My stay in Sky Meadows State Park was short, but restful. I was in an old cabin that could sleep 15-20 people. I was picked up by Jason, a volunteer, and his husky the next morning and brought back to the trailhead to continue north.
I was about to enter and ride the roller coaster! This is approximately a 14 mile stretch where you are constantly either going up or down. It was a very difficult day for me because the temperatures were really high and I had to stop for water every chance I had. It was dark by the time I got to camp that evening. I also saw my first bear and hit the quadruple digit mile marker this day! I was excited to head into Harpers Ferry from here, the unofficial halfway point town!
I was quite disappointed when I got into Harpers Ferry because the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the exact days I was there! This is where hikers can stop in and receive a number to see where they fall in line since kicking off at Springer Mountain in Georgia. I could have stayed an extra day but decided to move on since I was going to double back to go to Washington DC and meet a friend in a few days. I will get my final number when I get up to Maine!
Luckily, I had planned for a shorter hike going out of Harpers Ferry! I didn’t realize I would be hiking through the old town and got caught up in ice cream, historical buildings, and train crossings.
As I finally made my way out of town I met a section hiker, Snail Male, who is taking his time heading north. We walked along the river and saw some wildlife over three miles, and then cut into the trail where we were greeted with trail magic, hot dogs, chips, and lemonade. Needless to say, it was just about dark but by the time I finally got to camp that evening!
Luckily I slept well at camp this evening since it was not technically an official campsite. I was next to a civil war memorial stealth camping in the woods, about 50 ft away from a mass burial site. It made for an easy morning though since there was a bathroom and drinking water right there.
Luckily I had a relatively short day heading out of Gathland State Park. I was hiking in a complete downpour for about the last 3 miles where I got picked up by a supporter. Breena was awesome, she took me out for pizza, cider beer, and then I headed back to her place to take a nice hot bubble bath! Unfortunately, there was a really sad situation when she brought me back to the trailhead the next morning, there had been a murder-suicide so the trail was completely closed down for an 8 mile stretch, this is the only time I have skipped trail up until now. The supporter offered to help me slack pack that section in the future to make it up, but I’ve decided to let it go.
The following day was a short one since I had to jump ahead 8 miles and was just going to the next supporter. I stayed at Michael’s place one night and then he drove me back to Harpers Ferry where I caught a train to Washington DC, was a fun few days off and I will update that side trip on my next post! Signing off, Feather Blue 🪶💙
Hiking Through with Feather Blue 