10-25-12

Days since my thruhike began: 190
AT miles hiked today: 9.9
Total AT miles hiked: 1727.7
Miles to complete my thruhike: 456.5

I woke up from a warm night to a cold wind and rain and news of an incoming hurricane called Sandy. It's 8:30am and I haven't left my sleeping bag yet. Low Gear was going to take us to DC on Friday and Saturday but now because of the storm we will hike into Harpers Ferry on Saturday and he will pick us up on Sunday. He'll take us into his house and we will wait out the storm there.

There are gunshots all the time now. It must be hunting season. There were two loud and close explosions as I hiked which scared me. I know the blaze orange vest makes me safer, but having orange on my head and on the top of my pack is safest. It really is visible, but I have realized that it is not reflective or glow in the dark. We do enough road crossings and town walking to make reflectors useful, I think.

We are tented at Pogo Memorial Campsite, near a spring. I last saw Stonewall at our lunch break at the Ensign Cowall Shelter, and then we hiked on. I didn't see Nomad at all today. I guess we've lost them both with our schedule to meet Low Gear and Debbie. I left them a note in a register to get under cover by Sunday night. I hope this storm isn't too bad.