, town days, where ”all you can eat” are magic words. The other exception is the first day out of town when thru-hikers might pack out a special treat. I’ve packed out soda, beer, cake, and fresh fruit. Once I packed out a giant cookie to celebrate the 1,000 mile mark. I got to share it with Animal, Samson, Duck, Buttercup, Holler, and Pixie. It made for a nice evening.

Anyway, if you add up my daily calories, I’m only around 3,000, not nearly enough. It’s impossible to make up the difference in one town day so I keep losing weight. On the other hand, if I do keep losing weight it will take fewer calories to power me along. Maybe my caloric intake will meet my caloric expenditure in the middle.

All’s well.

501 Shelter, PA. Today – 17.4 miles. Total – 1181.6 miles.

Wednesday, July 9

This entry is about statistics, but first here is a quick explanation of today’s zero day. The big miles last week put Animal and I ahead of schedule. No problem normally but she is meeting her boyfriend 25 miles from here in three days. So we threw on the brakes. We chose this spot because the 501 shelter has running water. There is a solar shower behind the shelter but it was cleverly positioned under some trees where the sun couldn’t possibly hit it. Still, a cold water shower is better than none. Also, there is a pizza place nearby so we can get food delivered. Fancy shelter!

If you scroll down, you will see a minor accounting change. I am showing miles remaining in addition to miles covered. The reason for doing that now should be obvious. Less than 1,000 miles to my finish on Katahdin. I’m practically there.

Here is another statistic. I was the 452nd hiker to pass through Harper’s Ferry. When I signed in at Amicalola Falls in Georgia I was #562. Northbounders can also sign in at the Springer Mtn. summit. If an equal number signed in there, I was about the 1100th hiker to start. Now I am 452. I’ve passed some and we have seen some attrition. Usually, about 2,000 hikers start and about 300 finish. I predict that the weak economy will mean fewer start the trail but those who do will finish at a high-than-normal rate. Those of us who came out this year are really passionate about it.

All’s well.

501 Shelter, PA. Today – 0 mi. Total – 1181.6mi. Remaining – 994.6 mi.

Thursday, July, 10

My Kahtadyn Hiker Pro water filter broke down entirely. It’s been stiff and hard to pump for a while. Today as I was filtering the seam where the outer casing is molded, broke. Water started shooting out the side of the filter. I was filtering with three other hikers. Everyone got a big kick out of it.

I have been around a guy named MacGyver. As his name implies, he is a tinkerer. Lately his project has been lighting a fire with a bow and a block of wood. It’s an interesting process. So far he has only gotten smoke, no fire. He’s still working on it.

Fire Making Tools


All’s well.

Eagle’s Nest Shelter, PA. Today – 15.1 mi. Total – 1196.7 mi. Remaining – 979.5 mi.

[Note: A few of you have asked how you can send things to David. Below are his next two mail drops and his latest estimate of when he will pick up mail at the two post offices. Post offices hold general delivery mail up to 30 days, so don’t worry about mail arriving too early. Also, the post offices along the AT are used to holding mail for thru-hikers. Apparently, it does help them if you include the lines indicating that the mail is for a thru-hiker and when he/she is expected to arrive. Dave’s advice in choosing what to send him is to think light. He has to carry whatever you send. He says he loves fresh baked goods, since they are hard to find on the trail, and that he is sick to death of power and cereal bars.

David McNeill
General Delivery
Cheshire, MA
01225

Please Hold for Thru-Hiker
(eta July 29)

David McNeill
General Delivery
Glencliff, NH
03238

Please Hold for Thru-Hiker
(eta Aug 11)]

Saturday, July 5

Bob and I pushed into Duncannon today for a hiker party. A group of trail angels led by Trail Angel Mary rented out a city park for the weekend and they are feeding and putting us up there. I am camped out in center field of a baseball diamond. There are flush toilets and water fountains here. T.A. Mary, Baltimore Jack and Mattie, both former thru-hikers, are cooking. Bob thinks thru-hiking is pretty easy. You walk a while then stay in a hostel or hotel or campground and you eat a lot. Bob also must think the trail is full of aggressive animals though.

