Captain Blue's 2002 Late Summer AT Hike

Photos by Andy "Captain Blue" Niekamp

August 29 - September 8, 2002

Appalachian Trail
Harper's Ferry, West Virginia to Rockfish Gap, Virginia
160 miles in 240 hours

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What is long distance hiking?
Some observations from Captain Blue

Read The Hike Summary

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The remaining few minutes of relaxation before the hike begins. In my room at the Hilltop House Hotel in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The Hilltop House in Harper's Ferry. Built in 1889. The hiker rate is $40/night. Ghosts are extra. The view from the Hilltop House Hotel. This is the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. The historic area of Harper's Ferry. The old section of town is now a National Historic Park.
Another view of historic Harper's Ferry National Park. The town changed from Union troop control to Confederate troop control eight times during the Civil War. The reconstructed fire house where John Brown took refuge after his failed uprising against slavery. He was later convicted of treason and hanged. In Maryland across the Potomac River. I began my hike here at high noon. I heard the church bells ringing in noon. The view behind me as I head out of the historic area of town. A similar photo is on the cover of the AT guidebook for Maryland and Northern Virginia.
Jefferson Rock. Named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, who was inspired by the beautiful view in 1783. The Appalachian Trail Conference headquarters. My pack is outside. I had my photo taken here and added to the hiker photo album. I am in the book twice now. Crossing the Shenandoah river. Day 1 was an overcast day.
Keys Gap on the border of Virginia and West Virginia. Captain Blue End of hiking on Day 1. I took the side trail to the Blackburn Center. It was rather chilly this evening.
I had the bunkhouse to myself. A wood burning stove kept me warm in the bunkhouse. The Blackburn Trail Center operated by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Conference. The bunkhouse where I stayed.
Some leg bones from a deer on the trail. Another overcast day. The view from Bear's Den Rocks. The Bear's Den Hostel. This is operated by the Appalachian Trail Conference. I stopped here to fill up on water.
A cottontail rabbit on the trail. My campsite for night 2 at The Lookout. An ant hill. No need to stop here and take a break. Captain Blue at Crescent Rock.
The ruins of an old cabin foundation. There is plenty of rocky trail in this section. Water. A scarce resource on this hike. The area is in a drought. A mushroom.
The fall flowers are in bloom at Ashby Gap. Crossing these busy four-lane roads was the most dangerous part of my hike. Boardwalks to keep the hikers out of the mud. No mud today. Night 3. Bedtime in Dick's Dome shelter. Dick's Dome shelter. That is all my gear hanging in the shelter. I hang my gear to keep it away from the mice and packrats.
Morning at Dick's Dome shelter. It rained all last night and is raining now. Chilling out before I head out into the rain. An old stone wall. An overgrown section of the trail.
An apple tree in an overgrown orchard. I stopped and ate several apples. I checked for worms in every bite. The clouds were low today. A high country meadow kept open today by mowing. Walking in the fog often feels strange. You sort of expect of a close encounter of the third kind.
The area on the right of the fence is part of the National Zoological Park. It is not uncommon to see exotic animals here. I did not see any. Night 4 at the Quality Inn in Front Royal, Virginia. I hitchhiked into town to get my resupply package. I decided to stay since I had walked 15 miles in the rain. The Quality Inn in Front Royal. I took a taxi back to the trail since it was difficult to hitchhike into town yesterday. Nobody wanted to pick up a hiker in the rain. I waited 40 minutes for a ride.
The trail heading towards Shenandoah National Park. A beaver dam. Taking a break at the Tom Floyd Wayside shelter. The view from Possum's Rest. My long climb is over. It is still overcast.
Getting my backcountry permit for Shenandoah National Park at the self-service station. Some bear poop on the trail. I saw lots of this. The bears appeared to be well fed. This is good. Water! Night 5. Supper at Gravel Springs Hut. The cans above me are pie filling and spaghetti sauce left by another hiker.
Getting my food off the bear pole. Morning at Gravel Springs Hut. I saw something today that I had not seen in five days - the sun! The spring at Gravel Springs Hut. Skyline Drive. The trail follows Skyline Drive for the next 100+ miles.
Taking a break at the Elkwallow Wayside. If you got a postcard from me I wrote it here. The Elkwallow Wayside. The gravitational pull here was immense. It was hard to leave. Crossing Skyline Drive. More fungus.
The view from Mary's Rock. Below is the Thornton Gap entrance to Shenandoah Park. I had the summit of Mary's Rock to myself. Mary's Rock. It doesn't get any better than this.
I hung my food in the trees to keep the bears from getting it. Night 6 campsite. I found a nice campsite at an abandoned picnic area. While taking a break at the Pinnacles Picnic Area a nice gentleman wanted to make sure I had accepted Christ. I read the book while smoking a cigar. I kept the page with the passage from John 3:14. Short hike?
The road is Skyline Drive. You can see why they named it that. A typical overlook. Do you see the bobcat in this photo? The bobcat close-up. This fella wasn't too afraid of me.
What more can I add? Four wild turkeys. The views like this are one of the many reasons I hike. The trail goes along this rock slide. I don't want to be here when there is an earthquake.
Notice my footwear. I hiked 30 miles in my sandals during this hike. A buck. The deer are too friendly in the Park. Night 7. My campsite near the Big Meadows area. The view of Shenandoah Valley.
Tanner's Ridge Cemetery. A nice flat section of trail. A good section for sandals. Get out of my way dumb deer. A really cool spider web.
Night 8. Pass Mountain Hut. Cruising down the trail. Another crossing of Skyline Drive. On a rest break I saw a forest fire off in the distance.
A typical mountain view. Skyline Drive winding through the mountains in the distance. Doing laundry at Loft Mountain camp store. You wear your rain suit when doing laundry so you can wash all your clothes. Night 8. My campsite at Loft Mountain campground.
These concrete posts had trail mileages on them in real small print. Captain Blue. The Blackrock area. The view from Blackrock.
The trail goes over these rocks. I hope they don't fall today. Eating a can of potato sticks on a rest break. Night 9. My last night on the trail at Calf Mountain Shelter. I finally shared a shelter with some other hikers. This is the first night for these brothers.
This spring is just a trickle. It took about 45 minutes to draw four quarts of water. I had no choice - the other two springs were bone dry. Trail signage. A fence stile. It lets hikers cross the fence and keeps the cows in. A PATC sign.
The southern entrance to Shenandoah National Park. Hikers did not have to pay. My vehicle is at the hotel on the hill. Rockfish Gap - My destination! The hike is over. 160 miles in 240 hours.
Sadly I must trade my hiking poles and backpack for a motor vehicle.

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