Virginia - Check; West Virginia - Check; Maryland - Check; Pennsylvania - Check

As you can see, I've hiked through and completed Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. There are less than 900 miles to go. I'm currently in New Jersey or New York depending on the step since we're on the border. Actually, I'm in Unionville, New York staying at the Mayor's house tonight (like most things out here - it's a long story).

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I did get a fabulous present ... Jogle and I pushed hard so that I got to have a shower on my birthday in a really bad roadside motel. It may have been one of the best showers I've ever had regardless of the ambiance of the accommodations.

I'm happy that it seems the rocks may have come to an end. Pennsylvania is notorious for its rocks. I've been staggering over them for miles and miles and some more miles - dozens of big boulder fields that make you look drunk as you try to keep your balance and then all of those medium and small stabbing rocks that bruise the bottom of your feet. It can be a bit spirit-killing, which is why usually the last bunch walk off the trail there. From here on out most of those of us who are left should make it barring injury or home emergency. I only fell knees first over the rocks once and busted my knee up a bit, but luckily it resulted in just a few scratches. Today I fell again when I slipped on a wet wooden board over some wetlands and fell off. Oops. It is amusing, though, as you feel like an upside down turtle because of the pack and it takes a while to roll over and get up. Still happy and moving forward. It looks like we may make it to the end sometime around September 20th or 25th. Wish us luck!

Sorry no pictures this time, but there are others who want to use the computer and I don't want to monopolize the time. My next zero will be in Kent, CT at the end of the month and I'll try to put up a bunch of pictures then.

A Picture Worth A Thousand Miles

A thousand miles and I'm still going. I've walked a thousand miles ... it's hard to wrap your head around it. I thought a thousand miles was a lot and then we hit the halfway point today - 1088 miles. It's a little bittersweet in that I am so excited that I'm halfway through the trail, but then you realize that you have to do it all over again one more time. To make our halfway point even better, an anonymous trail angel left a couple of Budweisers on the trail about 3 miles before the halfway point to help us celebrate - thank you to whomever you may be! Spirits are high even though we've still got a long way to go and it's been raining for three days. At least we made it into a hostel for the night and got a hot shower. The crowds continue to thin out here as more people go home. When I started the Approach Trail in Georgia to hike up to Springer Mountain at the beginning, it was estimated that more than 1100 people had started ahead of me. In Harper's Ferry, WV last week at the trail headquarters I was counted as only the 476th hiker to come through ... less than half are left and more continue to walk off. I think that the majority of those of us still on right now will make it barring any accident or emergency - fingers crossed. Aside from loosing my step and taking a nasty fall down some rocks that quickly removed the skin from my left knee, I haven't had any problems other than a blister here or there. My fall was lucky and I walked away only leaving a little skin in Maryland. Like they say ... it's all downhill from here (I wish!).
Pictures: Jogle standing at the 1000 mile mark; another good view; fungus of pretty colors; critter on flowers; Jogle and I at the halfway point!