Camping in centerfield


We were menaced today by a territorial copperhead today. I’ve seen plenty of snakes on the trail and all but this one have run away, so I thought I knew what to do. I banged my hiking stick on the ground in front of it but it didn’t move. Then I poked it with my stick thinking that would move it along. Instead, it struck at my stick and bowed up, ready for action. I threw a few stones in its direction and it struck out at air, making a hissing sound. We made a big loop around him and as far as I know he is still there guarding his bit of trail.

Angry Copperhead


One quick word on the Doyle, an old hotel in Duncannon. Hikers love it or hate it. Rooms are $25 each. The people who love it say it is an old dump with lots of charm. People who hate it say it is an old dump. I didn’t stay there but the beer and food in the bar were good. I liked the guitarist they had. And I liked watching 5th of July fireworks from the balcony with Bob and Animal.

Duncannon, PA. Today – 17.6 miles. Total – 1135.3.

Sunday, July 6

I got a late start today trying to get a new cartridge for my endlessly clogging water filter. No luck so I bought some iodine for the time being. I’ve covered a whopping 135 miles this week so I didn’t mind the short day. There are probably 30 people at this shelter who hiked out of Duncannon.

Quick notes:
-- With all our other adventures, I forgot to mention this item. Bob and I walked past a group of Amish backpackers. They were wearing homespun clothing but carrying pricey Kelty backpacks.
-- I pulled my backpack into my tent two nights ago to get something out of it and about 20 black beetles came in with it. I’m still finding them in corners of my tent and bag.
-- More mosquitoes in PA, fewer flies.
-- There is a revival or something like it going on in the valley below us. I hear “Amens” carrying up the hill.
-- Creeks here have been badly polluted by mining. My plan is to save my filter for creeks and use iodine for spring water.

All’s well.

Peter’s Mountain Shelter. Today – 11.4 miles. Total – 1146.7 miles.

Monday, July 7

Buttercup is having a tough day. Animal and I are sharing a campsite with Buttercup and Duck. It’s a few tenths of a mile from the very crowded Rausch Gap Shelter. They’re a very nice couple. Buttercup climbed over a ridge to do her business. As soon as she was out of sight of camp she came across a fat rattlesnake. I don’t think she was scared but she called for Duck. We all brought our digital cameras up to take pictures. The snake was REALLY fat. I think it had just eaten a whole family of chipmunks. Duck and I wanted the rattler to do something aggressive to make a good picture but it was too lethargic. It looked like a thru-hiker after a town day. It gave us a few rattles then slithered away.

The Fat Rattlesnake


In the meantime, Buttercup went back to camp. Duck and I watched the snake to make sure it didn’t turn towards camp. Even though it was comically fat, it was still a venomous snake. Suddenly we heard, “Duck! There’s something in the tent and it’s furry!” When Duck went to check on the snake, he had left their tent flap open and a mink came inside. We rushed down to see about that but the mink was already running away. No pictures. No more wildlife.

Bob left the trail today. In three and a half days he covered well over sixty miles, including a 27 mile day. He’s a hiking machine. That mileage is despite getting rained on three days out of four. Bob said he liked it but doesn’t think he wants to do the whole trail. I still do.

Look's tasty.


All’s well.

Rausch Gap Shelter, PA. Today – 17.5 miles. Total – 1164.2 miles.

[David sent a lot of days to us at once so we are going to split the update into two sections - one today and one tomorrow.]

Monday, June 30

The Canal House is closed on Monday so I guess I might as well hike. I went slow as there were lots of historical markers to read. The trail follows the old C&O Canal for a few miles. It was much smaller than I thought. Stonewall Jackson fought here, as did units of Lee’s army in the run up to Antietam.

Confluence of Potomac and Shenandoah


The Old C&O Canal. Very small.


A former Civil War correspondent built the country’s only War Correspondent Memorial. Very large. I crossed into Maryland today and Maryland trails are really crowded. I passed Boy Scouts and church groups. I’m camped with 10 thru-hikers, a few section hikers and some high schoolers out of school.

War Corespondent's Memorial


Equipment-wise, my new jacket kept me dry through an unusually heavy afternoon storm. No ticks today either, but that might have more to do with the rain than anything else. They don’t seem to be active on wet days.

