AT Days 136-143

Our first day back on the trail from Harpers Ferry on 7/9 was a long one: 17.2 miles to the Dahlgren Backpacker Campsite. All things considered, the day went pretty well. Angel and Bullfrog, the early risers of the group, headed out 30-45 minutes ahead of Gavin and me, but we all knew that we’d catch each other before too long.

We got back on the trail just below the hotel and walked back toward the town center. Along the way we passed by several landmarks. First was the Jefferson Rock. This spectacle is a large, flat piece of shale rock that is balanced on others, just above where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers merge together. It is named for Thomas Jefferson who wrote about the view in Notes on the State of Virginia. Oddly, the rock is in now what is the northeastern corner of West Virginia.

The second site we passed coming through town is St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, dating to 1896. From the outside, it is a gorgeous building. I would have liked to have visited the inside, but they weren’t open. Also interesting would have been taking one of the tours offered on Saturdays and Sundays. As we commenced down the trail we entered the historic part of Harpers Ferry. Here is the reconstructed “fort” in which John Brown barricaded himself and others in 1859. Brown was an abolitionist who planned to capture the armory and outfit an army of like-minded people to begin a war against slavery. It is interesting to know that the original building has been moved around several times, once traveling to the World’s Fair; it has now been reconstructed near its original location.

The final sight in Harpers Ferry is the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. From this point of the town, the trail crosses a rail bridge into Maryland (our sixth state.) For almost four miles, the trail continues along the towpath of the C & O Canal. Gavin had a fun time trying to pick out turtles in the algae-covered water of the canal. I must say that the walk down this path was great. It was tree-covered, and as flat as anything we have or will traverse.

After leaving the canal and crossing the CSX railway, we began a 1,000’ climb which put us on a mostly flat section of trail once again. We stopped at the Dahlgren Backpacker Campground. This is a backpacker-only camping area with a bathhouse, toilets, and water. The guidebook warned hikers to note the proximity to the roadway, but we used this to our advantage. There is a local pizza place that delivers, so we had a great meal as well as a good night’s sleep.

Wednesday’s hike of 13.9 miles ended at the Ensign Cowall Shelter. It was another peaceful day of hiking, until the end. More about that later. Our first stop of the day was the Washington Monument. Not the one you’re thinking of in Washington, D.C. The one we passed was built in 1827 near Boonesboro, MD. Rather than being an obelisk, this one is a circular tower with a viewing platform on top. We arrived there and found Pringles and Broccoli Rob. We also found the monument closed, but a few minutes later, a ranger from the state park came to raise the flag and open the gate to the stairway. The view of the valley below was phenomenal.

The other sights of the day were views at Annapolis Rocks and, a few miles later, Black Rock Cliffs. I have to say that overlooks and views have been at a premium lately, so we took full advantage of Annapolis Rocks as a great location to have a healthy snack.

I mentioned above that the walk on Wednesday was quite pleasant, until the end. There was not much elevation gain or loss to the day, and even the last few miles were reasonably flat on the map. What the map doesn’t show is rocks. Tons of rocks. For about a mile, we were walking on what I described on video as, “one of the rockiest sections that we’ve had. And there’s just almost nowhere to put a foot that you don’t step on something sharp.” To top it off, just as I left the rocky area I stopped briefly to rest on my poles and catch my breath. As I was standing there, I looked up and noticed a fairly large copperhead coiled up in the grass just beside the trail. I suppose it was a good thing I didn’t have to go to the bathroom, because copperheads certainly qualify as “nature’s laxative.” Thankfully, the rest of the way to the shelter was uneventful.

I arrived at the shelter a few minutes ahead of Gavin and about an hour before Angel and Bullfrog. I was absolutely beat, and I really couldn’t figure out why. In talking with the others, I discovered that we were each dealing with fatigue and aches and pains. Bullfrog and Angel were nursing sore knees, and I had a dime-sized blister on the bottom of one of my toes (my first blister, thankfully.) We had calculated that we needed to hike 16 miles each day in order to get to Katahdin by early October and still be able to enjoy a zero day once a week. In the discussion of tiredness, we all decided that we needed to push ourselves to do as much as we can, but not to overdo it. We each agreed that the hike needed to be fun, not work, and that if we needed to take a bit of extra time or flip-flop to Katahdin and hike southward, then we’d just have to do it. There is no sense in getting ourselves burned out by doing too many miles in a day.

