I am back on the trail after a long six months since my last section hike. Last year (2018), I hiked all 41 miles of the Appalachian Trail that passes through Maryland. This time, I am starting my hike in the northern section of Virginia, almost at the border of West Virginia.

The plan is to hike for the next two days, ending my hike at the ATC headquarters thus completing West Virginia, which has the shortest length out of the 14 states the Appalachian Trail passes through.

This morning, I drove my car to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Visitor Center and parked. When I opened my Uber app to catch a ride to the starting point of my hike, there were no drivers available in this rural part of America. Thankfully, I found a driver on the Lyft app, and he dropped me off at Snickers Gap Trailhead.

About 3 miles into my hike, I crossed the Virginia/West Virginia state line. From there onwards, the AT followed the border between the states until just before Harper's Ferry.

As soon as I entered West Virginia, I stumbled upon these beautiful cliffs at Raven Rocks. It was a cool spot with big, old rocks and amazing views. The rocks looked dark against the green trees, and the wind made the trees sway gently. From there, I could see lots of hills and faraway mountains. It was really awesome to be there, and it made me appreciate nature even more.

After the tough hike on the roller coaster section, I settled down on a sturdy log in the middle of the trail. I poured water into my freeze-dried Mountain House meal and stirred it up. When I took a bite, it tasted really good, even better than eating at home. Maybe it was because I was hiking, or because I was surrounded by all the amazing nature. The food seemed to taste richer and more satisfying than usual, with the fresh air and the sounds of birds making it all even better. It made me realize that even simple trail food can be super tasty when you're out in the wild.

What seemed like a long hike turned out to be only 10.8 miles, and I finally made it to the David Lesser Memorial Shelter for the night. It is a large, 8-person shelter with a big porch, benches, and even windows. A separate cooking pavilion with a swinging bench behind the shelter seemed like a luxury in the woods. When I reached the shelter, there were already a few hikers setting up their tents at the nearby big tent site, which could have hosted dozens of hikers.

During dinner, I interacted with several hikers, including 2 thru-hikers who had already hiked over 1000 miles of the trail. I can't remember his trail name, but one of the thru-hikers said he is attempting a YOYO. I had known what a yoyo toy was, but this was the first time I heard this word used for thru-hiking. 

In the context of thru-hiking, a "yoyo" refers to a particular type of thru-hike where the hiker travels the entire length of a trail from one end to the other and then back again, completing a round-trip journey. This term is commonly used in the thru-hiking community to describe the act of hiking a trail in both directions, essentially retracing one's steps after reaching the end of the trail. Yoyo hikes present a unique set of challenges, as hikers must navigate the same terrain twice, experiencing it in reverse order on the return journey. This adds an extra layer of physical and mental endurance to the thru-hiking experience, making it a daunting but rewarding endeavor for those who undertake it.