Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 68 – Psychological halfway point
2nd october 2023
Annapolis Rocks (1147.7) - Harpers Ferry (1173)
Daily miles: 26.5
Total miles: 1180.4
I was restless again last night because my body was pulsing. The moon was bright again but there was something really nice about being out under the stars, and safely zipped away from the bugs. I was topless (no fly) because it was which a warm night. I could have told you the temperature if I could have been bothered to look at the thermometer I’m carrying but never looking at, but I didn’t need it to tell you it was warm. About 18°C / 64°F and I spent a lot of time without my bag on me.
I heard movement around 5:15am and at 05:30am I packed up. I ate a couple of choc chip brioche rolls, which now were a little dry, and a pain killer and set on my way just after 6am
Hiking by headlamp
It is kinda creepy
I felt sore all over and was hiking slowly. The saving grace was that the trail continued to be wide and well groomed and, although I needed my headlamp for 45 minutes, the rock tripping danger was lower than usual but not eliminated.
My happy face when it gets light enough to switch off the torch
A nice wide trip free path
May Queen caught up to me around 06:30am, she is meeting family in Harpers Ferry and is on a deadline so I imagined she would want to hike more quickly and get there before 4pm. We hiked to together for about half an hour before she had to duck off the trail and dig a cat hole. I was happy to come out of the trees and see the light of the day.
I walked across the interstate on a nice little footbridge which came out at the back of some properties and it felt weird to be walking so close to people’s homes. There was a small climb up the other side and by now my foot was really hurting. I stopped on a log to take off my shoe and give my foot a rub. May Queen caught up again and I hiked behind her for a bit, just about keeping up with her. Her feet are sore too, it’s not just me feeling it today.
Urban AT
Across the interstate
Always grateful for a bridge over the road
Two people not struggling at all were Toe and Pyro who, after leaving half an hour after us, had already caught up as they were “hauling ass”. They were moving so quickly, by the time I had rubbed my foot they had taken off and I couldn’t catch them up until they stopped at the Washington Monument.
Struggling to keep up with my friends. Toe, Pyro and May Queen
Early morning views
The Washington Monument
Great Britain vs America in the flesh
We decided to take a road walk which runs parallel to the AT because it eliminates the need to think and look at where you’re putting your feet. It was such a great road, after the initial little uphill, we cruised downhill where we only saw one car.
Toe was striding out ahead and we were laughing at her because she was doing this weird thing with her arm where she was throwing it back really violently. Once I noticed it, it kept making me laugh. Those in glass houses though and all that, I was doing silly little steps to go faster but be kinder on the knees.
Road walk (runs) to town
We got back on the trail and met a lady doing a section hike, walked down to the campground with possibly the nicest bathroom on the AT (for a campground). Dropped the kids off. Threw away the trash. Then Toe was on everyone saying “LETS GO”! Most out of character!
We stopped around 10:30am for an early lunch break, we had done 10 miles by 10am today so we were making great time. I sat on a log and ate half a Milky Way bar and a handful of Doritos. I’m really not that hungry for anything in my food bag.
One of the oldest things in America
We hiked on the trail for a couple of miles before joining a road walk which cut off a mile of trail. The road ran mostly parallel to the trail and cut off a pointless up and downhill (or I thought it was pointless at the time), but the road walk was brutal. It was mostly uphill, and Toe was out in front hiking too fast for me to keep up with. In the back of my mind was - I don’t want to injure myself by pushing too hard, but also was wanting to stay with everyone. I just about kept up although was gradually getting slower and slower until we were able to get back on trail.
Is doing a road walk worth it to save a mile? Yeah sometimes, but sometimes I’m not sure. This was was hard going.
I felt great after though. That thing where you’re being pushed and want to give up all the time but you don’t and you make it and then you’re buzzing. I was feeling that thing.
We were back on trail and we hiked fast for the next 6 miles. Not as fast as this morning thankfully but around 3 miles per hour. The trail had a few rocks scattered in it so that slowed Toe down a bit. They also have to stop to pee frequently so that gives me a bit of breathing space. While they pee I hike on slowly giving my legs some recovery time. This time it took them a while to catch up so I sat on a log and waited for them.
