Date: 2006-06-09
From: Devil's Racecourse Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 25.4
Weather: broken clouds

Wow- today is my longest day so far. I needed to get to South Mountain postoffice before it closed so I got up around 5:30 and left at 6. Terrain was mucheasier than I anticipated so I was able to keep a pace of almost 3.5 miles anhour. Caught up with Freefall after crossing into Penn, we had met earlier inthe trip and hiked near each other for awhile in GA and NC. He said he was goingto move on to the shelter after the one I was planning on, and he was stoppingin town too."Hmmm I thought, I wonder if I can make it there and do my biggestday yet?" I had to walk the 1.2 into South Mountain for my mail drop- no one would give ahitch. After eating myself silly at the gas station I picked up my mail, andasked if there was a taxi service that could bring me back to the Trail. "ohjust stick out your thumb, people love giving hitches here." After explaining mytrouble getting one before, the lady said while pointing   "Maybe its because ofyour hat." Talking about my recently aquired straw cowboy hat. Hmmm...come to think of it, I did have a hard time hitching into Boonsboro- whenI finally got picked up it was by a man in a cowboy hat...So I took my hat off and what do you know! I got a hitch in about threeminutes...hmmm I thought cowboys were thought of as good guys.I managed to avoid two short thunderstorms while I was eating- but more weresuppose to be on the way. Should I stop at the first shelter or go on to thenext? If I went at the same pace, I would probably make it before the nextstorm... if they were spaced apart evenly. Nah- I decided- I'll just go to thefirst shelter. So I walked the .2 off the trail to a nice set of doubleshleters, and found them both empty. I sat down and thought- chances were thatno one was coming here tonight- it was too far for the people I was with lastnight, and too close for the people I passed camping. So I left- but now I hadwasted time and had to move a goodbit faster than I had whenI was fresh in themorning with an empty pack. "ah ha, a challnge!" my brain said "You dumba**, you'll regret it" my legsretorted. So off I went, chugging as fast as I could uphills and running theflats and downhills. I made good time, Caledonia State Park had some nice flatspots. Too bad I ran full tilt right past a wedding, haha. As I started thelongest uphill of the day some storm clouds started moving in. (Don't those biguphills always seem to be at the end of the day?) So I pushed myself- my lord it is awesome to be in such good shape! How manypeople can run uphill wth a pack on for an extended period of time? I just keptsaying to myself- 2.7 miles..2.7 miles. Right as I decided I couldn't takeanymore...the rain started. The word that came out of my mouth was "psssffft"but I think I was trying to say "crap." Low and behold, before I could take asecond breath to voice my opinion of the situation- the shelters appeared!! So I sprinted and stayed fairly dry. Boy was I glad I did those extra miles.Quarry Gap Shelters are by far the best shelter/s I've seen so far. Manythruhikers echoed this statement in the register. It like "The Brady Bunch"meets "Lost"! Many thanks Innkeeper for your effort and time! Today has been agood day- time for supper and bed. Long days and pleasant nights.