Date: 2009-06-28
From: Pogo Memorial Campsite

To: Trail Campsite
Miles today: 17.6

It was our last day of hiking in the state of Maryland and it started around 8:30am. We have definitely been sleeping much better lately on the trail. Not sure if its just being tired or if it is the great campsites we have come across. Either way, we started out pretty slow and sluggish; cloudy skies loomed overhead, but we were told by our camping friend Doug that it was just a slight chance throughout the day.We immediately made a slight uphill climb and into the rocks and boulders we emerged. Everyone talks about the rocks in Pennsylvania, but nobody warned us about the boulder fields and rock scrambles in Maryland. The ups and downs were very nice today though- overall very gradual and in some parts close to flat. A few mishaps on today's hike: Bark did not mention that one of his pack straps busted yesterday, but it did. So unfortunately today his shoulders were pretty sore and we took a few extra breaks to help him out. We hope to find the phone number for Deuter so we can have them fix it. Also, during one of these shoulder breaks I noticed a steady stream of water coming out of the bottom of Bark's pack. At first we thought his mouth piece had been squished causing the water to come out, but as he pulled his bladder from his pack, it was actually the whole hose that had come detached. Unfortunately this had caused water to leak and pool inside his pack- oops. I have to say though, what could have been a very frustrating occurrence, was fixed with laughter and a few jokes. All's well that ends well.We passed many section hikers and one very large group of boy scouts all headed South on the AT. With only 3 miles left to the Maryland/Pennsylvania border we met a very nice family out for the day who was telling us they had just run a couple of hikers into Smithsburg for lunch. Turns out it was Hatchet and Holdout, a very fun couple who we have known for a little while but just recently have been camping with for the past couple of nights. Bark and I were both looking forward to crossing the Mason-Dixon Line today, marking our first footsteps into the North. It was quite an entrance to Pennsylvania too. As we were drawing close to the line we knew we would be hitting the Pen Mar State Park and sure enough through the trees came the sound of Organ music. We ventured through the park just briefly and found Doug-he was camping last night at Pogo as well. We had some great conversations with him and he and Bark shared a few military stories. He had offered this morning a ride into town if we met him at the park. By the time Bark and I had made it through a day of rocky terrain we were ready to jump on his offer.He led us down to his car and we all hopped in and headed for Waynesboro, PA's Golden Corral. Doug treated us to dinner (great AYCE buffet) and even took us to the grocery store to pick up a few items. He really went above and beyond- we were just excited for a ride into town, but we ended up with a great friend. We told him he was an official Trail Angel and he had performed some great Trail Magic for us.We got a picture with Doug as he dropped us off back at the trailhead. We didn't plan to go far and luckily we came upon a great little campsite right off the trail. Bark built us a little fire and I built our nest in the tent...almost ready for bed.In all seriousness, the past couple of days have held the biggest mental challenge for Bark and me. We are just a couple days shy of the literal halfway point and along with the never ending green tunnel,the rocky terrain has presented us slower miles and feet that are more sore than usual at the end of the day. In all of this, each day, the Lord has continued to bless us with the encouragement and love of others as we continue North. We are learning a lot about ourselves (good and bad), our limits, our frustrations, and what we need to keep going. The trail is no easy task or walk in the park as some may think- it has and will continue to challenge us until the very end. A verse that comes to mind is Romans 12:12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer." Those are great words of encouragment to my mind and heart as we press on.