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Snickers, Nets and several other hikers were delayed by a fire which was set intentionally by the park service but then got out of control. Parts of the AT and the skyline drive are closed temporarily now, so the Shenandoah National Park service transported the hikers around (and through) the fire. They will come back and hike that 27 miles of the trail later. Snickers said the ride through the park was interesting, with places where the fire was burning on both sides of the road around them!
-- Joyce Howard
Many hikers are now stranded at Waynesboro because they closed the road through the park and the park service is no longer offering rides to the hikers. Snickers said they were lucky to catch the last shuttle through the park. They're north of the fire now, but can see it from time to time when they're on a ridge. We hope the firefighters get it under control soon.
-- Joyce Howard
"We just rolled in to Harpers Ferry this morning, considered the mental halfway point of the trail. The actual halfway point is in southern PA, a few miles up. I've been hiking with lots of different people recently. A lot of the groups that have been sticking together are splitting up due to different paces and interests. Some of the people I was with the last few days are going into D.C. tomorrow, and others are trying the "4 state challenge", which is a 45 mile day starting in VA, hiking through WV, Maryland, and finishing in PA. I'm not doing either of these, so I'm hiking with some new people again tomorrow. I saw Nets today in town; he headed out this afternoon. I don't think we'll be seeing much more of each other on the trail; he's got a little faster pace, but it's beginning to add up in miles."
--Snickers
Snickers took the train to Washington, DC today to buy tickets for the new Star Wars movie opening next week. While there he also spent a few hours at the Air and Space Museum and spent the night with friend Sam Young and family.
Snickers called today and said "Guess where I am -- I've just eaten an entire half gallon of vanilla ice cream with hikers Kamikaze and Speedy! We're now members of the Half Gallon Club." That means they're halfway through the AT and it's traditional to eat a half gallon of ice cream at Pine Grove Furnace State Park in southern Pennsylvania. The actual halfway marker is a few miles up the trail. Only 1080 miles to go!
Here's an update on Nets and Ernest P.--
Nets got a ride to Trail Days in Damascus, VA on Thursday, May 13. There he called home and found out that his brother was playing in the district championship soccer game (which they won in 4 overtimes and sudden death), so he got his parents to come get him and take him to the game with them.
On Friday he went to the school where Sharon Cron's 5th grade class is following the AT journey through phone calls and the web page. He called them from the front office pretending that he was on the trail in Pennsylvania. He told them to wait just a minute, he had been standing in line so long to use the phone that he had to take a bathroom break. Then he walked into the classroom waving his little shovel and asking if they knew where the closest bathroom was -- the class was surprised and delighted! He then spent an hour talking with them about his experiences on the trail.
On Saturday the family celebrated Nets' birthday and returned him to his ride in Damascus on Sunday.
Meanwhile Ernest P. completed the part of the trail that Nets and Snickers missed because of the fire. He then spent the weekend in Fredericksburg, VA with friends.
-- Bonnie Raby (Nets' mom)
Snickers caught a ride to DC last night with Third Degree. They'll see the new Star Wars movie tomorrow along with David Romine and Katie Preston who are flying up from Atlanta to meet them at the movie theater. "May the Force be with you!"
"The movie was terrific!!! Much better than I'd expected after hearing some reviews. Tomorrow we're back to the trail in Boiling Springs, PA."
-- Snickers
Snickers and Nets have reunited and are hiking together again. They're at Port Clinton, PA today.
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