Saturday, July 6, 2013

Duncannon, PA to Port Clinton, PA

Howdy all!

I am going to keep this short, simple, and too the point.

Mileage roundup for this section is as follows: 11.3, 18, 17.5, 15.1, and 9 into Port Clinton.

Pennsylvania should be called Rocksylvania. My boots were in great condition and have taken a beating. I stopped at Port Clinton, which is apparently the start of the crappiest sections of rocks. I guess I will find out another time!

I walked most of the time with BMW and stayed at the shelters with him and Rocket Turtle. I met some other interesting thru hikers - Violet, B-Line, Code Walker, Why Not. Got to walk and chat with the Thru Project some more. Great guys for sure. I wish them the best of luck.

Two and a half days away from Port Clinton, I found out my 28 year old cousins Zack, an MD and anesthesiologist, passed away unexpectedly. The trail gods are against me, and I am calling it quits for my thru hike. I am starting a 161.5 mile section today. I am walking from Waynesboro, VA to Harpers Ferry. It will put me at 700 miles for the year (I think it is actually 697.4, but close enough).

I feel good about this decision. I feel like I have accomplished so much all ready and grown as a person in ways I wouldn't have dreamed. I do feel like I failed the people that donated to my charity. For that, I truly and deeply apologize. I just can't hike anymore. My Pop Pop is still sick and after my cousin died, I just floundered. I hope you can understand that I am not getting off the trail because I can't physically or mentally hike, I just need to be around family and stop acting like I am retired already and get a job (haha!).

I do miss BMW, my German friend. After Travis got off the trail, I had people to hike with that we had been hiking with for weeks. When I started up North, I didn't have that camaraderie. BMW had lost his hiker partner and we clicked. I wish him good luck and will have some beer with him in German when I go to visit!

Look forward to one more blog post of my little section in VA!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

Jupiter