It’s official. We have made it halfway through the Appalachian Trail.

So far, Pennsylvania has been great: reasonable terrain and quite pretty. Teabag and I have fallen in with a new group of hikers for now, and they are fun to be around.

The excitement of the half-way point I also Pine Grove. This little area, right on the AT, has the Appalachian Trail Museum, as well as the home to the half gallon challenge, where every hiker that can stomach it eats one half gallon of ice cream.

“Peanut Butter Cup” turned out to be a bit much, but it all worked out. We enjoyed looking at the museum and playing cards until dark. It’s a good day to live in the mountains.

As I mentioned, I have been picking up my pace and focusing a bit more on hiking. At the same time, I want to make sure I am having fun.

We have been hitting some cool milestones the past few days. To start with, we are officially in the North! (Winter is coming).

And the shelters have been very nice, maintained by generous caretakers, some areas having both a smoking and a non-smoking shelter.

I have made it through all of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. Now, I am headed through Pennsylvania. There has been talk of visiting Hershey Park while we are here. Why not??

We stayed in town, under a tarp-shelter that may or may not have been for hikers. Though we were excited about hitting the trail, we still had to take care of a few things in town. Namely, my care package, with the essentials:

The first day, after visiting the Appalachian Trail Center and hanging out with hikers, we felt again a part of the community and ready to get back on the trail. Just a few miles was good enough for the first day back.

It turned out that there was not a good water source for ten miles or so. The next morning, I was ready to put in some more miles. After some calculations, we discovered that we should be doing a 15-mile average day. This is not too physically challenging, but it will be difficult. We will do it.

I’m enjoying the trail. I’m enjoying life. Everywhere is a view.

I apologize for the recent absence of posts. My adventures kept me occupied, and I only now found the opportunity to write about them. As I am moving into the North, I will often be closer to civilization, have better reception, and posting should be easier. I will miss some things about the South.

Teabag an I reached the historic town of Harpers Ferry, the figurative halfway point of the trail. We have completed over 1000 miles, and with over 1000 to go, we are all feeling the excitement and power of the Appalachian Trail. 1000 miles! It’s even hard for me to understand that distance.

Since the trail goes directly through the town, we imagined it to be a hiker-friendly town, catering to the basic needs of thruhikers. It was soon obvious that this was not the case. There was no designated spot to camp, so we invented one that was fairly inconspicuous and woke at first light to avoid confrontation. Teabag had some family friends to meet for lunch and invited me along. During the meal, they asked if we wanted to visit the Capitol. They live fairly close to Washington, DC, and invited us over.

I must say that this was a true example of trail magic, and one of the greatest and certainly most hospitable experiences I have experienced. Rob and Deb Burger took me – a complete stranger, not to mention a dirty and smelly one – into their home and treated me and Teabag to our wildest dreams.

We were able to explore DC, where I had not been, and spend some time relaxing with Rob, Deb, and their awesome children. Seeing the memorials and grandeur of the city really left an impression. I found myself contemplating a future living and working in the Capitol. The Burger children reminded me how much I enjoy the company of children, the rewards of working with them. And we spent a good chunk of time watching Mad Men. Yes, it was a lot of leisure time, but I thought it well deserved at the halfway point. It was such a great opportunity to see the city.

At risk of sounding too cliche, it was a reminder of the freedom that I have. I am pursuing my dream, doing exactly what I wish to be doing. I don’t suppose everyone has this luxury, and I am very grateful for it. I am also very grateful to have met and spent time with the Burger family.

1,000 miles, baby.

To rise at first light and leave camp by 6:00 a.m. It is a wonderful thing, and I hope to make it a habit. I spent most of today hiking solo again. It was a nice change of pace, so to speak, but I did miss my fellow hikers.

I took a nap, and was rewarded by hikers coming up to meet me. In my hammock, I was surprised to see quite a few familiar hikers come to the shelter. I hung out with them before hiking on.

I reached a section known as the “Roller Coaster,” where the trail goes up and down quite a bit in 13 miles. After the first hill, I caught up to Teabag. It was great to see my hiking friend again. We reminisced about video games late into the night.

The next morning, we got a late start. So late that we were passed by a Boy Scout troop. We hiked near them most of the day, sharing some spectacular trail magic and steep climbs.

We couldn’t believe how organized they were. Perhaps we should take a lesson from them and plan a bit more… but then again, maybe not.

