Our slight detour to Iowa and Illinois was eventful and fulfilling, but we were all ready to start walking again. As mentioned earlier we were concerned about our precious trail legs but were happy to find that we hadn’t lost them at all. We did our first 5 miles to the amazing Jim and Molly Denton Shelter in an hour and 45 min. We were decidedly relieved to be back on the trail where we felt at home.

The next day we continued our transition back to the trail with an easy 10 mile day to Dick’s Dome Shelter. This odd, pentagon shaped shelter was quite a ways off the trail down a steep hill but was perched next to a picturesque creek that made it all worthwhile. Following our lovely stay at Dick’s and a feast of Golden Cock with taco seasoning, we headed into Middleburg, VA intending to have a 4th of July celebratory beer with fried food (the American thing to do). One beer led to another and we stumbled upon the good company of Mike, a very interesting, kind, and generous traveler. He told us about his trips to Mexico and Greece as well as his wifes return from Israel in two days. We thoroughly enjoyed his company and found ourselves still at the pub as the sun set.

Previous experiences told us that if we stayed at the bar long enough, we would find some place to crash for the night. This was no exception. Following the fireworks display, we headed back to the upstairs of the bar to continue our pool and dart playing. As luck would have it, local nude photographer, Tyler, wandered up and struck up conversation with Pemmy. A few hours later we found ourselves sprawled out (clothed and sleeping) in his basement studio. After a morning of coffee and Guitar Hero, Tyler gave us an educational ride to the nearby train station. It turns out, he spent nine years as a Civil War re-en-actor and knew a great deal about the history of the area.

We were headed to D.C., our great nations capital, and found ourselves in the middle of a huge, rather overwhelming festival. Solace was found in a grassy patch where we sat to regroup while munching on some trail food. With 3 hours to roam the city before we had to catch a train to Philladelphia, PA to go see Johnny, Machete’s “heterosexual life partner”, we checked out the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and the Art Museum of the Americas… fo’ free. On our departure from D.C. we ran into one of our favorite hiker characters, Thor, and his friend who were headed on the same train to Baltimore to visit his sister. It was good to see a familiar dirty face who didn’t judge our smelly hikerness.

Washington Monument

Dirty hiker-trash and our nations tribute to patriarchy.

Arriving in Ambler, just outside of Philly, around 10 pm we were tired and starving. Johnny proceeded to serve us course after course of incredibly healthy and delicious treats. We even got to sample some of his soon to be famous, vegan burgers. After mandatory showers, we passed out on various couches and a comfortable floor. The following day Johnny left us to our own devices in town while he went for his morning run. Immediately after, we began our Philly Steak and Cheese taste-a-thon - a must when in the city of Philadelphia. Our bellies full, it was back to Johnny’s where we spent the afternoon playing Rock Band. Our band, The Ice Cream Trucks, is pretty much the most amazing band of all time, no big deal. Following our European tour, we went to the historic Ambler Theater to see Mongol. This glorious day re-sparked Johnny and Machetes flame. Feeling once again like slackers, it was time to get back on the trail but not without making plans for Johnny to visit in a couple of weeks.

One rental car later, we were in Purcelville, VA waiting to meet up with George who was joining us for the duration of our hike. George, trail name, Patchfoot, had hiked half of the trail to Harpers Ferry, WV in 2002. After he visited us at Trail Days and seeing the fun we were having, there was no stopping him from finishing his quest. Three hours after waiting in a grocery store parking lot, we were reunited with our longtime friend and  new  hiking companion. Arriving in Harpers Ferry, apparently after hours, we were forced to travel to Fredrick, MD to find a cheap hotel for the night. We enjoyed seeing our good friend, Adam, who tagged along once again for the ride. We predict that it is only a matter of time until he joins us as well…. muuuhahahahahahah (evil laugh).

The next day Georges father, George Jr., dropped us off in Harpers Ferry where we hiked the half mile to the legendary AT Conservancy. Here we had our photos taken and were assigned our thru-hiker numbers of 580, 581 and 582. Tired of having the heaviest pack, Pemmy sent home an incredible 10.5 lbs of gear. With this loss of pack weight, she is now toting the same as Slap Happy and Machete. Patchfoot, however, is untouchable with his featherlight, 25lb pack…. Grumble, Grumble, Grumble…

580 581 and 582

Our AT Conservancy mug shots… wouldn’t you lock your car? Survey says yes.

“The return!!!” Patchfoot 2008

One more on the way folks, hopefully sooner than later.