I saw in the comments section that someone who is contemplating their own thru-hike is following this blog. Like most hikers, I am happy to talk anyone’s ear off about hiking, equipment, or the AT. If any potential AT hikers have specific questions, feel free to email me directly. I think my email address is in the “Profile” section. For now, my advice is to commit to it and do it. I think traveling of any kind is broadening and an AT hike is a special kind of travel. If this is the right time in your life, do it. You never know what might happen in a few years to make a hike impossible. Do it knowing that you will leave family and friends behind. Do it if it takes every penny you have. Max out the credit cards if you have to, but do it. You won’t regret it.
All’s well.

Dahlgren Campground. Today – 17.7 miles. Total – 1028.8 miles.

Tuesday, July 1

Today included more crowds, some good views and a fun side trip. My first stop was at a Washington Monument. Not THE Washington Monument but a Washington Monument. This one was built first. It is a low tower made of gray rock and you can climb up and get a good view of Western Maryland. I ate lunch at Black Rock Cliffs where my parents took my brother and me camping when we were kids. There were lots of dayhikers there with lots of questions about thru-hiking. Normally I like that conversation but they were distracting me from my enjoyment of the view. Also I could see from there that my afternoon storm was coming early so I left quickly.

View from Black Rock Cliff at 9:00 AM.


View seven miles farther at noon. Note clouds. Storm hit at 3:00 PM.


A few miles later I met up with thru-hiker Mike and we decided to hike just off trail to the Free State Hostel. We didn’t want to spend the night but we could order pizza from there and drink soda. We did and watched the storm drop rain on our roof. Two hours later it stopped and we hiked five more miles, fueled by pizza and caffeine.
I’m tenting right off the AT, up a side trail from Devil’s Racecourse Shelter. I’m sharing a camp area with a pleasant couple from Seattle called Hoot and Sundance. They cooked a tasty looking pea soup.
All’s well.

Devil’s Racecourse Shelter. Today -- 18.8 miles. Total – 1047.6 miles.

Wednesday, July 2

I crossed into Pennsylvania today but the big news is that Jefe, the former Marine who I last saw way back in Georgia, caught me. I was eating lunch at a shelter and he walked in, stared at me for a second and said, “Aren’t you Vegas?” I sure am! The last time I saw Jefe I was sick and walking down the road at Neel’s Gap, GA for a day off. I remember wondering if I would ever catch the group I was with then. Hard to believe that four of the five of us are within a day of each other. Jogle and Mas are both just a day back. Only Gnormal has fallen behind because he adopted a dog and found a trail girlfriend.
Statistically, three of us should have quit by now. April 16 might turn out to be a good day for thru-hike beginnings.

Jefe and I spent an hour catching up and then we hiked on. He is planning 25 mile days in order to meet a friend in New York, so I might not see him again.

Rocky Pennsylvania Trail


Gypsy moth catapillars.


I think I have written before about how quickly people bond on the trail. That is a good example. Eleven weeks ago I hiked with that guy for three days and it made my day to see him again. The terrain is gentle and high temps are in the low 80s. There was no storm this afternoon.

All’s well.

Rocky Mountain Shelter. Today – 19.8 miles . Total – 1067.4 miles.

Thursday, July 3

It’s easy to do big miles in Pennsylvania. I did 23 miles today and was done by 5:15. I’m staying in a hostel that was a mansion 200 years ago. It was a stop on the Underground Railroad and has a secret room that was used to hide escaped slaves. At $25 per night it is pricey but it’s cool to think of the history of that building.

I rushed today for two reasons. First, I was meeting Bob, a hiking friend from Las Vegas who is hiking a few days with me. Second, I wanted to do the traditional AT halfway half-gallon challenge. I’m more than half done with this very long trail and thru-hikers celebrate by trying to eat a half-gallon of ice cream. Bob witnessed me completing the challenge, making the choice to go with calorie rich chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Then I had a cheeseburger. My hiker hunger is only growing. I’m down 24 lbs. now.

Proof of completion.


Quick notes:
- No ticks on me since going to Permethrin.
- Raspberries are in season. I took a raspberry break today to sample them. Delicious.
- Thru-hikers Peach and Fuzz run a charity called Re-member, aimed at helping Native Americans on the infamously poor Pine Ridge Reservation. You should Google it. I ate lunch with them and was fascinated by their stories.
- My pack weighed in at 29 lbs., including three days food and a liter of water.

