My First 20, and… a Stumble

Taking a Tumble

Unfortunately, this blog will be a bit short as I’m recovering from what I hope to be a minor incident.

Day 13 – Bear’s Den Hostel to Harper’s Ferry (20 miles) (Into WV)

Day 14 – Harper’s Ferry to Cross Trails Hostel (4 miles) (Into MD)

Day 15 – Injury Timeout (0 miles)

Day 16 – One More Day (0 miles) 

Leaving Virginia

The Virginia portion of the Appalachian Trail covers 500 miles and approximately a quarter of the entire trail. So, leaving VA is monumental for many, but since I started in Shenandoah it was only about 150 miles for me.

After clearing the Roller Coaster on Day 13, I had good conditions to pull off my first 20 mile day. Mid-morning I passed the lonely sign letting me know I was entering West Virginia. There’s some law requiring all hikers to sing a few bars of Country Roads, which I did: Almost heaven, ….

A little while later, near tragedy struck. I caught the bad side of a rock and twisted my ankle and hit the ground. You know what went through my head? “Down goes Frazier; down goes Frazier!”

Fortunately nothing was broken and I was able to hobble the final two miles to Harpers Ferry. I’m taking a couple days of rest and relaxation to let my ankle heal and I’ll be back on the trail on day 17.

Stems and Pieces

So, a mushroom approaches a girl in a bar and offers to buy her a drink. She says she has no intention of getting involved with a mushroom. He says “I’m not just a mushroom, I’m really a fungi.”

Some of my friends:

…mountain mama; take me home…

Thanks for listening.

Affiliate Disclosure

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.

Comments 3

  • Carol and Bob Pooley : May 3rd

    DAMN ROCK! I hope you yelled at it. Sorry to hear you got hurt. Looks nasty, but you were lucky. Bob’s sister just did that and broke her ankle and 2 bones in her foot. Take it slow, you have too much to see. Your blog is great!

    Reply
  • Chris : May 3rd

    Go Tommy !

    They make a decent x-wrap velcro ankle stabilizing
    Neoprene ankle boot. When you find em at Walmart buy 2 so you got a pair drying to swap out.
    I have had to wear them since my night time running nightmare in Emporia in 82 and they will
    help prevent the dislocations. What you need to watch out for, for the rest of your days now, old man, is when you are not wearing them. Sorry the weather sucked till now, but you will appreciate the cool soon. Plan a clothes drop in Pa or above to shed the unwanted winter gesr weight. Wish I was there

    Reply
  • Pat : May 4th

    A fungi! That’s hysterical!

    Reply

What Do You Think?