I left Harpers Ferry after a quick stop to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy office where I checked in as the 182nd thru-hiker to pass through thus year. As I hiked out I took another bad fall on to my hip and ended up back in Harper's Ferry with a dilemna. Stay in a very expensive hotel for a week to rest or rent a car and travel back along the trail. I rented the car, got upgraded to a huge truck, picked up a cheap cooler full of sodas and beers, and headed south. I met up with my friends, the vortex, in the Shenandoahs and slack packed them for a week all while keeping them stocked with food and beverages. During that time I recieved a trail karma necklace from my friend, Micro. These necklaces are passed around along the trail to those who put love and effort into making the trail a better place. I felt extremely honored and wore it with pride until, I too, found another deserving person. After a long week, I was ready to get back on trail and I headed back out of Harpers Ferry. This time I got food poisoning and realized that trying to escape the vortex is dangerous. I fought through it and stayed on trail and after a day I started to feel better. We hiked through West Virginia, Maryland, and into Pennsylvania before a friend, Skipper, had his family pick us up and take us to his house for a zero day full of amazing food, family, and friends. I'll never forget my time there. I got back on the soggy trail the next day and made it to the halfway marker. Sitting there, alone, in the rain, I realized how much of this experience is changed by the people you share it with. I needed to wait for the vortex. The next day we got to a small general store and snack bar that is famous for the half gallon challenge, or eating a half gallon of ice cream in an hour to celebrate 1094.6 miles. At 10 in the morning on an overcast day, a large amount of cold dairy sounded like the worst thing. I moved on to the museum where I met a section hiker who recently lost his wife, Katie, with whom he had hiked 1300 miles of trail. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to finish without her and my whole body pained for him. Back on the trail, I realized how important and special it is that we get this time to live our lives simply before the complication of responsibility. I felt very lucky as I crawled into my damp sleeping bag and layed my head on to a smelly clothes bag. I ran into Boiling Springs the next day and was met quickly by a part of the vortex. We got some good food and a chance to shower when my worst fear was realized. There was a tick clinging to my ass. After a very uncomfortable tweezer situation, he was dead. Keeping an eye out for Lyme disease! Hanging around town until the vortex can be together again. Mile 1121