Total miles: 1,012.0
A very good day on the trail. Lots of little things went right. I had enough energy early on to charge through 7 miles of steep elevation changes. Up, down, up, down, rinse and repeat. Some days those types of uphill/downhill hikes can kill your spirits but today I owned them.
Said goodbye to Virginia today and passed into West Virginia. After 545 miles Virginia had grown on me. Sad, in a way, to move on. The hiking there was very beautiful; spectacular views, fun (if challenging) terrain, great wildlife, and a national park. 4 states down, 10 to go.
Met three trail maintenance crew members from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, the club that maintains the trail from Shenandoah to Harper's Ferry. I chatted with them for awhile, expressed my gratitude for their hard work and got some advice on where to camp tonight.
I headed down to the shelter where I was thinking of stopping but it was only 3:00 so I decided to move on.
At Keys Gap I walked a quarter-mile off the trail and stopped at a pizzeria for dinner. Had a salad, onion rings, a pizza, and two beers. Hit the spot.
Got back on the trail and walked up a mile where the trail crew said there was a camping spot. It was right where they said it'd be.
I pitched my tent, hung my food, and elected not to build a fire tonight. I know, shame on me, but I'm bushed.
Tomorrow I head into Harper's Ferry. Time to resupply, shower, do laundry, and visit the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters.
Camping just off the AT one mile north of Key's Gap.
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