Ashby Gap to Boiling Springs

It's definitely been an eventful week!  It's hard to believe that just a week ago I was in Montana with my family!  I flew back to Washington DC last Monday and was now to get in 3 miles that night.  The next 2 days were pretty short, an 18 miler then a 10 in order to get myself to the VA /WV border.  So I got myself there around noon, set up camp, then grabbed my water bottles and some money and headed down 2 miles to Harpers Ferry. I am so glad i went down!  In town I was able to grab a good lunch and hang out at the ATC for awhile & get my picture in the book.  I was also able to find some hiking friends' pictures from previous years.  I ended up getting back up to camp at around 5 and trying to sleep until midnight, mostly without any luck!  

-THE 4 STATE CHALLENGE-

So even though there really isn't a whole lot to tell about this day it was one of the more exciting for me!  I was on the trail right at midnight and night hiked down through Harpers Ferry and made it up to Waverton Cliffs for sunrise 5 hours later... Almost 15 miles in already!  I felt good and awake and was making great time until about 8:30 when I had to stop and take a quick nap right on the trail... My pace went significantly downhill as the day wore on.  When I got to 33 miles at around 1:00 I took a nice 30 minute break with some people at a shelter and this gave me a bit of a second wind.  When I was about 2 miles from the MD/PA border (the end of the 4 state challenge) I ran into another thru-hiker, Bud.  It was great to have someone to talk to for a bit and someone to take a pic at the line!  After hitting the state line at 5:45 I decided I could do more... So I went 7 more miles to a shelter to make a 50 mile day!!  Very exhausting but also very exciting.., and 3 days later I can now say that I have completely recovered:)

-HALFWAY-

The day after my long one I only nanaged 13 miles, but i got some great trail magic at the shelter i ended up in!  There was a group of 4 locals staying there with me and they gave me a steak and a baked potato for, then they gave me apples and snacks for the next day!!  Along with the awesome food they gave me, I was also entertained by tales of unrequited love from the 22 year old in the group and a rousing game of Texas Hold 'Em for pistachios, which I sadly lost.  The next day I managed to get myself across the halfway line and successfully complete the half gallon challenge (eating a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting) in 28 minutes.  This challenge was a bit easier than the 4 states:).