After seventy-five days on the trail (seventy-six if you include the Approach trail and Amicalola), we made it to Harpers Ferry, the fake halfway point on the AT.

Fact check:

• The 2019 trail is 2,192 miles, a little over 2,200 if you include the Approach Trail.
• Harpers Ferry is at mile marker 1,023.
• Halfway is at mile marker 1,096.

We celebrated like the fools we are. Those one thousand and twenty three miles were packed with lots of steps and learnings and some challenging times. So we proceeded to have our pictures taken at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. We walked through the historical, touristy parts of Harpers.

We had just blazed through 12.7 miles of trail in the pouring rain to make it to Harpers Ferry in time for a train.

We extended our celebration into DC, where we rested for two whole days in a row, and then a third when we returned to Harpers.

Getting to Harpers Ferry and DC was a big milestone for us. Fully aware that we were not quite halfway, we celebrated with several friends.

We stayed with Scott, Ann, and new baby Grace. The cat Mia tolerated us taking over her basement space and the laundry room, where all of gear was washed, including our backpacks. We felt honored to be with Grace and her parents when she was just a few days old.

We visited with Josh, Sam, and Isabel.

We saw Bob (twice!) and Jeff. We ate at Union Market twice. We drank all the cold beverages (my number one craving on trail), and ate fresh food (mango lassis! pork belly steam buns! Watermelon! Ramen! Ice cream!) Scott made this beautiful berry shortcake with whipped cream and mint. We were also still sipping the scotch that Jeff brought us in the woods.

On our way back to Harpers Ferry, we visited with Steve, Emily, Aubrey, and Sophie. Steve and Emily have hiked a fair amount of the AT in sections, and it was fun to discuss the trail with dedicated section hikers. Their gear wall is very impressive, as is Aubrey’s house tour.

The downside to celebrating early is that the actual halfway felt like a long way away from Harpers Ferry.

Before we reached the real halfway point, John and I:

• Passed through West Virginia, Maryland and started the 229 mile trek across Pennsylvania.
• Completed a marathon day which involves hiking at least 26.2 miles (we actually did 27.1 to make it to a campsite).
• Passed the Mason-Dixon Line. We are now back in the north. And so far, the hotels are way more expensive up here.

The distance between the fake halfway point and the actual one is only seventy-three miles. But the psychological distance felt longer!

John was real tired after the marathon day. It was his first marathon after all! (Congratulations, John!)

I prefer hiking a marathon to racing in one, so I was in better spirits. Also because snacking is easier when hiking.

And here is the real halfway point at 1,096 mile marker. The sign wasn’t updated yet for 2019. Ruh-roh.

And now, we are making new milestones. Sometimes it’s just getting through an unexpected flooded section of the trail (beavers aren’t the best trail maintainers) or past a boulder field. The bigger milestones are getting through states and reaching the hundred mile wilderness and the infamous mountains of the northeast: Washington, Greylock, Katahdin. I made this spreadsheet to help us keep track of the upcoming states. When the bugs are buzzing around our heads and the heat feels intolerable, it helps to have new goals in mind.

The second half of the trail represents a real turning point for some hikers. Some dig in their heels and press on. And others have started to drop off. We are tired but also finding good routines that keep us on trail so far.

Most of the pictures we take out here are of us either smiling or having fun. The flora is beautiful and the fauna interesting.

And it’s true, for the majority of the time we find ourselves getting lost (figuratively) in our hikes and enjoying the time we have together, but at other times we’re in semi-crippling physical pain, homesick, scared of weird people and dangerous animals, arguing with each other, overwhelmed by how much further we have to go, sick of eating the same high calorie processed garbage every day, really really tired (I’ve taken close to 3,000,000 steps already; Jess has shorter legs…), and missing a sparkling cold beverage. Yeah, not fun, and at no time has this been more true than over our last days in Virginia. The “Virginia Blues” that other hikers talk about are very real, but thankfully we’re done here. Mason Dixon here we come.

Dear Virginia,

It’s not you, it’s us. There have been good moments, but this relationship wasn’t meant to last. There will be others. Just not us. Bye.

Kisses,

Turbo and Lighthouse