Date: 2005-09-05
From: 1 mile north of Rocky Mtn. Shelter, PA

To: 1 mile north of Booneboro Mtn Rd, MD
Miles today: 36.2

36.2 miles today1 mile north of Boonesboro Mtn Rd, Md.I'm in Maryland!!! I slept well again last night, but I almost always do when I'm stealth tenting and laying on soft leaves. I woke up at 5am, but didn't put my stove outside until 5:30. I guess that was my way of being lazy. :-))) I had my breakfast and coffee, then packed up and started walking at 6:40am. It was 2 months ago today that I started this hike by climbing Katahdin. It always amazes me how much living you can pack into your life by living outside. My body has gotten into a rythm of starting off the day's walk slowly, but within a half an hour to an hour, it's saying to me..."Alright, we're going for a walk today!!" :-))) I had a small climb to the first shelter today, but I didn't stop there because it was .3 miles off the trail. I made another 500 foot climb and walked by Chimney Rocks before heading back down to Tumbling Run Shelter where I stopped and signed the register. I hiked on and walked by Antietam Shelter without stopping. I climbed the next mountain which was another 500 foot climb. I stopped at Deer Lick Shelter and signed that register. The last 3 shelters were all within about 4 miles of each other. I walked down the mountain and crossed Rt 16 and had another 500 foot climb before coming back down about 800 feet. It was a short climb to the state line. I crossed into Maryland from Pennsylvania and I also crossed the Mason-Dixon line. I said hello to Pamela Kay. It was 12:10pm when I took a self portrait in front of the sign and hiked on to Pen-Mar Park. I sent in my journal and got my email, then bought 2 sodas out of a machine and sat down and ate lunch while I read my emails. There was one email from a trail angel named Rosie who signed my guestbook. She said if she knew where I would be that she would bring some fried chicken and cokes. :-))) It was short notice, but one of the spots she listed that she could meet me at was I-70 where the trail crosses it on a pedestrian bridge, so I sent an email and said I'd be crossing that bridge about dark today. I had already walked 16 miles today and it was 1pm, but that fried chicken lit a fire under my butt and I walked that next 18 miles and got there 20 minutes before sunset. I had to climb Quirauk Mountain which was all rocks. That was about a 600 foot climb. About 4pm, I stopped at Ensign Cowall Shelter long enough to sign the register, then walked a little more to the spring and got water. That was my only stop from 1pm to 7:10pm and it only took 5 minutes. I walked by Wolfsville Rd and on my next climb, ran into a group of about 8 teenagers backpacking. I didn't expect to see anyone out here because the holiday weekend is over. I kept walking and passed Black Rock Cliffs, Annapolis Rocks and Pine Knob Shelter before I got to I-70. I looked all over when I got there, but no trail angel. :-((( That's ok, I really kind of expected that since I only sent the email 6 hours ago. It was worth a try anyway. I sat there and waited from 7:10 to 7:30 when the sun sets here. I still didn't see anyone, so I walked on. I saw 3 deer about 10 minutes later. Those are the first deer I've seen in a couple days. It got dark on me, but I needed to keep walking until I got away from the traffic noise which took me another 40 minutes. I don't like looking for stealth sites after dark because it's alot harder to find the good ones, but I finally found one after walking around in the woods for a while. Hope I can find my way back out to the trail in the morning. :-))) I set up my tent and got in and looked in my food bag. I ate 4 pieces of white bread with nothing on them and did my best pouty look I could because this was supposed to be fried chicken. I can really get that lower lip out there when I don't get fried chicken and cokes. ;-((( If this keeps up, my ribs really are going to start sticking out!! Tomorrow I should get into Harpers Ferry early afternoon. Hopefully that works out so I can get a few things done and answer my emails I have waiting, but that's ok, I love getting those emails and I like to answer each one...sometimes it just takes a few days.