Date: 2004-08-04
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Ensign Cowell Shelter
Miles today: 15.7

This is just a great day on the Appalachian Trail! I got up really early (5:30 a.m.) and was hiking by 6:30 a.m. with plenty of time to see BOB peak his head over the top of the South Mountain. By eight o¢clock I had reached another one of those wonderful little Maryland state parks¢one of four separate ones that are spread across the Civil War battle sites of South Mountain that preceded the more famous Battle of Antietam, by just a few days. Besides taking in one of those ¢65° museums¢ (how sweet on a hot muggy morning!), I also visited the oldest monument to George Washington built in 1827.By noontime I was at the AT bridge between Hagerstown and Frederick that crosses I-70. It was special to me, because I have driven under it so many times and wondered, When? Someday? I changed my clothes (clean shirt,) and walked a half mile down the mountain to the Dog Patch Tavern for lunch. It turns out that this tavern is a biker hangout, and the atmosphere (pool table, motorcycle pictures) is most befitting. The jukebox had Leonard Skynard plus ¢country crazy¢, and the clientele all confirmed it--keys on chains, motorcycle boots, du-rags, wooly beards and dark glasses. It was so dark inside you could grow mushrooms on the bar. When I arrived a little after noon there were two patrons (both of who looked like permanent fixtures), pounding down ¢Black Russians¢ and commiserating over the problems each was having with their respective Parole Officers. I just focused my attention on my iced-tea and the $3.25 lunch special-a bowl of chili and a grilled cheese sandwich. By the time I left the place it was starting to fill up and I figured that they figured it was time for me to go. Feet: do your thing!After lunch I made my way to Pine Knoll Shelter which was only about a quarter of a mile away from the I-70 Bridge. I replenished water and took a VERY nice, hour nap in the shade of the shelter. At that point it was about time to return the I-70 Bridge because, my business partner, Barb Bridendolph, was en route from her home in Pennsylvania to Baltimore, and I wanted her to get a picture of me crossing the bridge that I had traveled under so many times. We made our rendezvous on time and she got a picture of me crossing the bridge with the sign, ¢Appalachian Trail¢ right underneath me. Our encounter was brief as the bridge is totally enclosed in chain-link so I couldn¢t get down to her car and the roar of the passing cars and trucks made communication virtually impossible with her 30 feet below me. So it was soon time to just head north and put one foot in front of the other.Having missed the hottest part of the day, I put on my sandals and knocked off 8 12 miles in the next three hours. Except for one half-mile section of pure ¢rock garden¢, the trail was wide, soft and flat, perfect for an easy stroll in the woods. An hour before I reached the Cowell Shelter, a little thunderstorm cooled me off and perked me up. Dinner was crackers and cheese with tuna casserole and cookies for dessert. There are four college-aged guys from Pittsburgh here, three of whom have never backpacked before. Listening to them puts a smile on my face. But now it¢s 10 pm. My tummy is full and my shelter-mates are all asleep. It¢s time to close the books on a fun, relaxed, impromptu day.