Date: 2005-04-02
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Devils Racecourse Shelter
Miles today: 13.0

Because it rained todayThe skies were greyThe rocks were wetThe trees were slickThe Trail was muddyIt was very beautifulMy feet got wetBut I was happyBecause it rained today   The Boy Scout troop did indeed arrive last night and I spent the night with the same five guys. It started to rain during the night and when I awoke at 5AM it was wet cold and foggy. I bundled up in full rain gear and started off.   By the time I got to Annapolis Rocks it was raining big time and the mist and fog blocked whatever view there might have been. By the time I got to Black Rock, I was in some serious weather, with thunder and lightning all around and the rain changed to hail. My hands were growing cold even with my gloves on and by the time I got to the Pogo Memorial Campsite [in memory of 16 yo Pogo] I reckoned that we must have had all of the three inches of predicted rain already. By Ensign Cowall Shelter however, it seemed to let up a little i.e. gale force instead of hurricane force winds, so I ventured onward.   Even though the rain gear worked well, I still got wet with sweat, but at last the temp improved and, although wet, I did not feel so bad. It continued on like that until I got to the stream at mile 1043.9. The stream was a raging torrent and I had to wade thru it ¢ nothing for it but to get boots and socks and feet wet. I belong to the school of thought that says that it is better to wade thru flooded streams in your hiking boots because you get a better grip and traction on the flooded underwater rocks and bottom. After crossing I drained out the water from my boots, wrung out my wet socks, put both back on, and continued the hike in my wet feet and footwear.      Approaching Little Antietam Creek I knew that I was in trouble, because I could hear the roar of the water long before I arrived at the swollen, rushing and cascading torrent. My first thought was to camp on the south bank for the night and to ford the ¢stream¢ in the morning, when it would have, hopefully, subsided some. Some ways downstream however the stream broadened out to maybe 50 feet and the current did not look too bad at that point. Since my feet, socks and boots were already soaked, I decided to go for it.   As always when fording, I unhooked the bellyband, sternal strap, and sternal bag, so that I could ditch the backpack if I fell, and slowly started across. At first it was not too bad, but the water gradually went knee deep, and then to midthigh. The force of the rushing water was incredible. About 80% of the way across it happened! My right pole slipped and I went down and under the water.   The whole thing took mabey 5-7 seconds, but it seemed like a lifetime. My first thought was to get out of the shoulder harness and let the bag go. My right pole was whipped out of my hand by the rushing water and carried down stream. Before I surfaced I realized that the backpack was floating on the surface and, like an inverted life jacked, was carrying me downstream. I finally managed to get my head above the rushing waters and realized that I had become ¢ backpack and all ¢ entangled in the limbs of a tree that had fallen in from the other bank. Clutching at the limbs of the tree I was able to finally pull myself upright with the backpack still on. With much snapping of twigs, and pawing on the muddy bank, I was finally able to make it to the other side.   Maryland route 491 runs right by the spot of this adventure, and two guys in a jeep, who saw the whole thing, stopped to make sure that I was OK and that no one else had been swept away in the crossing. As I lay there on my back on the bank, like a stranded fish, trying to get my heart to slow down, I took stock and realized that I was OK. Reassured, my two would be rescuers drove off into the rain and mist, with, I am sure, a great tail to tell all about the stupid AT hiker who nearly got himself drowned.   After I recovered somewhat, I found my missing pole had lodged on a rock downstream and I was able to wade in and recover it without difficulty. I checked the contents of the backpack and remarkably everything was OK and still pretty much dry. Since my adventure at Overmountain Shelter when my down sleeping bag got wet, I go to a lot of trouble to try to keep the vital contents of the bag - my sleeping bag and a set of dry gear ¢ as dry as possible. In this case it also worked as a protection against the raging Antietam Creek also. The only casualty of the dunking was my camera, which I carry in my sternal bag. It was completely soaked and is non-functioning.   Currently I am at Devils Racecourse Shelter about one mile from my near drowning, I have changed into my dry gear and spread out the wet stuff in a forlorn hope that some of it might dry. I have had a hot drink and am feeling recovered somewhat, and very thankful that, not alone did I survive, but that no great harm was done to my gear or myself. I even have my wayward hiking pole back!Thought for Today ¢   The spirits took pity on me and lent me the limbs of a downed tree to save me from the flood.   It is better to be born lucky than to be born rich!