Date: 2012-05-04
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

This is just a great day on the Appalachian Trail! I got up really early (5:30 am) and was hiking by 6:30 am with plenty of time to see ¢BOB¢ peak his head over the top of the South Mountain. By eight o¢clock I had reached another one of those wonderful little Maryland state parks¢one of four separate ones that are spread across the Civil War battle sites of South Mountain that preceded the more famous Battle of Antietam, by just a few days. Besides taking in one of those ¢65 degree museums¢ (how sweet on a hot muggy morning!), I also visited the oldest monument to George Washington built in 1827.By noontime, I was at the AT bridge that crosses I-70, between Hagerstown and Frederick. It was special to me, because I have driven over it so many times and wondered, When? Someday? At 3:30 pm, I was still in the same neighborhood. I changed my clothes (clean shirt, pants, etc¢¦) and walked a half mile down the mountain to the Dog Patch Tavern for lunch. It turns out that this tavern is a biker hangout, and the atmosphere (pool table, motorcycle pictures) is in general disarray and disrepair. The jukebox had Leonard Skynard plus ¢country crazy¢, and the clientele all confirmed it--keys on chains, motorcycle boots, du-rags, wooly beards and dark glasses. It was so dark you could grow mushrooms in it. When I arrived at noon there were two patrons (who looked like permanent fixtures), pounding down ¢Black Russians¢ and commiserating over the problems each was having with their respective Parole Officers. I just focused my attention on my iced-tea and the $3.25 lunch special (which was a bowl of chili and a grilled cheese sandwich.)After lunch I made my way to Pine Knoll Shelter, which was only about a quarter of a mile away from the I-70 bridge where I replenished water and took a VERY nice, hour nap in the shade of a lean-to. At that point it was about time to return the bridge because, my business partner, Barb Bridendolph was traveling from her home in Pennsylvania to Baltimore, and I wanted her to get a picture of me crossing the bridge that I had traveled under so many times. It¢s a picture that says ¢ Appalachian Trail¢ on the bridge, right under where I would be crossing. After this brief encounter (the bridge is totally enclosed in chain-link fence and the roar of the passing cars and trucks made communication virtually impossible with Barb, who was 30 feet below me). It was time to just head north and put one foot in front of the other.Having missed the hottest part of the day, I put on my sandals and knocked off 8 12 miles in the next three hours. Except for one half-mile section of pure ¢rock garden¢, the trail was wide, soft and flat, perfect for an easy stroll in the woods. An hour before I reached the Cowell Shelter, a little thunderstorm cooled me off and perked me up. Dinner was crackers and cheese and tuna casserole with cookies for dessert. There are four college-aged guys from Pittsburgh here, three of whom have never backpacked before. It¢s delightful to listen to and watch them!But now its 10 pm, my tummy is full and my shelter-mates are all asleep, and it¢s time to close the books on a fun, relaxed, impromptu day.