Date: 2003-06-06
From: Dahlgren Backpack Campground

To: Devils Racecourse Shelter
Miles today: 18.4

I slept good in my tent last night. It was about 50 degrees this morning when I got up. I'm so glad the weather permitted tenting, not that I had any choice, with the shelter being full, but it was a nice night. It's nice having personal space and not worrying about getting in someone else's space.The good weather of the night carried over to today, and it was a gorgeous day for hiking! Sunny, when you could see it through the tree canopy, and breezy, maybe 70 degrees. Just awesome!A lot of people won't call me by my trailname. Most who do that say they just don't like it. That's fine with me, they can call me something else, but the name was given to me by a friend, and was meant in good humor, so I kept it. This morning, I passed a group of middle-school kids and their chaperones, and the kids asked what my trail name was. "Wench." Blank looks on the kids faces as they passed by. An adult chaperone asked "Did you say 'quench' with a 'Q'?" "No, I said 'Wench' with a 'W'.' "Oh" he said, and walked on. Another chaperone asked my trail name and I told him. He laughed, and I said, referring to the kids, "You can explain it to them." He laughed again and moved on. It's cool to see young kids on the trail and have them ask questions. Hopefully it will pique the interest of some of them and they will learn about the AT. Maybe become thruhikers in 2013.We passed the first Washington Monument, built in 1827. It was a stone, bottle-shaped structure, with a stone spiral staircase leading to the top. It's a pretty cool structure, and had a nice view of the valley below too.Right before the I-70 footbridge, the AT passes between two houses. Dick and Jeannine, who must live in one of the houses, set up an area just off the trail with a hiker log, asking us to sign. That was pretty cool, and I wish I could've met them. I'd love to have property right on the AT!It was getting near lunchtime, and we thought about going to Annapolis Rocks, but the side-trail was 0.2mi downhill. I was tired and hungry, and not in the mood for that kind of side-trail. We kept hiking and came to a shorter trail to Black Rock Cliffs. There was a 180-degree view to the west from there, and it was awesome! The wind was blowing in gently, and it was mostly sunny. Perfect place for lunch! If the sun were out the whole time, it would've been better, because the air got a little chilly as the clouds passed overhead. The view was just awesome, though. It's places like that, that I'd love to sit at forever. Actually, I'd love to live near a place like that, and use the overlook at a 'getaway'. It was just great.We moved on, uneventfully, until we came to rocks on a ridge. The whole trail was rocks. Big rocks, small rocks, ankle-bending and foot-poking rocks. Ugh! I will remember Maryland as the state with all the Civil War monuments. More than that I will remember it as Muddy Maryland, where the trail maintainers' favorite ice cream must be Rocky Road, because there are lots of rocks, and the trail follows lots of old roads.We stopped for a break at Ensign Cowall Shelter, where Rev was making his home for the night. There was plenty of time to move on to the next shelter, but his ankle was hurting him, so he called it a day. We took a long break there, and Paparazzi showed up to take a break too. After almost an hour, it was time to move on.I was wearing down, but had to deal with a steep climb before the shelter. It was fairly short, and there was a nice little waterfall along the trail to help me forget about my tired legs. The trail finally leveled out, and before I knew it, the side-trail to the shelter was upon me. I knew it was 0.3mi off the AT, but at that point I didn't care. I'd deal with that little climb in the morning.B-Roc and Mule were already at the shelter, and Paparazzi arrived shortly after we did. Someone left some marshmallows and a fire was already going when I arrived. After dinner, I roasted marshmallows and they were mmm-mmm good!I'm tired, even though I thought I slept good last night. I usually feel tired during the day, often yawning all day long, starting in mid-morning. I don't know why, unless it's just the physical activity. My body feels good, except for my feet. They have been pretty good lately, but are always sore at the end of the day. In the morning, it takes me a few minutes to get to the point where my feet don't hurt. I limp around until my feet and ankles loosen up. Once I tie my shoelaces, I'm ready to go! I do wish my feet felt good though, because most days, the rest of my body feels strong.Tomorrow morning, I leave Maryland, and I'm not upset about that. Another state in the past. And in a couple of days, I'll reach the official Halfway Point. Wow! The miles just keep passing by. I don't feel like I'm rushing, even though sometimes I, very badly, want to get to a certain town, or road, or landmark. If I am too tired, I'll take it easy for a few days. I'm still having a good time. Today, I watched two chipmunks chase each other over logs and around trees. They are so cute, and smaller than the ones I saw in Shenandoah. It's the little things like that, and the view at Black Rock Cliffs, that reinforce why I'm out here.