Aaron, Brian, and Dwayne went on a hike, carrying a bag of apples. They stopped for a nap. Aaron woke up, ate 1/3 of the apples, and went back to sleep. Later Brian woke up, ate 1/3 of the remaining apples, and went back to sleep. Finally Dwayne woke up and ate 1/3 of the remaining apples. There were now 8 apples left in the sack. How many apples had been there originally?