On Thursday we had planned to make it to the Deer Lick Shelters, about 14.5 miles away. There were some ups and downs on the map, but for the most part, it looked like a fairly “doable” day. That was until we got to the rock scramble past Raven Rock Shelter. This was without question one of the most difficult sections of trail that we have walked yet. In a mile or so, we went up, and then down a section that was nothing but rocks and boulders. The trip down was especially difficult, stepping down and over and across rocks of a variety of sizes. We were careful of the flat, slanted rocks for fear that our feet would slip out from under us. I’m pleased to say that we all made it safely, though Angel did slip once and lost a nail in the process. I’m told that she also got a pretty huge bruise on the section of her anatomy on which she landed. I’ll take her word for it.

We reached the Pen Mar Park about 3:00 in the afternoon, just ahead of a significant storm. We and several other hikers gathered under one of the park’s shelters to evaluate the rest of our day. I was not alone in our group in considering myself done for the day after the rocks we had just navigated. A decision was made and a phone call placed to get a ride into Waynesboro, PA for the evening. A local taxi in a minivan picked us up and delivered us to the Days Inn. I was most happy to be in out of the rain and to have a warm shower. When I stepped out, Gavin called my attention to his hip bones. Apparently he has lost enough weight that the hip belt of his pack no longer rests above his hips as it should, but instead it has slid down and rubbed both his hip bones raw. In the process, the weight of the pack is transferred to the shoulders which is a terrifically uncomfortable hiking situation. I Googled a bit and found that there was an Enterprise rental agency a few miles away and over supper we decided to take a zero.

Now an experienced “car renter,” I knew that Enterprise would come pick you up and drive you to the office to complete the paperwork. This saved a fairly expensive Lyft ride and I wished that I had known this fact back in Harpers Ferry. We checked out of the Days Inn and headed for Fredrick, MD to visit an outfitter. Praise be, they had an Osprey Ace youth pack that fit Gavin well. We picked up a few other needed items and headed to the cash register. I had noticed that there was a “Free Gift” tag on the pack but forgot about it until the cashier called it to my attention. We could choose between a handsome trucker’s hat or an Osprey 3L Hydration System for the pack (a $45 value.) That was a no-brainer. They were also able to swap out my Smart Wool socks that had developed a hole in one toe. The big three hiking sock makers really stand by their products and will replace holey merchandise. I was pretty stoked by this because the outfitter in Front Royal said that Smart Wool wouldn’t do replacements.

After getting our gear, we set out to find a music store so Gavin could play the drums a few minutes. It was only a few miles down the road, and Bullfrog’s cousin Tiffany was en route to have lunch with us, so we had some time to kill. While he played on the drums, I went into the acoustic room and played a $3,800 Martin guitar until I saw the “Please don’t touch” sign. Considering the sign and the price tag, I cut my song short.

Lunch was at Pretzel and Pizza Creations in the heart of the historic part of town. Tiffany and her daughters met us, and we enjoyed meeting them and having a great lunch. I had a hot dog wrapped in a pretzel bun with cheese and bacon which was fantastic. After lunch, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the car. In order to get a ride back to the hotel after turning it in, they wanted me back by 4:30 or so.

As we approached our car, parallel parked up the street from the restaurant, we noticed a couple of ladies standing nearby, and they appeared to be taking pictures of the car. Drawing nearer, it was evident that they were taking photos of the damage done to our rental car when they were trying to park. To put it mildly, I was less than ecstatic about the situation, but they were nice about it. I called the rental company and they said it would be no problem for me as long as I brought in a police report. The police officer who responded was quite nice, and after a while we were finally on our way back to Waynesboro.

