I got up at 5:30am, packed up, and walked to the kitchen at the hostel anticipating eating pancakes and chocolate ice cream. I discovered that my pint of ice cream was locked in the fridge in the office. Sadly, I ate my pancakes without ice cream. At 6:15am, I walked the side trail back to the Appalachian Trail and headed north through the rest of the roller coaster. Happily, it wasn't as obnoxious as it was yesterday. I crossed from Virginia into West Virginia. At the end of the roller coaster, I was confused about which spring I needed for water. As a result, I had a half liter of water for the next 9 miles. The sun shone brightly and the morning air heated up quickly. Fortunately, a day hiker I met gave his water. Later in the morning, a black bear cub ran away as I approached. No sign of mom. I got more water from a trickle in Laurel Springs, enough I thought to get me to Harpers Ferry in 11 miles. At mile 12 on the day, I crossed busy VA Highway 8 and 4 miles later crossed back into VA. I descended an excessively steep trail to a new highway bridge over the Shenandoah River. Rafters and kayakers played in the rapids of the wide, shallow river (see photo). A too-steep climb brought me to Harpers Ferry, WV. It's located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers across the Potomac from Maryland. I found a group of tourists staring at a black rat snake lying on a brick sidewalk. I bravely (so thought the on-lookers) picked up the serpent and put it in a grassy lawn. I stopped by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Office to have my picture taken, then walked 3/4 of a mile to the Teahorse hostel. First a shower, then a short walk to the 7-11 for ice cream and chocolate milk, gear organization, and pizza for dinner. I'm glad to be here and look forward to a zero day tomorrow. Today's miles - 20.5. Total miles - 1023.1.
