Finally hiking! – The walk

After much fanfare, including a “Bon Voyage” farewell with family and friends, my wife and I drove to Harpers Ferry for a pre-hike vacation. We arrived on April 27 and was supposed to hit the road on the 29th. We had a great time visiting HF… so much history! I had mixed emotions at HF; I was eager to hit the road, but at the same time nervous and anxious. I was starting to have doubts. I almost lost it several times. I’m sure my wife noticed, but luckily she never said a word. Then we checked the weather forecast for 4/29: it’s not good! Rain most of the day, with thunderstorms later. Ah, an excuse to wait another day, which made all the difference. More time to plan, more time to worry, and one more day before you have to say “goodbye.”

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m notoriously bad at directions. My dear wife is worried that I will wander off aimlessly and never be seen again. Rightfully so, because it has happened to one or two hikers. So she was relieved to discover that the kiosk in Keys Gap, West Virginia, pointed north toward Maine (in my direction) and south toward Georgia (the wrong way). We hugged, kissed and said goodbye, while I disappeared towards Maine.

This isn’t actually Maryland, but it’s pretty close.

Day 1 on the trail was quite enjoyable. Keys Gap, back to Harpers Ferry, cross the railroad bridge (cool!) and ride the C&O bike path. I saw a lot of cyclists, all offering words of encouragement, what a nice day 1! I waited at a train crossing, the longest train in history, with a friendly local. Then I went up; My first experience with the vertical trail. Not the white ones, of course, but enough to catch my attention. I met a local hiker who did the AT in his 70s, who offered encouragement and advice…much appreciated. I arrived at Crampton Gap Shelter, 17 miles later, a good first day.

God, I’m having trouble organizing my things in the morning. I envy hikers who wake up, pack, and hike an hour later. That’s not me yet. Anyway, it was a wonderful day for hiking, temperatures in the low 60s and sunny. I visited the original Washington Monument (yes, there are two!), a stone structure perhaps 60 feet tall. This is the one I like the most!

05/2/26: Cold morning. I didn’t start the trail until just after 9am…I need to be more efficient, but it’s hard to get going when you’re freezing.

Lots of ridge walking again, some rocky spots. There is not much steep climbing. Lots of day or weekend hikers. The Black Cliffs lookout was nice. I had lunch at another nice viewpoint and a sun-dried tent. Last night it rained for a while.

I walked through my first cow pasture, without cows.

I decided my destination was 13 miles to the Raven Rocks shelter. I filled up 3 liters of water a mile early as I was told the water source was way down a steep hill. Shortly after «filling in,» the trail crossed a road and then climbed a steep rocky climb for the last mile. Those 3 liters of water were a great exercise, ouch.

I was with 6 former scout leaders on a weekend hiking trip, very enjoyable. I met my first 2 NOBOs, Grit and Winnie the Pooh.

After a cold 35 degree night, I walked 4 miles to Pen Mar Park, where I met up with Grit and Winnie again. He decided to walk to Walmart to restock, fearing the wasted miles, but he walked away. As I walked, I thought about sticking my thumb out, but before I could, a friendly local (Joe) stopped and offered me a ride. It was also headed to resupply heaven (Walmart). Joe not only dropped me off, but also drove me directly back to Pen Mar, refusing gas money. God, people are still wonderful! Thanks joe. I was also offered a ride, while I was in the box, by a trail angel, named Rose…thanks too.

Continue 9 miles to the Tumbling Run Shelter (quite charming). Met Seeker and Mustard Seed, fellow hikers.

Did I mention I’m in Pennsylvania now? Well, I am! And I have a trail name…”Acorn”. It’s a long story, but part of it is due to my former employer, SUNY-ESF’s mascot, Oakie the Acorn…shout out to my former colleagues.

4/5/26

I finally got up and walked earlier, around 7:30am. Naturally, the trail immediately climbed, as it usually does at shelters. We stopped at Caledonia State Park to have lunch and charge electronics. I met some people from State Fisheries who were releasing fish into the stream.

After hiking and then down the trail, I met an older (than me) hiker named «Toast.» What’s strange is that I had imagined walking into camp at the end of a long day and saying «I’m toast» to my fellow hikers. They would think that was my trail name, but I would correct them, explaining that I meant I was exhausted… but then they would call me «Toast.» The strange thing is that the real Toast got his name exactly how I had imagined… I can’t make this shit up!

Anyway, 20 miles later, I arrived at camp at the Birches Gap shelter. Beautiful day of walking!

5/5/26

My daughter’s birthday! Happy Birthday!

I woke up to Febes’ call overhead, not a bad start to the day! But also looking for a little inspiration, I remembered that my wife had friends and family who wrote little notes of encouragement to lift my spirits from time to time. So I pulled out the first one, but all I got was «Don’t forget to bury your poop»… not exactly what I was looking for, but it made me laugh.

I kept walking, enjoying the beautiful day, warm and sunny, without a care in the world, maybe even daydreaming a little…then shit hit the fan (see photo below). Next, I heard a sound I had only heard in old cowboy westerns or nature shows, both a safe distance from the couch. As I looked to my left, I saw a rather large rattlesnake coiled up tightly, rattling around to hit the band and giving me a stink in the eyes. HOLY SHIT! I jumped/fell to the right without even thinking about it; It would have been a great video, for sure. After dusting myself off, I managed a good photo, now that the beast and I had calmed down a bit. Injury/damage report: Torn shorts, bruised arm and scraped/cut thigh, but I didn’t have to press the SOS button on my Garmin and most importantly, I didn’t get my underwear dirty, PHEW!

Half Gallon Challenge

After the morning’s fun, I walked into Pine Grove Furnace SP, home of the famous «Half Gallon Challenge,» where hikers try to cough up a half gallon of ice cream to celebrate reaching the halfway point on the AT. Being a flip-flop and just starting out, I decided I wasn’t worthy of such a celebration, so I settled for a pint. Hmm! I met a few other hikers, Milk Money, Big Cheese and RPM. Seventeen miles later, I entered the James Fry Shelter. The forecast says it will rain tomorrow, what a shame. But as the saying goes, “No rain, no Maine.”