Date: 2008-11-07
From: Harpers Ferry Zero Day

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

Beautiful day!After a big brakfast of pancakes cooked by our host (this place is not a B&B but there has been breakfast for us both mornings) thank you, I crossed the Potomac River into Maryland and set off for the day. And it was an enjoyable and pretty easy day.To begin with, as you leave Harpers Ferry headed north you walk along the bank of the old C&O Canal, a major transport in its day. So I walked 3 level and enjoyable miles between the canal and the railroad on one side and the Potomac River on the other while listening to the geese on the river squawk. The Shenandoah and the Potomac Rivers have long rocks in them that reminded me of the long rock formations in Aloha Lake in the Sierra.Level walking, even with fairly heavily loaded pack, goes quickly at a 3 mile an hour pace even for an old lady with a bad knee. It was nice walking and nice to knock off 3 miles so quickly.Then came a 1500 ft climb but it wasn't bad either and had a nice break in the middle to take in the view from Wever Cliffs. I sat on the cliffs enjoying the view and watching half a dozen turkey vultures circlng over head and over the valley. If I had had my camera out I could have gotten a great picture as one flew over me quite low. Oh well I got to see it pretty close up.I had lunch at Ed Garvey Memorial Shelter after a bit of confusion with a twisted sign. I enjoyed a good hour break for lunch and then headed out again. Oh, I almost forgot. Shortly before the shelter I saw a rattlesnake skin on the trail. I am just as glad I didn't see the fellow who wriggled out of the skin but seeing the whole skin was pretty neat.I saw a of couple runners in the afternoon and the trail went very quickly. I covered 4 miles in less than 2 hours which is quite fast for me. It was pretty nice, relatively level trail with a few rolling ups and downs and a bit rocky in spots. But the rocks were usually not thick enough to cause a break in stride.So I got to Gathland State Park before 3. I watered up there and also took as much of a bath as I could in a public place and got most of the sweat off me.It got up to 74 today and was sports bra weather all the way. There were a few spots of nice yellow and red in leaves along the way but the forest is yeilding to browns and bare trees unless below 1000 ft in elevation.The only problem of the day came when my very full water bladder in a very full pack leaked. I only had half a mile to the shelter and I just kept going thinking it couldn't leak that much in such a short time. It only leaked less than a cup of water but it is amazing how much can get wet with such a small amount of water.Fortuneately my sleeping bag and night clothes were in plastic bags. But what I was wearing, my shorts, underwear, socks and even one shoe got very soggy as well as the pack, my sleeping pad and a number of other things. It is a good thing it was a warm late afternoon and most things are at least half dry if not all dry by now.It is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow and I did not want to start out wet. I strung a clothes line with some binders twine that was here at the shelter. I hope mice don't run up and down the twine and cause damage. Even my brace, my New Testament and Holden Evening Prayer got wet. Hopefully all will dry without problems.Although it is only 6:00 it is quite dark and I will soon be asleep. Tomorrow is a little longer and a little more difficult. I think. Sleep is the best preparation.