MILESTONE #1: We crossed into Harpers Ferry, WV and checked in at the Appalachian Trial Conservancy (ATC) as thru-hikers #443 and #444 for the year. The ATC is the “sentimental” half-way point for AT hikers, though it is about 75 miles shy of the actual mid-way point, and keeps track of all thru-hikers who come through the building. When you have completed the entire hike, you check in again from Maine, and they mail you a sweet certificate that says you hiked way farther than any sane person would have done (A 2,000-miler certificate). 
CHALLENGE #1: There is a thing on the AT called the “Quad State Challenge.” Baltimore Jack, a man who’s hiked the AT 7 or 8 times says of the Quad State Challenge: “One starts on the WV/VA line, and finishes on the MD/PA line, i.e. around 40 miles in one day. It is usually done by testosterone-laden young hikers, who then brag about it afterward in hopes of impressing people, always neglecting to mention the day or two they had to take off afterwards in order to recover from their ‘challenge.’ Most hikers find this exercise pretty foolish.” Sounds like this was our kind of challenge! Except for us the mileage total would be 45 miles. We started hiking at 2:50am and finished just after 11pm, a total of a little over 21 hours. I really thought I would be more tired, more in pain and more cranky than I really was. Instead I was just really excited at what a feat we had accomplished! I mean, we hiked FORTY FIVE MILES in one day! AND, we didn’t take the next day off! We had a shorter hike, but we actually felt pretty dang good. The past few miles were agonizing knowing we were so close to the end, but we kept plugging along. When we got within 600 yards of the end there were bushes full of fireflies. Of all the things we’ve seen on the trail I will never love or be more mesmerized by any one thing than by the fireflies, and this time there were hundreds of them. I kept staring at the magical fireflies as we continued to hike our final steps. Then in true form, one of those buggers dive-bombed my ear. I flicked it off and realized minutes later that it had landed right on my chest and had been blinking like one of those light-up buttons they sell on the streets at County Fairs… and Songtan, ROK. Very cool! But then, in true AT fashion, as I am enthralled by the beauty of fireflies, a black snake slithered out of the darkness onto the trail just ahead of me. I almost stepped on the thing! Luckily Jeff wasn’t too far ahead and came back to remove the snake with his trekking pole. I HATE snakes! Now over the mason-Dixon line, we can start pronouncing it APPA-LAY-CHUN, instead of APP-A-LATCH-UN. Why the difference anyways???
MILESTONE #2: HALFWAY THERE! That’s right! I said it! We officially crossed over the REAL halfway point of the AT today! If I didn’t have what felt like a charley horse in my right leg I would have jumped up in the air and clicked my heels together! Instead I gave the good ’ol “thumbs up” in my halfway picture, and Jeff did an awesome handstand. Now its all downhill from here! HA! I wish! But at least it feels like we are “counting down” instead of counting up now. Less than 1,087 miles to go!
CHALLENGE #2: What’s better to celebrate crossing the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail than another crazy hiker challenge. This one is held in Pennsylvania’s Pine Grove State park where, for over 20 years, thru-hikers have followed a tradition of eating half a gallon of ice cream to celebrate the milestone. The rules of the challenge are really simple: when you reach the park, go to the general store, buy a half gallon of your favorite ice cream, and consume it in one sitting. Pretty much everything I had read about the challenge amounted to self-torture: stomach pains, being unable to finish and yes, vomiting. Why would we want to take on such a challenge, knowing its history and that a great number of people don’t finish it? Because we are competitive, and we were hungry, that’s why! We checked in with the general store owner around 7:15pm. Jeff asked the guy if it would count if we shared a half gallon, and the guy all but laughed in our faces. Jeff explained that he was worried about me not being able to finish. I laughed a little on the inside and wondered if Jeff knew me at all. The facts are simple, Ice Cream is my favorite “food,” and I was trained early on by the military to eat massive amounts of food FAST. We sat down in front of the store and dove into our ice cream -- Jeff had Fudge Ripple and I was with my old standby Rocky Road. An older lady walking her poodle saw us and said “Oh my! You’re not going to eat all of that are you???” My answer “yep, we sure are.” As we ate I laughed at the journal entries written by others who had attempted the challenge… what a bunch of whiners! 24 minutes later Jeff had polished his off and I followed a full 4 minutes after that! I was pretty sad he beat me by so much, but then I looked at the times registered in this year’s ledger of competitors and realized in the span of four pages only 1 person had a better time than Jeff, and 4 had a better time than me. Man, we are awesome at challenges! LOL! I was so hopped up on sugar and excited afterwards that I called my mom like I had won the lottery… LIKE I HAD WON THE LOTTERY! What we did win was almost as good as the lottery… a small wooden spoon, like the ones you get in those little ice creams in middle school, with the words “Member of the Half Gallon Club” written on it. Can’t get any better than that!
MILESTONE #3: We have raised almost half of our goal for this hike to fight cancer with over $8,700 donated! Thank you to all who have given to LIVESTRONG in our names! If you are financially able, please go to www.hikestrong2010.com and click the “donate now” button to support us on our quest to raise funds for this great charity. We have some super-awesome postcards we are waiting to send you to say thanks!!! ~Styx & Bones
