Maryland

Day 43, July 20

We rose, packed, and slipped from the Hilltop Hotel at 5:45 am, retracing our steps past the ATC and the NFS campus. We returned on the blue blazed ATC side trail and joined the AT where we had left it, the day previously. The trail traversed the hillside, then descended to the historic Shenandoah Street of Harper's Ferry. The town had a quaintness that we found appealing, from a tourist's standpoint, and the ambiance belonged to us alone at that early hour.

Crossing the Potomac River.

Leaving the town behind, we crossed the Potomac River on a walkway that shared the span with a set of well-used railroad tracks. From its far end we followed the C & O Canal towpath thee miles. According to a sign, the canal had been used for a century to barge supplies to the frontier. It indicated the canal had been dug by "laborers," which we took as a euphemism for the word "slaves" or maybe indentured servants. Surprisingly, the trail held its gentle character as it climbed a short ways into the hills. Then it commenced a long and pleasant amble which provided easy and enjoyable hiking.

"1,000 mile rock"

At one point we came upon a register in a plastic bag, sitting upon a rock. The register indicated that this was the "1,000 mile rock," situated about that far from Springer Mountain. It seems unlikely that we could have hiked that far on such a trail, and it reminded me once again to maintain a positive attitude despite the trail's vagaries, which now seemed less significant.

Farther along we met a fellow who said he had hiked south from Katahdin. I had recently opened a can of potato chips and I offered him some. He took the can, and to our surprise, kept it. Continuing on, we hiked at a good pace most of the day. Clinging to one tree was a strange animal, and it wasn't until it eventually showed its face that we recognized it as a young woodchuck. it climbed down the tree and scampered away.

Church of Saint Joseph.

South Mountain Inn.

At Turners Gap we changed from our hiking clothes and visited the South Mountain Inn Click on "trail segment"
select "terrain"
then zoom out . This was an upscale establishment, frequented by people in fancy hairdos and clothes. We found the food excellent, and not too expensive, but the hiatus burned an hour and a quarter of valuable trail time.

The AT footbridge over Interstate 70.

In recompense we hiked briskly to Interstate 70 Click on "trail segment"
select "terrain"
then zoom out . There, the trail led overhead on a footbridge that appeared to have been constructed expressly for the AT. A highway sign attached to the bridge informed the motorists that this was the AT, and as we walked across it, to our surprise and delight about half the motorists honked and waved to us. Few people have heard of the PCT and CDT, even out west, but is seemed that most people in the east know about the AT. For those few moments we were treated as celebrities.

We left the trail and followed US 40 Click on "trail segment"
select "terrain"
then zoom out four-tenths mile downhill to Amini mart, only to find it closed. We crossed the busy street and hiked a few hundred yards down the entrance road to Greenbriar State Park, where the Handbook reported the presence of a small store, but seeing only more road far ahead we lost heart and turned back. Back at the closed mini-mart we went into the next door tavern for water. The place was aglut with loud-talking, macho hippie motorcycle types, and we felt very much out of context. Hiking back up the road and returning to the trail, we resumed the trek, hungry. Back at our resupply stop in Harper's Ferry we had found no grocery stores within walking distance, so the only food we had carried from there was the snack items Jenny had bought at the 7-11 store.

The trail crews had done a lot working chain-sawing a path though these blow downs. Much appreciated.

A few miles farther we followed the relocated trail down to Pogo Springs Click on "trail segment"
select "terrain"
then zoom out , and filled our water bag with excellent, cold, spring water. From there the trail climbed to the crest and relinquished its gentle, rolling nature. Instead, it became more a confusion of rocks and weeds. For the next several miles we passed hundreds of blowdowns, and were thankful that the trail crews had cleared the way. Perhaps these had fallen in the infamous March storm. At one point we came upon a sign warning that a deadfell ahead was infested with yellow jackets, and directing hikers to circumvent them through the heavy brush. We could see no way around, nor could we see any wasps, so we charged through a blue taped barricade and rock-hopped with utmost dispatch to the warning notice at the far side - without mishap. A short ways father we came upon a mailbox trail register, where a "trail patrolmen" (whatever that is) wrote of having exterminated the wasps.

Hiking in high temps and high humidity.

We stopped hiking at 9:20 pm, purposely short of the Hemlock Hill Shelter and campground which we felt did not offer adequate security, being so close to the road. We pitched the tent on a wide place in the trail.

Day's mileage: 33.1

Today we both wore new shoes: Jenny had her second pair of Nike Air Pegasus which had been her favorite, and I finally retired my Adidas Marathon 2, which had endured the entire distance to Harper's Ferry and were quite defunct.

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