After a rather pleasant walk with very gentle up and down hills, we began the descent to the Potomac river. It was relatively steep compared to the rest of our day but the trail was really well maintained with switch backs and stone steps.
We stopped to speak to a couple of ladies out for a section hike and as their talking I touch my bum just under where my pack sits. I feel a hard lump there and it’s hot to touch and very sore when I press it. Something bit me? It could have happened right then, although I didn’t feel anything. I had also sat on 3 logs today and could have been bitten by something on anyone of those logs.
I try to ignore it but my pack is pressing on it and it’s uncomfortable. I tighten my hip belt so my pack sits a bit higher. This effects my left shoulder a bit which I think is sore from my fall a couple of days ago, and of course my feet are hurting but the other pains are somehow a welcome distraction from the pain in my foot.
Back with the gang
Under bridges
Across railway tracks
A lovely path which was like this for 4 miles
We reach the end of the descent and join the tow path which is a nice gravel path, but it is shared with bikes (the AT is supposed to be a footpath only?) and although nice to walk along because it’s wide, flat and smooth, we had enough of all the bikes pretty quickly. The river next to us was beautiful but the stagnant water covered in algae on the other side wasn’t so nice.
4 miles of flat trail when you’re walking at top speed is killer on the body. The last mile was agony and everyone was feeling it. We finally came to the bridge across the Potomac River. It signalled the end of Maryland, which with no sign was unceremonious, and the closeness of Harpers Ferry and real food. We were all starving by now and we just wanted to be there. The steps leading up to the bridge were challenging, bending your knees after 4 miles of flat trail was difficult!
Bridge over the Potomac river
Happy hikers
We crossed the river, walked into Harpers Ferry and went to find a soda. The one shop we went to had a big family all dithering about what they wanted and we lost patience and left. We walked up another big set of steps to get to the higher road which lead straight to the ATC headquarters where we could go to get our psychological halfway picture.
I mentioned remembering there was soda available there and we walked the 0.6 miles which was all uphill and it was a very hot day. My brain had told my legs they were done for the day and getting up that hill was a struggle but the soda when I got there was worth it.
It’s a good job we got there when we did (around 3:30pm) because they shut at 4pm not 5pm as we thought. We had time to do some photos and I recreated my 2108 picture which worked out really well!
We made it to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the psychological halfway point
Cute
2023
5 years ago in 2018. Same hat, same bag, same poles…
My photo was added to the album
Then it was time to decide what to do because the hostel was one way (the same hostel I stayed at in 2018 but now under new ownership) and real food was the other way, back into town and that long(ish) hot road walk. There was mention of just going to the Seven Eleven but I needed some better food than that.
The food decision won out and we walked the 0.6 back to town; at least it was all downhill.
I had a burger, with a great amount of melted cheese and the fries were excellent, a cup of Dr Pepper with a free refill and I was satisfied. I felt good. We were just preparing to walk back up the hill, something I really didn’t want do, when May Queen’s aunt arrived and she was able to take us there in her car.
This was a good burger and they were really great fries
We were reunited with Cal and Lemonhope, who had done 14 miles into town today compared to our 24, and showered, did laundry, and walked up to the Seven Eleven where there was nothing I wanted to buy. So came out with a large Ginger Ale and a Twix ice cream.
My feet were swollen and sore and it was hard to shove them into my shoes which felt way too small. My toes were pressing against the end.
The hostel is hot. So hot it’s hard to sleep which is why I’m still up at 10:30pm writing this.
Lemonhope gave me a Benadryl for my massive boil like bite on my butt and my eyes are getting very heavy. My shoes are causing me real trouble so I’m going to have to do something about that tomorrow.
We had been discussing going into Washington DC for the day tomorrow but I decided I didn’t want to go. I did want to go, but my feet didn’t want to go. They need rest. Walking around DC for 4 hours will not be restful.
I think Toe has also decided not to go to DC and she was the one who wanted to go in the first place and the one who came up with the big mile plan which has ruined all our feet! 😂
