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!

850.5

Waynesboro, Virginia, mile 850.5. After a day off here today, I'll head into the Shenandoah National Park. Life is good ... body is tired, but we're moving right along. Virginia has had some of the best spots so far and some of the toughest terrain. When you talk to most former thru-hikers, read the books, and watch any of the documentaries, they all say that Virginia is easy ... hmmm. It has been good, but not easy. In the last 3 days I've climbed 3000+ foot mountains and had a 3000 foot descent - that hurts a bit - I don't care who you are - and the views have been spectacular. Shenandoah should offer some more gentle climbs and descents and give the body some rest. I still feel great though (I'll feel even better after my 3rd shower today!) And for all of you who may have had some concerns about me keeping on weight ... don't worry. As of yesterday I've gained 7 pounds - yup, gained, not lost, so I'm in good shape.

It's hard to believe that I'm only 238 miles from the halfway point. It's also hard to believe that after another 238 miles I still have another 1088 miles to go. One day at a time, one step at a time ... and when I do get frustrated I have to laugh and remember that I'm just walking.

Pictures: lunch; The Guillotine; rattlesnake; breakfast atop Big Rocky Row; one last look after breakfast on Big Rocky Row

Cutest Angel I Ever Saw

On June 12th we got a real treat. That's the day I was fortunate enough to meet the cutest angel I ever met, John Hasty. He met Samson at a shelter right after we left and offered to make some dinner for the thru-hikers and made an arrangement to meet us up the trail a bit. John pulled out a grill and made us homemade pancakes, grilled sausage, and eggs. Wow! The meal came complete with orange juice. He kept making up the good eats as long as we kept gobbling them down. He was even so gracious to make a little take-out for our friends Mas and Blazing Star who had hiked up the trail a bit earlier than us.

John said his son, Snakebite, had completed a thru-hike northbound last year and that he was just trying to give back to the trail what so many others had done for his son on his trek. Thank you John! You made our day and as you can see ... Mas and Blazing Star were elated to have some non-dehydrated dinner once we caught up to them. Take care!

Water, Please

Okay, we have gone from a cold snap a couple of weeks ago to one of the worst heat waves in Virginia's recent history. Really Mother Nature .. c'mon, work with us. Lately it seems as though we're melting half of the time and we have to drink our weight in water everyday. They say the temperature should drop down to normal, the 80s, in a couple of days. Here, in Daleville, we ended up taking a zero because it hit 100 degrees today and there was no way we were going to climb the 1400 feet out of town today. When we do see water, we generally jump in and share it with whomever and whatever may be around. As a matter of fact I am typing at breakneck speed so I can run and jump the the motel pool. Pictures: Jogle & I in a stream; Animal; crayfish; fish; self-portrait of facewash after hiking through hot open fields

Thank You Audie

A few days ago we set out for another day of the trail that included a two and a half-mile uphill climb. Much to our chagrin, we hit the hill at 3:00 in the afternoon in the direct sunlight when it was 96 degrees out. How's that for bad timing? Luckily, we had just received a little trail magic in the form of ice cold watermelon and sodas just before the climb. At the top of the climb was the Audie Murphy memorial marking the place where Audie Murphy's plane crashed in 1971. As beautiful as the memorial was, the nice bench sitting there was much-appreciated and enjoyed by all of us. By the sight of the growing rock cairns, I would say that many a hiker has enjoyed that bench at the end of the tough climb. Audie, thank you for your service to this country and thank you for your beautiful park bench. Pictures: Eastern Continental Divide; trail magic cooler and Jogle; Animal, Donnie & Jogle; bench at memorial; Audie Murphy memorial

Climbing High

Over the past couple of days we have hiked and climbed in some gorgeous areas of Virginia. They have been tough days in the middle of this heat wave (95+ degrees, a backpack, and a couple thousand feet of climbing can be a little draining), but it has been worth it even though it does not always seem like it is when we're dragging ourselves uphill. Here are a few pictures. The places are truly indescribable and the pictures do not do them justice, but I'll try to describe them to you all once I find the words. Pictures: me atop McAfee Knob, ditto, Jogle & I on Dragon's Tooth, steep section of trail (drop off) trying to get down from Dragon's tooth, roots/rocks at Dragon's Tooth