All’s well.

Ironmasters Hostel. Today – 22.9miles. Total – 1090.3 miles.

Friday, July 4.

I did mean for today to be a big mileage day but it turned out to be my biggest so far. Bob and I had talked about doing 19 miles to a little town called Boiling Springs. We got off to a late start because the store served good breakfast sandwiches. I had three. It rained all morning but that just kept it cool. The walking was easy, sometimes through level Amish farmland. We took our time, stopping for quite a while in the afternoon to eat wild blueberries. They are much smaller than the farm raised variety but just as good.

Official Halfway Marker


Long, flat trail.


Camping isn’t allowed near Boiling Springs but there is a man there who lets thru-hikers tent in his backyard for one dollar. When we got there though, he wasn’t home and the B+B nearby was full for the holiday weekend. Someone told us about a pizza place in town and it turned out to be really good. There were genuine Italians doing the cooking. After dinner we went back to the $1 backyard but still no luck. A look at my map and guide showed some cheap motels eight miles up trail. That would make a 27 mile day but we felt refreshed after dinner and the walking looked pancake flat. It was nearly 8:00 but Bob had a super spotlight headlamp so we took off.

Pennsylvania Farm Walking


It turned out to be great hiking. Temps were nice and Fireflies filled the fields we walked through. We passed wheat, corn and alfalfa fields. We could hear, but not see, fireworks in the distance. We passed through a few patches of forest, one of which contained a huge flock of big birds. They stayed in the trees squawking and flapping loudly as we passed. We had rain jackets on because of intermittent storms and that was lucky because the birds knocked water off the tree leaves at us and crapped lavishly. Bob took five direct hits. We’re thinking about “Bullseye” as a trail name. It was a spooky bit of woods and we moved right along.

We hit the motels around 11:00 and got a great rate from the night guy at Super 8. He is a hiker and says it was buzzards in the trees. I’m clean and relaxed after a shower and feeling good about 27 miles.

All’s well.

Super 8 Motel, Highway 11. Today – 27.4 miles. Total – 1117.7

Saturday, June 23

Zero day in Harpers Ferry. I rented a car and went in to D.C. to be a tourist. It was fun driving again. I walked the National Mall because what is a day without a long walk? I went into a couple of museums and I took in an Orioles/Nationals game in Washington's new stadium. It was all fun.

They have a great coffee shop here in Harpers called the Canal House. Whole milk yogurt, fresh fruit, local produce, local dairy, local meat. A lot of the male thru-hikers like Christina, the Romanian barista. Zen brought me there yesterday. I ate there again this morning. Love the Canal House.

All's well.

Harpers Ferry, WV. Today-0 mi, Total 1010.9.

Sunday, June 29

Jogle, Becca and Blazing Star all walked into town yesterday so I spent most of my time with them today. Unfortunately, they are taking a zero tomorrow as well, so I will remain a day ahead since I hike out in the morning. I brought everyone to the Canal House for lunch. They sell fresh berries by the pint so several hikers can buy a yogurt each and split a pint, then mix the berries with the yogurt. Yum.

Some equipment notes because I upgraded some things.
-I bought a Golite waterproof jacket. Golite is a popular brand on the trail. My old jacket was a cheap off-brand that quit being waterproof after the soaking it took in Tennessee.
-I also bought a can of Permethrin, the latest and greatest in tick control. It is so strong that I'm not supposed to put it directly on my skin. It goes on my shoes and socks so ticks will die when they climb aboard. I'm safe from Lyme Disease now but my kids will probably have three eyes from my use of this stuff.
-My last purchase was a stick of Bodyglide, an anti-chafing product. I had some personal chafing going on. Ouch.

Someone told me that they liked reading the exotic trail names. I've got a treat for you. I hiked into a new group of people coming into Harpers Ferry. I've been around Duck, Buttercup, Pixie, Holler, Matchstick, Wavepool, Y, Vigil-Auntie, Chipmunk, Johnny Thunder, Keychain and Mike. Mike says he hasn't found the right name yet.

All's well.

Harpers Ferry, WV. Today-0 mi, Total 1010.9.