Continuing on, we hiked to a hostel, watched Big Fish, and kept going. We had heard of a dinner (or “hiker feed,” as they called it) and arrived just in time for the food! It was so far the best meal on the trail.

Chicken, rice, fresh vegetables from the farm. Afterwards, pie, cake, and tea. We all slept there, our stomachs content.

The next day was only a 12-mile hike to Harpers Ferry, where I am now!

The Potomac River was an impressive sight and a good welcome to the town. I’m excited to be here, as this is the figurative half-way point of the trail. 1,000 miles down!

Along the trail, things are different than in real life as I have come to know it. The people are, almost without exception, very kind and friendly. The trail promotes this environment. We, as hikers, work together and encourage one another to make it all the way to Maine.

I shared a hotel room with a hiker I had barely met, and we spent the time sharing the emotional challenges of the trip. How rare it seems before the trail that I was able to have a complete stranger open up to me. Perhaps there are no strangers on the trail, or perhaps I am learning how to communicate. Either way, it has made my life substantial and meaningful.

Back on the trail, I hiked the day solo, scarcely seeing anyone all day. I got a late start but hiked until dark to get some miles behind me.

At the shelter with me was a hiker who has been struggling with the trail recently. He may be getting off the trail soon. I had earlier written about the possibility of leaving the trail, with new challenges setting in. I won’t be. Blogging sometimes helps me sort out my thoughts, and an extreme thought may appear to test the water. Writing about it helped me resolve to hike until the finish.

I just finished hiking through the Shenandoah Park. The permit for hiking the park had some difficult questions, but I did my best to answer them.

It is often celebrated as one of the most beautiful sections on the trail. There were mixed feelings among the hikers, but it was definitely a beautiful place. The trail intersects with Skyline Drive about a million times, and this is where most of the good views are.

Most of the way through the park was a compromise: deal with tourists and the commercialism of the park in return for extra commodities.

The most difficult part of this stretch was the rain! It’s said that a hiker should expect rain every third day of hiking on the Appalachian Trail. The only time it has really rained on us has been the big parks: the Smokies and now the Shenandoahs. The first day, we barely escaped a downpour, arriving at a shelter just as it began. The next day, I was less fortunate. It began to rain as I hiked alone, and the rain came harder and harder. I had to come to terms with being completely wet, and soothed myself with the mantra: whatever is wet will eventually be dry. However, since rain has been such a rare thing, I was enjoying it, shouting in the puddles and streams. The frequent rain also helped remind me how lucky I have been to have stayed so dry this far.

As we continued hiking, my sleeping spots became stranger. To avoid the rain, I slept on the floor of a laundromat one night. And the following night we celebrated the clear weather:

by camping on a merry-go-round. We made a stop in Luray, which was a friendly town. The outfitters was extremely helpful. When we headed back to the trail, there was only a little bit left of the park, and we decided to get through it in one day. Of course, the skies decided to rain on me one final time as I left. I hitchhiked into Front Royal, soaking wet, and was able to secure a shower and other human comforts.

Morale is high, things are going great, and I am looking forward to the half-way point!

Today went by very quickly. After recovering from the continental breakfast, pool, hot tub, and sauna, I headed back toward the trail. I was excited to meet back up with Teabag, and that I didn’t waste any time in Waynesboro. Back to business!

Indy, Teabag, and I headed into the Shandendoahs today. I am excited to see what it has in store for us.

It was great to get an early start this morning, hiking by 6:00 a.m. It was also nice to have a mostly overcast day. After many sunny days, it felt good to get out of the sun while hiking.

I did around twenty miles to get into town, and it passed by quickly. Most of the people I saw were weekend hikers. One couple I had seen yesterday, passed again today, and once I got to the road, they gave me a ride into Waynesboro! It was very kind of them.

I met a few friends in town, while others are just hiking out today. My plan is to hike out tomorrow, but when depends on when I have everything ready. I am planning a late-night run to the grocery store to pick up more snacks and more corn!

Today was a 30 mile day, so hiking took up most of my time. Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable day. There were a few spots where I was concerned about hydration, as it was a pretty warm afternoon.

What made the hike interesting was all of the weekend hikers: people day hiking and camping for the weekend. It was refreshing to see new faces and talk to locals. I even met some former thruhikers back to deliver trail magic!

It was very elaborate and well-prepared, and it gave me the extra burst of energy to hike the remaining miles. I’m looking forward to getting into Waynesboro tomorrow.