This whole incident took a dent out of our afternoon (no pun intended.) We arrived at our new hotel, the Cobblestone Inn & Suites, situated just behind a Walmart Supercenter and nearby an Applebee’s. Upon arrival, I rushed in to secure a room while Angel helped Gavin transition from his old pack to his new one. I thought I had noticed a UPS store on the way from Waynesboro back to the Enterprise agency in the next town, so I had hoped to ship his pack home from there on the way to turning in the car. I called Enterprise to be sure they could still bring me back, and they asked when I was leaving. I said immediately, but it sounded like I wouldn’t have the time to stop and ship the pack. The ladies at the desk of the hotel were incredibly helpful. They told us there was a post office within walking distance and offered to try to find us a box  They even volunteered to take the pack to the post office the next day if we weren’t able to get it beforehand. I quickly dropped my gear in the hotel room and headed to turn the car in.

When I got back from dealing with the car, Angel, Bullfrog, and I walked over to Applebee’s for supper. On the way I lamented that I really didn’t feel rested at all, what with having to drive an hour or so to find an outfitter and dealing with the bump up with the car. We decided to take one more day in Waynesboro, completely as a rest day. I was elated! Having one more day off also allowed everyone’s aches and pains to heal up somewhat.

Saturday was, indeed, a day of rest. I set my clock for a time just late enough to enjoy the free breakfast at the hotel. After eating, I packed the box that the desk clerk found for me and set out for the post office. It really wasn’t much of a walk, and I got Gavin’s pack and a few other items shipped home. The rest of the day was fairly restful. We made a stop at the Walmart to pick up a few resupply items. Gavin swam a couple of times and I chatted with folks at the pool. Bullfrog and I walked back to Applebee’s for another meal.

This was the first time in a while that he and I have had the time to sit down and make plans for the next several days together. He noticed that there was a hostel in Fayetteville, PA. We also found a shuttle driver who was willing to drop us back at Pen Mar State Park and take our packs on to the hostel. Great plan! Slackpacking. I cannot describe how excited I was to know we weren’t going to have to carry our packs the next day.

When Sunday came, our shuttle driver arrived on schedule. He dropped us off at the park and we set out on an 18.2 mile walk to the Trail of Hope Hostel. It turns out that the gentleman who shuttled us used to own the hostel, but it was turned over to the church next door fairly recently. He was quite interesting to talk with because he knows the AT in the area like the back of his hand. He had plenty of suggestions for us about how we could slackpack for the next several days in the area. He also was able to tell us about things to watch out for (i.e. rocky areas.)

The Pen Mar State Park is only a few tenths of a mile from the MD/PA state line, AKA, the Mason-Dixon Line. This boundary was surveyed in the 1760’s in order to settle a border dispute between the two states. I’m afraid that today it marks the territory between sweet iced tea and what are you talking about? I must admit that I’m a bit sad to be on the wrong side of the line now. A few days ago someone actually brought me a glass of iced tea and some packets of sugar. Anyone from the south knows that the tea has to be warm to dissolve the sugar, and then you put ice in it. Bless.

One of the highlights of the trail today was Tumbling Run Shelters. These are two smaller shelters, built side by side, that are connected by a covered eating/cooking area. We were fortunate to meet the couple that takes care of these shelters. We have passed few shelters that are “cared for” on a regular basis. The first thing that struck me when walking up to the cooking area was the flower in a vase on the picnic table. While we were there, the gentleman of the couple went down to wash down and spruce up the privy. I’m not sure we’ve passed a shelter yet that has been cleaned in this fashion any time in the past several months or so. We were sure to tell the folks thanks for all the work they do in caring for the area and the trail nearby. Without folks volunteering their time to keep the trail passable, it would cease to exist.

The view for the day was most certainly the one from Chimney Rocks. When we reached the side trail that leads out to the view we passed a fairly large group of young people. I asked if it was a Scout group, but it turned out to be a group of kids about Gavin’s age doing an Outward Bound trip. I’m not sure if he met them on trail or not, but that might be an interesting trip for him to take sometime.

