Trail Journal - July 06, 2005
 
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July 06, 2005
     Leaving the David Lesser Shelter at 7:50am for about a 10 mile hike to Harpers Ferry today.  Where I'm going to take a couple of zero days.
     The David Lesser shelter was extremely nice.  They had just newly painted on the inside, floors were clean and had a big deck on the front of it.  Nice windows, just on story log shelter.  It also had a cooking pavilion with a swing underneath it.  big fireplace.  The only bad part about staying at this shelter was the fact that you had to go a 1/4 mile to get water down hill. then naturally you had carry all that water back up hill.  Not an easy job.  It rained hard last night, so I'm hoping that the rain is over with
 today.  My backpack is soaked and the clothes I had on yesterday were soaked. 
     It's very foggy this morning.  It won't take very long to hike the trail if it stays like it is now.  I'm hiking on dust covered rocks here and there, but not to the place where you can't put your feet down.  Had the company of some section hikers last night that are originally from NY.
     The way this trail  washed out; there's nothing but clay and piles of leaves and debris that get stuck between the rocks.   This is a very rocky section in the trail, going hill but still  slows you down.  If the trail is descent I can make about 2 1/2 miles in an hour.  When you get in to area's like it really cuts your speed down.  It's very humid and I'm glad there's a breeze going this morning.
     I just came up on Mr. Box Turtle upon a rock beside the trail.  I picked him up and he didn't even pull his head in.  They don't have enough company up here to be afraid.  There's the stone wall again. 
     I came across a wetland area and glanced to my right and saw a great old bull frog sitting on a rock.  I got up close to it and there must have been a half a dozen that jumped into the water.  I'll be coming into Keys Gap very shortly.  I can hear the traffic now on US 9.  That will be 3 miles I've hiked already this morning in just about an hour and 15 minutes.
     I'm crossing US ( where WV and Virginia meet at the county line.  I can put one foot in WV and one foot in Virginia at the same time.  To my right is Virginia and to my left is Virginia.  Very grassy and weedy through here.  I have that the AT corridor is very narrow in this area.  Something has the crows upset.
     I just passed some bright yellow flowers that look like bells.  They're pointed up, they grow right at the end of the stems.  They are tall, the leaves look like golden rod leaves.  I don't know what they are, but maybe Helen you maybe able to come up with an answer.  I can hear the rumbling of the train on the tracks and the train breaks from the top of the ridge.

     I'm hike is a terrible pile of rocks right now.  The terrain is flat for the most part, but it is very difficult waking through here.  You twist and turn and have no place to put your feet.

     I am entering Harpers Ferry National  Historical Park.  I still have a couple miles to go.  Switch backs starting down the hill into Harpers Ferry. I also see to my right a big stone fence going down through here.  I can see the Shenandoah Bridge that goes right into Harpers Ferry.  This should be the confluence of the Shenandoah river and the Potomac river. 

     I have to under the bridge, they a concrete path at the base of it.  I'm heading up the Blue Blaze trail us to the AT Conference.  This has been the hardest climb I've had all day long.  You got it!  Straight up!

     I reached the ATC and had my picture taken.  I was number 584 going north bound from GA to Maine on 6/7/05.
     Swing'n Jane and Simon
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