Back in 1980 I finally completed all of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. As I entered West Virginia I quickly had to carve a small notch on my hiking staff with the initials "WV". I say "quickly", because the trail was in West Virginia for only about six miles! It cuts across a tiny part of the State before going into Maryland.
One of the pleasures of West Virginia was a short stop in Harper's Ferry. This town was famous for its role in the War Between the States (Civil War). The Appalachian Trail Conference has it's headquarters in Harper's Ferry. I went by and visited for a short time, signed into the register, and had my photo made with some other thru-hikers. Since that time, the name has been changed to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC). I became a Life Member not long after finishing my thru-hike. I still get the regular newsletter with information about the trail.
The ATC is an important volunteer organization that maintains the trail and works to protect the trail. Over the years they have been able to buy sections of land and relocate the trail off of many roads that I hiked in 1980. Piece by piece they continue to add land, with the goal of having the trail 100% protected from development. Without the ATC we wouldn't have the Appalachian Trail. Their work and dedication has preserved this national treasure to be enjoyed by many generations to come!
Here in 2011 I weighed in at 177.4 pounds this morning (almost unchanged from yesterday). That actually is a good thing considering that I went to a giant tailgate party last night followed by the Braves baseball game. I didn't have a hot dog, I had TWO hotdogs and a hamburger and a small bag of potato chips and a box of popcorn at the game. It's a good thing that I had a big salad for lunch and drank a lot of water! Tomorrow is a small family reunion for Father's Day. I will try not to "pig out" too much on all the good food!
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