Burst Bubble

As luck and timing and pace would have it, we're caught in the bubble: the maximum flow of northbound hikers on the AT. We've been in it since the Smokies. Waves of hikers pass us, but we're coping with anywhere from 24-52 people showing up at shelter areas built to accommodate 8-12 people.

Worse, it's growing. Trail Days, held May 18-20 in Damascus, VA, brings out section hikers too, and they're all streaming through.

The crush of people also means a higher percentage of the party crowd, drinking their way up the trail. An overcrowded shelter, no viable place to pitch our tent, and a pizza-and-beer party that went on until 1 AM finally did us in.

Struggling through rain and mud on a few hours of sleep, we hitch a ride to town at the next road crossing and consider our options. I sent out an email to thru-hiker friends and the response is nearly unanimous: jump north to Harper's Ferry and get out of the bubble!