Date: 2016-04-30
From: In Harper's Ferry

To: Dahlgren Backpacking Campground
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: overcast clouds

The wonderful hosts at The Jackson Rose B&B deserve a round of applause for their amazing send off breakfast Friday morning- zucchini muffins, fresh fruit, made to order omlets, ham, and homemade biscuits with homemade jam. Plus some lovely strong coffee that I'm missing right now, as I write from my hammock in a rainstorm. I explored downtown and some of the museums with my parents, we picked up some sandwiches to take with us, and started walking. As parents are wont to do, mine insisted on many pictures. The first three miles follow the C&O Canal Towpath and the Potomac River, so it was lovely and flat. After that began the steep climb up to Weverton Cliffs, which were beautiful! I wouldn't say Dad enjoyed this climb, but I didn't have to do CPR, so I'll call it a win. We ate lunch, attempted to ignore the couple photographing themselves making out, and enjoyed the view. The cliffs overlook a bend in the Potomac and you can see all the way up river to where the Shenandoah River joins. It's really stunning.Then it was time for ma and pa to head back to Harper's Ferry. I cried a little bit, which I blame on Mom, because she started crying first, because she wanted to read an old Irish Blessing for me, I'm sure you know it: "May the road rise up to meet you.May the wind be always at your back.May the sun shine warm upon your face;the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,may God hold you in the palm of His hand."Onwards to my first shelter! Ed Garvey Shelter is beautiful- the Potomac AT Club does a great job! I decided to sleep in the loft, aka the Penthouse, which I got to myself. A fellow thru-hiker, Walkman (Walk Man? I'm not sure), who has apparently been up and down the length of the AT a few times, had the shelter to ourselves for a while. Another flip flopper got in her tent at 5:30 and never came out, so I didn't get to meet her. A few hours later, three young Towson grads joined us. They tented nearby, but built up a nice fire for us. After dark, two section hikers from the Jersey shore, Hardcore and Road Runner rolled up. We made a good group, had a nice night chatting. One of Hardcore's nephews played competitive college Ultimate Frisbee (that's a thing?) with our Towson group, which is just bizarre to me on so many levels...It was chilly overnight with a nice little mist rolling in. Said mist didn't clear out until 4:00 the next afternoon, so, needless to say we weren't moving terribly fast when we woke up. I finally rolled out around 8:30. Apparently thruhiking is like running for me- the first mile of any day kinda sucks but then I'm in the groove. It was creepy, walking through dense fog. I was up on a ridgeline with probably fantastic views of rural Maryland, but I couldn't see a thing, just cliffs and nothingness. I had my trash picker out and collected about a pound and a half before reaching Gathland State Park, about 3 miles from the shelter. I passed some friendly day hikers, a few thanked me for picking up trash. Gathland had bathrooms AND an outdoor outlet, so I stopped for about 20 minutes to eat with a NOBO thru-hiker from Michigan named Candlemaker. The next few miles were foggy and vaguely lonely, so I listened to music off and on. Occasionally, I'd pause with the cold wind blowing in my face and just laugh I was so thrilled to be on the trail. I may have freaked out a few day hikers in this manner. Around 3 pm, mile 8ish, I stopped at a shelter to eat and rest, the Jersey boys were there eating, too so I was met with an enthusiastic "Cincinnati!!!!" when I arrived. I was only planning to go another two miles that night, they were headed for a shelter 6 miles out, so we agreed to meet at the Tavern a bit past my stopping point for a parting drink.I dreamed of red wine for the next mile, until the trail opened up into an historic park, a Civil War battlefield. I took a minute to read the historical markers and ponder the madness of war, like you do when you're alone with your thoughts. At this battlefield, the Union lost its first commanding officer, who was shot, carried to the house of a nearby friend, where he greeted the homeowner "hello Sam, I'm dead!" and promptly died. The song "Iscariot" by Walk the Moon was playing as I walked across the battlefield. It was a sobering moment. This country has a lot of scars...After a few sober (pun intended) miles, I found the campground, already nearly full with a school group. I quickly strung up my hammock to claim a prime spot, then dashed down the trail to my waiting wine glass.Again, I was greeted with a rousing chorus of "Cincinnati!!" when I found the Jersey boys at the bar, drinking Irish coffee and eating shrimp cocktail and calamari. Road Runner insisted that I try the calamari bruschetta, and it was magical, as was the overfilled glass of Malbec. We sat and talked for about an hour, then the guys had to dash- it was 4:30 and they had some mo miles to go.I trudged back to the campground, dutifully made my backpackers meal of cornbread stuffing and beef jerky, then showered in the delightful hot water in the bathhouse.Just as I was putting my food up on the bear pole (tall pole, hooks, for to keep your food away from bears), Walkman rolled in to camp and hung his hammock next to me. The rain started shortly thereafter, so here I lie, cozy and warm in my hammock. 14 miles to come tomorrow.