Date: 2021-05-02
To: Dahlgren Backpack Campground 
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I was camped about 40 yards away from some teenage Boy Scouts last night. As I lay in my hammock around 7:30pm writing a journal entry I heard their troop leader come over from where he was camped to bring a shovel and have the lads dig a group latrine a little ways down the hill. They trooped (scouted?) off to do so. Around 11:30 I woke to cries of dismay; apparently one of the boys went to use their group cat hole and stepped in it by accident. I¢m not sure they have a badge for that, but his trail name should be a memorable one. Up at 5:30 to pack and head into Harpers Ferry. I had 2.7 miles to town but the trail wreaked havoc on my feet. Sharp stones, roots and lots of down down down left me limping the last mile over the bridge and into town. About 7/10ths of a mile from downtown there was a side trail that goes to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters: the home of the AT. Now, I knew that the center was closed (opinion alert: due to shortsighted Covid rules) but it¢s kinda obligatory to take your picture there. I dallied for 5 minutes trying to decide if I wanted to climb the hill. Finally, I climbed. So 20 minutes later I staggered to their building and met 4 hikers on the sidewalk: Viking Man, Tall Boy, Not Yet, and Wicked. They had all started in Georgia and were nearing the halfway point of their trek. They were kind enough to take my picture and then mean enough to leave me in their dust going back to the trail and then town. When I got downtown I posted up in a coffee shop to try and decide what to do. I really didn¢t think I had miles in my feet today. I got a large coffee with a large amount of cream and a roast beef breadless sandwich - so basically a pile of roast beef with onions, lettuce and horseradish. Do I take a zero and maybe find a shuttle to drive to pick up a package on Monday and drive me back? Or just stay the night and hike out Monday and pick up my new shoes 32 miles up trail on Tuesday?  I had another coffee and then some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream to think on what to do. The ice cream didn¢t help me decide, but it didn¢t hurt either.  After an hour and a half of more wafflind a decision was reached: I loaded up and walked out of town. (Side note, Harpers Ferry is a fascinating place to visit. Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, John Brown, Civil War history, the second  Niagara conference, hiking, biking, touring - there¢s a lot to see here).So I crossed the bridge into Maryland and...blisssssssssssssssss. Nearly three miles of flat walking on the cinder towpath next to the C&O Canal.  Potomac River on the right, canal and flowers and turtles (I stopped counting them when I hit 100), bikers and joggers galore, it was just the walk I needed. The trail eventually left the towpath and climbed a few hundred feet into more bliss. 80% of the trail I walked in Maryland today was soft forest floor or large flat rocks almost like paving stones. Apparently the trail builders in Maryland didn¢t get the memo that they were supposed to dig up the rocks and stand them pointy end up like on the rest of the trail, you know, as a challenge!The other 20% of the trail did have rocky sections, mainly when crossing up and over a ridge. But like an attentive waiter who notices a smudge on your knife and quickly and apologetically getting a replacement, the trail would eschew the rocks and get you back to smoothed walking.So, I walked. I did come across trail magic where the trail crossed through a state park. A couple by the name of O¢Donnell had water, cokes, and sandwiches for hikers. I gratefully took a soda but passed on the sandwich. I had already eaten once today, and you don¢t want to push these things. I rolled into a backpackers campground about 6:30 to get set up for the night. There are actually flush toilets and showers here. After some more internal debate, I went to take a shower, letting it run for a few minutes until the spiders had either fled or drowned. I did find my right heal had sneakily formed it¢s third blister since I started hiking, so I lanced that baby before turning in. Two things on tomorrow¢s agenda: a lot of rain (reportedly) and a package (hopefully) including new shoes waiting 15 miles up trail. I have until 4:30 to get to Smithsburg, Md before the post office closes. Promises to be an...interesting day.