View from Overland Shelter, a renovated barn that sleeps around 20. My favorite shelter thus far (Mile 376)

After my three night stay at Ms. Janet's, she gave me the trail name Bed Head- Both in my ability to out sleep anyone else, and because my hair always stands straight up when I roll out of bed.

I crossed the Virginia border on day 40 at mile 456. It is exciting crossing into a new state, but at 550 miles it is the longest state on the trail and a mental hurdle being in the same state for 45 days. Southern Virginia boasts some spectacular views, and lots of trail towns. At mile 523, I took a "zero day" (zero miles hiked) at Partnership Shelter, which boasts a warm shower, spigot and telephone 100 yards away at the ranger station where you can have pizza delivered.

Partnership Shelter, one of the thru-hikers all time favorites

Then, as if spring wasn't long enough, we got snow the next day- April 22nd! (Day 46). It got miserably cold, so I waited this one out with Method Man and Rza (Recent graduates of UNC Asheville) at the Relax Inn off Highway 81. There wasn't significant accumulation, but the snow came down for a full 24 hours. Two days later, I met back up with my old hiking group of Bam Bam, Sean, English Bob and Heald, which was a pleasant surprise and company for the next three hundred miles. This stretch of Virginia was beautiful and I hope to hike it again. There were these amazing views where you could see the last 20 miles on the AT winding on a curved ridgeline.

Day 58 brought the group into the small town of Catawba, VA and a family style restaurant called "The Homeplace". For $12, it was an all you can eat southern style restaurant that many hikers say is the best food on the trail. There were twelve of us and everyone ate so much that nobody was able to finish dessert-a blackberry cobbler with ice cream. They also let hikers camp on their side yard, which was really convenient and made for a fun night.

View from McAfee's Knob, Virginia (Mile 698)

Heald has referred to the AT as his backyard, and rightly so with eight thru-hikes and a ninth planned for next fall. His dog, Annie the wonderdog, just finished her 6th or 7th hike. Moreover, Heald was one of the handful of hikers who hiked southbound from Katahdin this last winter. He left Mt. Katahdin in September, and when he reached Damascus, VA in March he "flipped" down to Springer Mt. to hike with the Northbounders- officially completing his hike in Damascus. He continued north with us for another three weeks, officially ending his hike and heading south for "Trail Days," the largest of the Appalachian Trail festivals, usually drawing 20,000 people to Damascus, VA during the second week of May.

Thru-Hikers Parade

Trail Days 2005 was a wet one, and the parade was officially cancelled. Still, this year's thru-hikers walked down main street of Damascus, getting pelted with water balloons and doing their best to get all the spectators wet as well.

Ms. Janet at the end of the parade

Day 74 brought me into Shenandoah National Park. While it has been talked up, I wasn't overwhelmed by its beauty. It was fairly flat, and we crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway every few miles. If we couldn't see it, we could usually hear it. Also, I was not fortunate enough to see any black bears. Shenandoah boasts the highest density of black bears in the world, about one every square mile. The highlight of this stretch came when I heard something crying about 100ft off the trail. It was a baby deer that couldn't have been more than a day old, because it couldn't even stand up yet. The last two days of the Shenandoah were cold and wet, and I remember it sort of wore everyone out.

View from Shenandoah National Park with the Blue Ridge Parkway in righthand corner

Day 85, I finally crossed into West Virginia and camped right outside Harpers Ferry. Sort of an unofficial halfway point, the Appalachian Trail Conference headquarters is based out of Harpers Ferry. By this point in the hike roughly half of the original thru hikers have left. I took a zero day here and visited Washington D.C. I got to see a great Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit at the National Gallery's East Wing, the Museum of Natural History, and the new Star Wars film.

Hiking with DuBois, a good buddy and the fastest hiker I know

With West Virginia comes the Four State Challenge of hiking through four states and 43 miles-Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania- in under 24 hours. I hiked out with a hiker named Vapor the evening of the 86th only to quit the next morning after 30 miles down. My feet just couldn't handle it. Props to Vapor for making it all the way!

At mile 1087 I reached the official halfway point and accepted the half way challenge at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The goal is to eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting. I was able to put down a half gallon of cookie dough ice cream in 45 minutes. Nowhere close to the record- Just short of five minutes.

With Richard in New York

For the last ten days I've been in Pennsylvania, and summer seems like its here for good. Temperatures have been in the 90's during the day, and sometimes I don't even need a sleeping bag. It has given me some foot problems, and I have taken the last three days off here in New York City, visiting my old roommate Richard in Brooklyn. I'm enjoying it here a lot more than I thought I would, and it's a nice break from hiking in the heat. Back to the good life tomorrow.

Andrew 5/17

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