Out of Virginia, Finally!

On the 23rd I did 19 miles and stayed at Dicks Dome shelter (it is actually a geodesic dome). On the 24th I did 20.3 miles and stayed at Bears Den hostel. On the 25th I did 20.5 miles and stayed at the Teahorse hostel in Harpers Ferry. On the 26th I did 17.8 miles and stayed at Dahlgren Backpack Campground. On the 27th 18.8 miles and stayed at Raven Rock shelter.

I feel like I have to start blogs with a mountaintop selfie at this point.

The start of this section felt so luxurious. 3 of the first 4 nights out of SNP I stayed in a hostel. It just so happened that they were great distances apart (about 20 miles) and they were all very close to the trail. Not only that they all turned out to be quite nice too. Bears Den is a part of trail history and the people there were as nice as can be. It didn't make me want to take a week off there like someone I talked to before my first hike but it was nice.

It felt strange to shower basically everyday and sleep in a bed most nights. I guess it's prepping me for my upcoming break from the trail. For those that don't know, it looks like I'm going to visit the Outer Banks in NC for a few days. I don't know the details but someone I met on the trail this year has access to a house there for a week. When he asked if I wanted to go there was no way I would say no. After that my plan is to swing into DC and see Greta. The logistics of these side adventures are a bit up in the air but worst case scenario I get to try a long distance hitch for the first time. I'm out here to have adventures, this sounds like a fantastic opportunity to find a new one and give my feet a little rest. This will end up being my first zero mile days since I started hiking this year. It's hard to believe I'm going to do half of the trail without a single zero.

Some other things of note, I finally left Virginia! I also have since left West Virginia and Maryland. Virginia is outrageously long and it feels good to be done with it. It seemed like it would never end.

While in Harpers Ferry I went into the ATC headquarters and got my photo taken and got my thru hiker number. This year I am the 240th hiker to claim they got to Harpers Ferry from Springer. Not to bad but since I know there are a ton behind me I wonder how high the number will go this year. I even went and found my photo from two years ago.

Well I am finally north of the Mason-Dixon Line once again. The coming days will hopefully see me making my way to a beach for a little break before tackling the northern AT with renewed vigor.