Date: 2015-05-21
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

The night was very cold and rainy. I slept poorly as I was uncomfortably chilly. I finally drifted off to sleep, but it was time to get up. We lazed around, unwilling to exit the tent and face the rain.We have with us a proposed NoBo schedule composed by Awol (if you Google it, you can easily find it - he has compiled different schedules for a 12 mi/day average, 15 or 18). According to Awol, "rocks are a factor from Pogo Campsite all the way to Pen Mar Park". In no other segment does he mention anything about rocks, though sometimes he does warn you about a particularly difficult portion. Excuse me, Awol, EXCUSE ME, but don't you think rocks are factor in OTHER places too? The Roller Coaster, Dragon's Tooth, maybe? I was wondering why he decided to specify this small stretch of the Trail and omit others, then I remembered: if you read his book, "Awol on the Appalachian Trail", you will learn that he sprained his ankle in that exact location. I can assure everyone that injury can occur absolute.ly anywhere. I told Shrugs about Awol's selective descriptions and added that he should always warn hikers about incoming rocks. Shrugs said this would be impossible. I explained: "He would have to set a "rock scale", for instance, a terrain that was covered in 80% rocks could be classified as 'very rocky'; 50% would then be 'somewhat rocky' and so on". Shrugs thought about this and responded: "No, unless you quantify the rocks, the Trail's apparent rockyness will always be subjective, therefore you couldn't really put in consistent descriptions in the guidebook. People will invariably be expecting different things". OH MY GOD SHRUGS, STOP DEFENDING AWOL!We hiked in the rain and rocks for a good while before we crossed the Mason-Dixon line - we are officially out of the South. I was excited as this landmark seems more significant than Harpers Ferry to me. I feel that we are finally making progress, that we are, at last, headed North, headed home.We needed to resupply so we hitched into Waynesboro, PA to go to Walmart. We got a hitch after 5 minutes - the woman who picked us up was actually driving in the opposite direction, but, upon seeing us, made a U-turn to pick us up! We did our resupply and bought a few extra things like extremely cheap and poorly made rain jackets and new ankle wraps (yay!). Then, we stopped for lunch at Subway and got a hitch back to the trail head from a young guy. I was extremely fatigued and a semi-latent, a slowly pulsating headache was knocking against my temples - I guess going around shopping is quite exhausting for us now.We made it to the Tumbling Run Shelters (plural, because there are two), a beautifuly maintained and very clean place. So, since we are out of Maryland, here is the MARYLAND SUMMARY:- Of course, Maryland is very short, and a bit ignored by thru-hikers. VA is supposedly flat and PA is known for its rocks, but no one remembers that MD is both flat AND rocky.- Almost no elevation changes - I think the main ones were the uphills out of Harpers Ferry (Weverton), up to Raven Rock Shelter and down to the Pen-Mar Park. MD is flat!- Consequently, very little views. Washington Memorial is probably the best.- However, MD makes up for it with its historical sites, many relating to the Civil War. The Trail would frequently cross an area which had held a specific battle for example. - MD does have many rocks though. I suppose, a prelude to PA?- So, so, so many day and section hikers, even more than in the Shenandoahs, suprisingly. I though the lack of scenery might dissuade many, though the tame terrain might be what attracts so many people, even huge hordes of children. There are many state parks and roads which make the Trail ver accessible.And now, a haiku about MD:The forgotten stateA bit rocky, a bit flatGoodbye Dixie's LandAs a final note, we will no longer hear the word "Appalachian" pronounced "Appa-LAT-chin". Instead, it will now be "Appa-LAY-shun".- Axon