Date: 2008-05-08
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 25.4
Weather: light rain

As I was about to fall asleep last night, Stovie gave me 12 of the earpiece to his radio and we jammed out to ¢In Da Club¢ by Usher ft. Young Jeezy. This occurred right after we discussed his amazing dance moves and how funny it would be if that song were to come on. Man, last night, Slow Joe snored like crazy, but the rain did help drown it out a little. At 6:45am, we all woke up and began our morning ritual¢¦Erik was still sleeping because he had lots of time before he had to move on (His route is to walk from WV/MD border?MD/PA border), so he takes it pretty easy! While we were getting ready to leave, however, Erik sat up and told us that he would keep an eye out for all those people we told him to. Well, by 8:20a, we had climbed the steep hill out of the shelter and began walking. Within 15 minutes or so, we took the detour to High Rocks¢¦mad did people graffiti the heck out of this place¢¦and enjoyed a good view with some gentle wind. It¢s a really nice feeling to just be relaxing and enjoy the feel of ¢nature¢ on your skin. Then, we pushed on to the PEN-MAR State Park. When we arrived, we enjoyed a nice view and wind under the pavilion when Strides rolled in! After a quick break, we all pressed on to the MD/PA Border, which is also known as the Mason-Dixon Line. After snapping a picture, I began whistling Dixie as I crossed! We all stood around for a bit, but Strides took off because he had plans to hitch into town for lunch at KFC. When we got to PA-16, we decided to take a snack break and relax¢¦only to find Strides being dropped off by a truck. Apparently, the companion was wrong about there being a KFC, which means he had to do a gas station lunch stop. While he was eating, we pushed on to the Deer Lick Shelter to look for the register, which wasn¢t there. Again, we rolled out as Strides was rolling in. It wasn¢t until we reached the Antietam Shelter, however, that we decided to take a proper lunch break. As we ate, I had to rub my right foot because it was KILLING ME. We decided to finally stop taking all those breaks and decided to hike on without any interruptions (we hiked a whopping 7.3 miles in 2hrs), but that didn¢t last very long. So, at side trail to the Rocky Run Shelter, we took a break so that I could empty the debris out from my shoes. When we pressed on, we passed 2 guys and a girl¢¦the funny thing is that I was able to smell cleanliness as they walked by. After crossing the four lane PA 30, we made it to Caledonia State Park and discovered that the water fountains were all disconnected. So, we took another small break on the picnic tables and enjoyed watching people run by us..! Continuing on the trail, we began with a climb that I thought was a bit tough. I¢m not sure why I think these climbs are tough, could it be because I¢m getting soft or is it the fact that I need a zero day?!? By 6:30p, we finally made it to the shelter and finally caught Bare Fodder. He¢s a 70 year old Tennessean who is hiking the AT for his 70th birthday and as a method of raising money for local missionaries. Also, Breakman and Grasshopper are here too. Before Yeti joined us, he was hiking with them, but due to some zero days and knee pain, they pulled ahead. Originally, there was a 10 day gap between Yeti and them, but we finally caught them and it only took ~2 months. After pumping my water from this very nice little stream, I prepared my dinner: 1 pack of Ramen, 2 packs of crackers, Some Peanut butter and cranberries, a box of Chicken fried Rice and 2 Snicker¢s bars¢¦the ¢real world¢ is going to tough for me to reintegrate into. Well, it¢s 9:20p and I should probably get some sleep because tonight is my last night on the AT for the 2008 year, so I¢m going to try and enjoy it as much as I can. Furthermore, I do like the fact that the guys are gonna stay with me in the Hostel tomorrow and see me off. Looking back on it, there are some things that I want to do differently when I return: 1) Carry a down vest for insulation (mainly in the summer), 2) Wear my ¢wind jacket¢ instead of my Gore-Tex Jacket, 3) Never just buy cinnamon raisin bread and PB without jelly or honey, 4) Full length sleeping pad = Awesome, especially when your feet are throbbing, 5) I want to buy a woman¢s skirt or shorts out here to increase ventilation, 6) Tarp-Poncho ? good trip. Alright, now I¢m off to bed¢¦NIGHT!!!