Day 77: 6/16/12

Miles today: 0.0
Total miles: 1,017.0

Had another fun day off with my friends Tim and Nicole today. Went to a Washington Nationals baseball game. They played the Yankees and the game went 14 innings but the Yankees won in the end. Super fun day. It was a real treat being able to see a game and eat a frank and drink beer on a sunny day.
For dinner they spoiled me yet again with grilled steak and mushrooms, corn on the cob, couscous and watermelon. A real joy. It's been a great weekend.

Day 76: 6/15/12

Miles today: 0.0
Total miles: 1,017.0

Took a zero day to take a side trip to D.C. to visit my friends Tim Wu and Nicole Yun. Had a fantastic time today. Walked around the mall to see the monuments then met Tim for lunch at Nicole's dad's restaurant. Brisket sammich for the win!
Had beers later and hung out at Tim and Nicole's place. They have a beautiful home and have been such generous hosts. I'm being treated so well here it's going to be tough going back to trail life!
They treated me to dinner at an Afghan restaurant, excellent food and a welcome change from cheeseburgers!

Great day today!

Please Sponsor My AT Hike Against Hunger!

Greetings, gentle blog readers!

I'm resubmitting this post since many of you are new readers of this blog.

As you know, I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail to raise funds for Action Against Hunger, a global humanitarian organization committed to fighting world hunger.

If you find my journey inspiring, bold, audacious (or all of the above), please support my efforts by making a charitable donation at http://support.actionagainsthunger.org/goto/jwagner

I've hiked nearly half the AT so far, thanks in no small part to all the support I've received. Thank you!

Best,
Justin

Day 75: 6/14/12

Miles today: 5.0
Total miles: 1,017.0

A fun day on the AT journey. Walked a quick five miles into Harper's Ferry, WV. Stopped at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters to sign their book, have my photo taken, and be counted with all the other thru-hikers, past, present, and future. When you stop in a place like Harper's Ferry, a town steeped in American History, it gives you a taste of what you're doing out here: an American Pilgrimage.

Did the typical town thing today: shower, laundry, resupply.

Tomorrow I'm heading off the trail into Washington, D.C. to visit my friends Tim Wu and Nicole Yun. Can't wait!

Staying at Town's Inn hostel.

Day 74: 6/13/12

Miles today: 18.1
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.

Day 73: 6/12/12

Miles today: 15.3
Total miles: 993.9

Hiked in the rain today. Cold, uphill, rocky. Difficult hike today. Feet are very sore. Earned my miles today.

Tomorrow I reach the 1,000-mile mark.

Staying at Sam Moore shelter.

Day 72: 6/11/12

Miles today: 18.6
Total miles: 978.6

An uneventful day. But last night was interesting. We awoke a few times to the sound of a raccoon climbing the bear pole to get our food bags. And he succeeded. He'd torn open one section hiker's food bag by the time we shooed him away. He scampered away but we knew he'd be back. When he did come back one of the section hikers saw him at the base of the pole chowing on hiker food. He picked up a big rock and threw it toward the raccoon to scare it away. But it hit that raccoon square. It rolled around and ran like hell back into the woods. He didn't come back. We gave that section hiker his new trail name this morning: "Deadeye."

Staying at Dick's Dome shelter.