Date: 2004-07-01
From: Devil's Race Course Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Start Devils Racecourse ShelterDestination Deer Lick Shelters The sounds of barking dogs, lots of barking dogs summoned me from a blissful deep sleep. For several minutes I lay there listening to the barking, thinking that it was coyotes. But then as the sounds came closer, I realized that it was hunting dogs after something. I figured since it was the wrong time of the year for serious hunting, some one was probably training their pups. It wasn't long before the howling changed, poor old Mr.Coon was obviously up a tree without any recourse. For the better part of an hour the noise went on, until finally, just after 1:30am, the woods got still again. Except for that big something that kept walking around my tent. I was grateful that the dogs had not gotten a whiff of my food bag. They would have had a fight on their hands for sure. Well, had I been brave enough to get out of my tent to defend my food. I finally dozed back off, and woke up to the thoughts of cold drinks and pizza a mere 4.6 miles away. I think the 380 mgs. of sodium last night went to my toes as I could not get my feet into my shoes very easily. My toes looked like swollen Vienna Sausages. I loosened my shoelaces more and shoved my boots on. I did not even cook breakfast, but settled for a power bar and a glass of water. The climb up to the trail did not seem near as steep as coming down it last night. It is amazing what a night's sleep will do for a person. Just south of Penmar Park, I met a south bounder who said the pizza place would deliver to the park, thus saving a three mile trip. What news! Pizza, cold drinks, running water hot and cold with soap and paper towels, flush toilets, pay phone, picnic tables all right on the trail. A Stromboli and liter of Mugg Root Beer later, I was looking for a shade tree to crawl under. Instead I found thru hikers Swan, Blue, Ersa Minor and Foggy Pete. I thought I knew Pete from somewhere, and it turns out I met him last year in Maine. He had hiked some with Muddbutt in the Whites. Then who should hike up but Chef, who I rode Amtrak with from DC to Harper's Ferry with last week. I called home and got caught up with news there. When you are self employed there is always something going on. Then when you have young adult children living at home, there¢s even more going on. This too will pass. It made me feel guilty though. As I hung up the phone, I realized, I was just walking away from it all. But then I can't control it, or cure it, I didn't cause it; I just have to learn to cope with it. Does anyone out there identify? And more importantly, are you still sane? PenMar Park sits right on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, the Mason Dixon Line. In its day it was quite the attraction, with carolsels, gazebos, and dance floors. Upwards of 15,000 people would be in the park on any given weekend. Then the advent of automobiles gave people the freedom to go farther for vacations and entertainment, soon the park was dead, crumbling into ruins, and the hotels that sprang up were closed. Now resurrected, the park has a very nice playground, picnic tables, bathrooms, a small museum and on Sunday afternoons live big band music which seniors come and dance to. As tempting as it was to camp there overnight, the $500.00 fine was out of the question. I pulled myself free of the views and back on the trail I went. I ran into a group of 9/10 year old girls out for a short hike to the creek and struck up a conversation with them, or rather they with me asking all sorts of questions about my hike. I shared with them my fund raising efforts for polio vaccines, and then had to educate them about what polio was. How you got it and how you prevented it. I told them to go home and thank their mothers for getting them the shots when they were smaller. I would have liked to be eavesdropping at the dinner table tonight at some of their houses. I know how kids can really get things mixed up easily. I was much impressed when one girl asked" Didn't President Roosevelt have polio?" Whoever her teacher was, I commend her. I felt like a celebrity as they all crowded around me wanting to take my picture with their little disposable cameras. Bless them, not one of them told me I smelled bad! I was too hard on myself on the climb up out of Penmar. It seemed to be awfully slow going for me. Like I want it to be easy now. Even though no one passed me, I still felt like I was moving at a snail's pace. My feet told me it was time to stop when I got to Deer Lick Shelters. I thought Calamity and Chef were stopping for the night, but they chose to go farther. Then Hank, a section hiker came in and we ate supper together, discussing the upcoming holiday, the blue moon and various other topics. He told me he had heard back in Harpers Ferry that there had been a rock slide on Mt. Katahdin this week, killing one hiker. He didn't know any more than that, but I am sure as I hike the trail more news will travel down. I can still hear traffic from the roads we passed earlier. Not as loud tonight. How I long for the quietness of the woods, where all you hear are the birds singing each other to sleep and big things moving around in the dark. The fireflies are out tonight, flittering here and there looking for that one special bug. In the distance a whip o will is calling for honey to come home. Another state behind me, another blister on my foot, trail life is good. Total miles 9.6