and boy does it look much more different in July than in March.
– None of those are my packs… but next year they will & I’ll have a bigger beard!
First off, the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) was actually open, which meant there were hikers and many people in the park (Harpers Ferry is considered park land.) Unfortunately, Tara and I got a late start from Springfield to be able to enjoy the town in all it’s summerness. We also noticed people tubing and kayaking down the Potomac, it looked like fun. Hopefully we can go back and do that on a nice hot day. After getting my National Parks Passport stamped, we headed north to Washington Monument State Park in Maryland. The AT crosses here and I thought we may be able to run into some hikers. Just as we pulled in we noticed two backpackers finishing up from refilling their water bottles from a park spigot. Instead of the “are you AT hikers” I asked how long it’d taken them to get here from Harpers Ferry. They said “a day” and I knew they were thru hikers. So Tara and I chatted with them by the spigot for about 30 minutes before I inquired if they were going up to see the monument. They said “sure.” I asked them to wait a moment while I go to my car and get some goodies for them to eat on the way up. They were more than happy to wait the extra two minutes. Their names are “Scooter” and “Shine” or “The Canadians” as they are both referred to by most hikers. They were a very nice and cordial and Tara was finally able to witness how pleasant thru-hikers really are. We talked about a myriad of things from gear, food, the trail, interactions with other people, and of course, the World Cup. They truly are a class act. We snapped a few photos and walked back down the trail with them. At the trail crossing, we proceeded to talk for about ten more minutes before salutations started going round and inevitably, led to another conversation, some twenty to twenty-five minutes later, Tara and I bidded adieu and headed back down to the car. The hikers we ran across in Harpers didn’t seem warm or considerate really. Yeah, there were normal pleasantries and all, but they didn’t seem terribly open (like I knew most to be). I rationalized it to Tara that this is a ‘town day’ and that their focus is elsewhere and that most hikers form a strange kind of bond (after 1000 miles) that is hard to break into. “The Canadians” only agenda however, consisted of finding somewhere tomorrow to watch the World Cup Finals. GOOD LUCK!!
– Tara, Myself, “Scooter,” and “Shine” who together are known as “The Canadians” - Washington Monument, MD
Our intentions were to leave some trail magic further up the path (another day or so), but due to time constraints, we were not able.. but that’s okay.. these snacks don’t start going bad until 2008. I’ll give it another go and try to make it up to Pennsylvania sometime to drop these off. I’d like to see how Laura (from Trail Days in Damascus) is doing, she better not have quit! I went to the ATC to check to see if she’d made it yet and her picture was nowhere to be seen. Sigh.
