June 23, 2012- I Now Walk Into The Wild

Start: Harpers Ferry, WV
Finally, the day is here!!! We woke up and it felt so surreal. We have been counting down, planning, and preparing for this 1200 mile journey for so long! After breakfast, we had our picture taken at the ATC headquarters to officially designate us as 2012 AT section hikers We are numbers 146 and 147. Next, was a quick trip to the outfitter and then we were off. Our first steps on the AT were on the bridge that crosses the Potomac. Just a short walk and we already crossed our first stateline!!! We left West Virginia and were now in Maryland! Brian's parents walked the bridge with us and then it was time to say goodbye. As I said "See you in New York," it hit me. We would see them in New York, but we will have walked there!!!! This caused a surge of emotions. Again, I felt extremely excited at the thought of walking the AT with my husband. I felt anxious that we were leaving all of our family, friends, and luxuries. I was in awe that the day had finally arrived. As Brian and I walked along the AT, with the Potomac River to our right, hand-in-hand, I felt as though life couldn't be more perfect. After walking 3 miles on the C & O towpath (probably one of the flattest sections of The AT), we took a short break to eat some snacks. We then continued, climbing up Weaverton Cliffs. We arrived at the Ed Garvey Shelter after 6.1 miles and rested. We ate lunch at the shelter- a delicious Mountain House Mac & Cheese! We took a look at the guidebook and saw vending machines were only 4 miles away at Gathland State Park!!! It wasn't long before that information had us hiking on!! We reached Gathland and both enjoyed a Diet Coke. We each filled up with 4 liters of water because the water source at Crampton Gap Shelter is noted as unreliable in the guidebook. After a short climb out of Gathland, we arrived at the side trail. We hiked the quarter-mile to the tent sights, set up camp, ate a quick snickers bar, hung our bear bags, and climbed into the tent. Day 1 of 70 complete and it feels amazing!!! Tomorrow it's 12.5 miles to Pine Knob Shelter with a shower at Dahlgren Campground in the middle of the day!!!! Something tells me that I shouldn't get used to daily showers on the trail.
End: Crampton Gap Shelter, MD