June 22nd - The ride to Harper's

"Thousand of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity..."
-John Muir

After school ended, Heather and I went to my parents house and packed up my father's car. At about 2:30 PM we headed off on our way to Harpers Ferry and the beginning of our 1200 mile adventure. A minute later the rain began. As the sky grew darker the pitter-patter of the rain gave way to a downpour. Flashes of lightning and Bursts of thunder were all around us. Is the universe warning me not to hike this summer? Or is this a baptism by rain ushering me into a new and great stage of my life?

Stuck in traffic I watch the raindrops run down the window and thought about how the world is full of extraordinary people doing ordinary things. As I sit here in my parents car I feel like an ordinary person doing an extraordinary thing. I'm saturated with emotions. Thoughts and questions raced through my head. Will we have to walk in the rain for days on end? How will my knees hold up? Will I see a moose? How could the New York Mets let José Reyes go last year?

Lots of people are asking me if I'm scared about the trip. I think excitement and anxiousness are closer to the mark. Although I'm definitely scared of deer ticks and lyme disease! Because of the mild winter, these tiny, blood-sucking arachnids didn't die off so they'll be out in full force this year next...yikes!!

My pack is laying in the trunk, being carried by the car (better it than me - I have to hold for the next two months!) I'm basically carrying on my back my kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, supplies, etc.) but after much finagling I was able to get my hiking pack down to a dry weight (no food or water) of 24 pounds. With about five days of food and one day worth of water my pack weight came in at about 34 pounds (not bad compared to what some people lug around). I wish it could be even lighter but all the small stuff (toaster oven, unicycle, etc.) really add up.

We ate dinner at Red Robin (Yum) and arrived at the hotel at 10:30 PM. After a quick shakedown (spilling everything out of your pack and removing things you don't absolutely need) we went to bed. Tomorrow, we hike!!

~Brian (Daddy Long Legs)