Our hike on Sunday was a fairly easy one, especially since we were slackpacking, but about two miles from the end of the trip we hit a gigantic boulder field. Though it lasted only a short while, rock-hopping was not the way we wanted to end our day. I will also remark that Gavin had an especially good day of hiking. We stopped at three or four shelters or views, and at each, he was waiting for us. Whenever we hiked on, he got out front and easily put a mile or more between us before we reached the next “stopping point.” It is truly a blessing that he is such a strong hiker, and I am especially proud of him.

When we reached US 30, the end of our walk for the day, Gavin was waiting. We knew it was about 0.8 miles down a busy road to the hostel, and none of us really wanted to walk it. It turns out there was a truck parked at the road crossing and its owner was picking wine berries just feet away. While we were struggling to come up with a shuttle driver that would pick us up and drive us less than a mile, I walked over and asked the gentleman if he’d mind to run us down the road when he finished picking. He eagerly agreed, so we waited about five more minutes and hopped in the back of his truck.

The Trail of Hope hostel is a ministry of the church that is right beside it. It is in an old house that the shuttle driver told us could be traced back to the Underground Railroad. After getting our gear settled in, we set about finding food. Apple Maps showed us a hamburger restaurant with ice cream about 0.5 miles back up the road, so Angel, Bullfrog, and I set out on foot. When we reached our destination, to our surprise, the sign said, “Coming Soon!” Dejected and tired, we walked back to the hostel to implement Plan B. The caretaker of the hostel gave us the keys to the van outside and said we could go as far as Walmart for $5 each. We were good with that, and we needed a few grocery items as well, so we took off. We did our shopping and settled on a Chinese Restaurant in the same strip mall. It was good, but it wasn’t the buffet we’d hoped for.

On the way back, Gavin called and reported that he thought he’d left his charging brick and phone cable at the road crossing. I told him that it was likely gone by now and that he’d just have to earn some money and purchase a new one. When we got back to the hostel, though, he had been in touch with another hiker, High Pockets, who tracked Gavin down at the hostel. High Pockets had the charger and was willing to meet us the next morning. I texted him that we would be hiking south the next day and we could handle the exchange without a separate trip. The trail provides!

On Monday, our shuttle driver from the day before (I wish I could remember his name) picked us up and drove us to the trail crossing at Shippensburg Rd. We hopped out and began our 11.3 mile SOBO slackpack back to Trail of Hope hostel. The trail was mostly flat nearly all the day and the weather was good. One of the things I enjoy about hiking south is meeting other hikers. I must say that it hurts my feelings just a bit that they may think we’re day-hikers instead of thru-hikers, but once we start talking, they figure it out.

One of the hikers we met Monday was Pringles. If you haven’t seen Gavin’s interview of her, it is worth your time. In the menu above, follow the link to our YouTube channel and it should be close to the top. We met Pringles on a shuttle ride in Hiawassee, GA pretty early on and we’ve bumped into her several times since. She and Gavin have become good friends, and each has been an inspiration to the other. After hearing of Bullfrog’s knee pain, she offered him one of her braces which he gratefully accepted. I find it especially awesome that the folks out here are all about helping each other out. The AT is a common bond that draws hikers together. On more than a few occasions we have had strangers sit down and eat and talk with us because of this bond we share.

Speaking of Gavin, I’m not sure we saw him much at all on Monday. He set out in front of us, and to the best of my memory, we didn’t see him until Caledonia State Park, right at the end of the journey today. It may sound negligent on my part to allow him to be separated from me by such a distance and for such a time, but he is smart and he is equipped. Moreover, the whole time we’ve been out here, I have only met one hiker that I would be the least bit nervous about Gavin hiking with. As I mentioned above, most all the rest would go out of their way to help him if he needed it. He has GPS-enabled app called Guthooks that shows him whether he is on the trail or not, and he knows what to do if he meets up with wildlife or gets off the trail by accident. I must say that I am put somewhat at ease that he is now hiking in front rather than behind. That way, if he has an accident or other need, we will be along shortly and we don’t have to rely on having cell service to be in touch with one another.

