Date: 2011-06-19
From: MD 491

To: Antietam Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Ed and Judi had to get to church so there wasn't a lot of time to chat in the morning. We had a simple breakfast and Ed took me to the trailhead on 491. I was very blessed to have spent a second evening with them. After looking at my guide book, I realized that the first shelter was just a mile off the trail. Given that it was an easy hike, it might have been easier for everyone if I had just night hiked to the shelter. I saw "Hamburgalur" there who was just getting ready to head out. I wanted to make a few phone calls while I had a signal so I stayed a while at the shelter. I looked at the water situation and decided to not get water at the shelter since I had enough to get me to the next stream. The water source was a half a mile down a steep hill so waiting seemed to be the best option. The next stop for the day was an overlook, called High Rock, about 2 miles from the shelter. I took the trail to the overlook and sat there while enjoying a snack. I then headed back and ended up going the wrong direction on the trail! I didn't realize my mistake until I was back at the shelter. Not only did I hike and extra 3.6 miles but I also had to go down that steep hill to get water! Boy was I mad at myself. I was fuming all the way back. I met "Hoop" and "Socks" as they were slack packing southward. After I told what had happened, "Socks" offered me some food that she had in an attempt to calm me down. I told her that I would get over it and thanked get for her offer. We talked a little bit more and were on our respective ways. I stopped at a park called Pen Mar to have lunch and to listen to the music being played at the pavilion. It was dance music and though not my favorite, it was at least well done. I was also able to get a soda at the concession stand. That's always a treat for a hiker. Midway through eating lunch it began to rain. So I hung around a while hoping it would stop. As it got later, I realized that I just needed to suck it up and hike in the rain. The thing that keeps from hiking in the rain is just the issue of getting my gear wet. It's actually nice to hike in the rain because it cools me off. Not to far past the park was the Mason-Dixon line. I was officially out of the south and in Pennsylvania. I hiked at a fairly fast pace because I wanted to get to the stopping point at a reasonable hour. When I was at Deer Lick Shelter, I decided to eat dinner so that I wouldn't end up eating too late. The next shelter was an easy 2.4 miles and the shelter after that was just another mile. After cleaning up, I packed everything and took off for the next shelter. When I got there, I noticed that there was a large stream in which to bath so I decided to make it my stop for the day. When I got closer, there was "Spring" whom I hadn't seen for a couple of weeks. I also thought she was behind me on the trail and going to head back to Germany. We were happy to see each other. We were joined by another couple who went by the name M&M. I can't remember their names but they just went by the abbreviations. I enjoyed the bath in the stream since it was a fairly hot and humid day. The cold water on the feet is always pleasant as it helps reduce the soreness. So what turned out to be a rough start turned into a great end. Such is the way of the trail.