Checking off states: WV, MD, PA, NJ, NY!

Apologies, dear readers, for we have been SO out of touch. Our excuse for our failure to update the TinyTent is that we've been crushing mad miles in the mid-Atlantic states. So here follows an account of our recent misadventures, in as chronologically-accurate a manner as we can remember...

If you all read our last post, we had happily crossed the Virginia border into West Virginia at Harper's Ferry after Giggles' turn at suffering through the Noro virus...  just in time for her 21st birthday! Her mom, aka Mama Giggles (cuz, duh...) joined us for a week, keepin up with our mad miles, and even joining us on a marathon day. 

We also gladly made it out of the South, crossing the Mason-Dixon Line after ordering celebratory chicken and bacon sandwiches at Penn-Mar County Park. Rumors about how rocky the Pennsylvania section of the AT abounded at this point, with our fellow thru-hikers freaking out about the terrifying geologic obstacles to come. We found, though, that southern PA was actually pretty easy-going, especially when exciting things happened--like crossing the 2014 official halfway point!!!! 

Marked by this teeny sign (above), and this much larger, much less accurate, giant sign (below):

But then things got rough. Even with new shoes, the trail got so rocky and rough (rumors proved true) that our feet were torn up, our bodies were sore, and our spirits were dampened. The week of rain didn't help that much, either....

We enjoyed a nice 24-mile day into Hamburg, PA sloshing through this flooded trail. 

Then, we enjoyed some rocks. 

...and some more rocks. 

The only redeeming qualities of PA were some pretty sweet shelters, like the 501 Shelter, where we ordered pizza and expanded our knowledge of backyard poultry. 

We also got a pick-up for a night in Lancaster with the honorable William Michael Good, who treated us to a free place to stay, excellent company, beer, and homemade cinnamon rolls! But other than that, we were stoked to say "see ya never, bye forever" to Pennsylvania.

Despite our whining, there's always some beauty to be appreciated, and the trail (somewhat surprisingly) got extra lovely in New Jersey! 

NJ started off on a good foot in Delaware Water Gap, which was technically the end of our PA stretch. We snagged some $2.49 hot-dog-and-a-slice-of-pie specials, and ended up staying two nights at a free church hiker hostel for a surprise zero to take care of a shoulder injury Chuckles sustained somehow. With some prescription drugs in pocket, we set off into our 8th state (!!!!!). 

We were reminded of the Adirondacks when we hit Sunfish Pond in NJ, and it finally struck home that the northern terrain was here to stay--yay! 

Jersey also boasted nice, pretty wetlands and boardwalks, well-blazed trails, ice cream pit-stops, and plenty of wildlife sightings, including three bears and a teeny tiny Eastern newt! 

We covered Jersey in 3 days with Bones and the Captain, and then it was on to New York State! 

Unlike its predecessor, NY's trail has proved to be just as our guidebook's author AWOL promised: rocky, challenging, and full of abrupt ups and downs. Fortunately, the fates intervened in our usually difficult-to-nail-down trail schedule, and it turned out Chuckles dad and Bones' friend from Virginia would both be in New York City when we were passing by. So we spent a zero in the big city, enjoying some creature comforts and a definite change of pace. 

We even got in some American history, and of course, enjoyed some excellent New York food and company. It's onward and upward to Katahdin for us--about 800 miles left! We can hardly believe it, but it feels great to be going strong. 

Xoxo, 

Chuckles and Giggles

Harper's Ferry!!

We have made it to the unofficial halfway point, historic Harper's Ferry, West Virginia! Here's some recap of our adventures over the past 300 miles or so....

This is Chuckles hugging the biggest tree on the AT (in the south)! It's so big! 

Blooms are soo pretty!! The mountain laurel and rhododendron have been out in full force.

Looking over the James River. 

This was on top of a very windy place called Spy Rock. 

On Memorial Day weekend we hiked a section called Three Ridges. While we were hiking, a fellow thru hiker said she counted 86 people passing us (hence the packed parking lot on the Blue Ridge Parkway)! It was REALLY busy. We didn't go much more than 10-15 minutes without seeing another group of backpackers, which made for a long day; seeing other people is great, but large groups are notorious for having poor trail etiquette. This was not the most enjoyable hike, however the views along the way were beautiful! 

In other news, the group we've been hiking with has become less solid. We'll see everyone again soon, but we're not all on the same schedule, so there have been many goodbyes. 

Shenandoah National Park comprised over 100 miles of the past couple weeks, and it was a rough, rough section. The trail was boring (though relatively easy terrain, when you weren't avoiding the bear scat), there were a lot of people, and when we had the opportunity for views, it was cloudy. Shenandoah is a beautiful place, but most of the beauty is meant to be seen via Skyline Drive and not while walking. Seeing the sign that meant we had only 0.2 miles left in the park may have been the best moment in the Shenandoah!

... And then we made it out! 

...out of the National Park, and into a terrible place called "the Roller Coaster." According to "AWOL," the author of our guide book, it's 13.5 miles of tightly packed ascents and descents. There weren't many switchbacks on the trial and it was rocky, so this was a difficult hike. We did the 13.5 mile roller coaster while we did a 25 mile day. Gnarly.

But somewhere on the bumpy ride, we made it past the 1,000 mile mark! ... And EmSklar continued the trend of taking many selfies. 

Goodbye Virginia! See you never... You were beautiful, but it's definitely time to see something new. 

And so we got to Harper's Ferry, and made it in the book! Most thru hikers stop at the ATC trail headquarters in Harpers Ferry, which is the celebrated halfway mark. All the hikers that stop are photographed and get their photo in the book! Our numbers mean we're the 379th and 380th people to pass through this year. 

On to cross the Mason-Dixon Line, gearing up for Rocksylvania!

A Note to Readers from BeLight

First we wanted to thanks Zinta for the article she wrote about our trip in BeLight. BeLight is K College's eZine. If you're reading our blog because of the article, there are a few things you should know (if not you can see it here: http://www.kzoo.edu/belight/article/where-the-tinytent-a-t/)... 

Mostly we don't blog too often... Don't panic, we're likely totally fine. We stop in town at least once a week, but more often than not, we are rushed. We try our best to blog when we are in town, but often are distracted by real world amenities that we have missed.

We're almost halfway too! ... Check the next post for an update! 

-Giggles and Chuckles