We met several hikers that we passed or were passed by the previous day. As we stopped and talked, we learned that reuniting Gavin with his phone charger was a group effort. The hiker who found the brick, High Pockets, took it on to Caledonia State Park and asked around of the other hikers if they had lost it. One of them remembered having seen Gavin with it at the road crossing and two others we had talked to knew that we had planned to stay at the hostel that night. Putting together the pieces from three or four different hikers is what enabled High Pockets to find Gavin. They met on the trail during the day and Gavin got his charger back. I’m confident that he expressed great thanks to High Pockets and that if faced with the same situation, he’d go out of his way to be as helpful to another hiker.

Just before the end of our hike today we passed by the Quarry Gap Shelter. This one is without question the nicest and most cared for shelter on the whole trail. There are flowers all around, the shelter has a fresh coat of paint, there are benches and swings, and even little “yard art” features that hardly any other shelters have. It would have been a nice place to stay, but indoors with AC beats any shelter or tent pad, hands down, so we traveled on.

Just a couple of tenths of a mile short of the road that would lead us back to the hostel we entered Caledonia State Park. They have a nice creek to play in, campsites, and a pool. For a brief while we entertained the notion of swimming, but we decided against it and hiked on in. We were able to “borrow” the van again and had supper at a nice Mexican restaurant a few miles away.

On Tuesday we shuttled again to Shippensburg Rd., this time slackpacking north. The driver dropped our packs at our destination, the Pine Grove Furnace St. Park, 8.5 trail miles ahead. There were several milestones and some really cool things to see on this section.

First, we passed the 2019 AT Midpoint on the trail about 0.4 miles in. It is hard to believe that we have less distance to cover than we have already walked. The second milestone was passing the 1,100 mile mark. I think this marker gave me an even larger sense of accomplishment. It is really difficult to fathom that since February 24, we have walked 1,100 miles.

About half a mile farther along we stopped at Tom’s Run Shelter. We were joined there by a guy named Shepherd who seemed to know Angel and Bullfrog. After a minute it clicked that he was a pastor/missionary they had met in the Shenandoah National Park. They knew he was planning to be at Pine Grove Furnace but weren’t expecting to meet him on the trail. After proper introductions, we hiked the last several miles to the state park together. We had an enjoyable conversation, and he invited us to come have supper with him and his family in the campground that evening.

Once we reached the park, Shepherd veered off to join his family, and the rest of us headed on to the General Store that is home to the half-gallon challenge. Essentially, upon completing half of the trail, hikers try to eat a half-gallon of ice cream in the fastest time possible. We got there just a few minutes late to see a new record of 2:54 being set by Squirrel, whom we had met in Harpers Ferry and again at Trail of Hope hostel. Gavin and I purchased our ice cream, but neither of us tried at all to break any records. My time was 50:52, and I was okay with that. Gavin didn’t finish, and he was okay with that too.

After securing our campsite for the night, the four of us visited the ATC Museum which is in an old house at the state park. They had tons of memorabilia, including a shelter built by Earl Shaffer, the man who hatched the idea of a long-distance trail through the Appalachian Mountains. Perhaps most interesting was the handmade duffel bag and the pair of Keds used by Grandma Emma Gatewood on one of her three thru-hikes of the Appalachian trail, the first of which was in 1955 when she was 67 years old.

After touring the museum, we hiked about a mile down the road to our campsite. Just after setting up our tents, it began to rain. Gavin and I took refuge in our tents, and I had a good 45-60 minute nap, which was much appreciated. After that, we walked up to meet Shepherd, his wife, No Miles, and his kids Berries (9) and Footloose (13). They had a fire going and used the coals to bake potatoes and roast corn, On top of that, we had hotdogs. It was a marvelous meal, one that Gavin considers to be among the best he’s had on the trail.

I know I am a bit behind in posting blog entries, and we appreciate your patience. Thanks for checking in. Gavin and I hope you will continue to be prayerful for us as we continue our journey north. Each morning before hiking, Gavin, Angel, and Bullfrog and I say a prayer for the day. Usually it is an appeal for safe hiking and for blessings upon us and our families, but we also pray to inspire and be inspired by others. We hope you are inspired by our writings here and encourage you to just keep taking the Next Step.