Date: 2003-06-05
From: Gathland State Park

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The Hilltop Hotel has been THE hiker hangout. It is cozy and friendly. The bluffside views of the river don't come any better. I can recommend it highly.Catbert, Treadmill and I head out for breakfast. As I pass the hotel dining room, I spy Tanglefoot, sitting alone looking pale and pensive. He hasn't ordered yet, so we scoop him up and haul him off to breakfast with us.He has decisions to make. He must leave the Trail by the end of July, so there is not enough time for a proper completion. Does he pick up his pack and walk? Does he go to Katahdin and walk backward? Does he get an Amtrak pass for a month, see the country then summit the Big K and hike a bit after the worst of the black flies have left?"Too many options, really," he says.I'm sorry he's not getting back on the Trail with us, but am glad he is continuing his adventuring. I give a hug and wish him the best. The day started out cloudy, but now, could it be? The sun seems to be peeping out. It's growing in power! Sunny? Sunny! (sound of singing...) SU-U-U-UUNY!!!! The sun is coming out...Catbert and Treadmill drop me off at Gathland State Park, more hugs. I am suddenly seized with homesickness. They are going back to Southern Pines. "No! Take me with you," I joke. They don't, of course, and I walk north alone.I am in a little hiker void out here. That's okay by me, for now. I need recovery time from the busyness of town. Lots of folks held back for the outfitters party, and then left today. I am ten miles ahead of the pack, due to yesterday's shuttle.So I walk alone. Eventually, I come upon some section hikers. They tell me Turnaround is half a day ahead. She gave her staff to the handicapped young man with a lolling limp. A good thing too, he is negotiating a very rocky, uneven stretch with a large pack. I have already tripped and lurched several times."That was very kind of her," he said. I have to agree. Hikers are, by and large, great folks.Though I've had a huge breakfast, I make a lunch stop at Rocky Run shelter, a funky log structure built in 1940. PATC member Ed Klohr came over with a dish of fresh, cut up fruit from a picnic his party was having. When I went over to say "thanks again" after lunch, his wife loaded me up with homemade dessert bars; a fellow handed me a ham sandwich. Yum!The mountain laurel is just opening here, large bridal puffs of white ice cream cake flowers. On the powerline though, the laurel blossoms are hot pink, very vivid. In other places, the laurel is still in bud, not a blossom open. It has been a very cool spring, and everything is late. I am officially walking in Maryland now, a state which offers a driving tour of its many Civil War sites and battle fields. The plaques are frequent and informative.There are several near the posh South Mountain Inn, a fieldstone restaurant haunted by visiting dignitaries. The Inn is said to welcome thru-hikers; they add "atmosphere." Alas, I am too early for the horseradish-encrusted salmon special. The Inn doesn't open till 5 pm.Near Dahlgren State Park, I walked a little while with local resident - "Promise Keeper," whose year-2000 thruhike ended in New York due to heart problems. He was out today walking his sassy little terrier-mix Glyco. He had heard the latest weather report, and warned me we were going to get slammed with rain on Saturday. What else is new?I swing into the George Washington Monument Park. The tube-shaped granite structure was built by the citizens of Boonesboro, MD in 1827 to honor our first president. The tower was used in the battle of Antietam by Federal signalmen. But that's not the coolest thing. As I am walking up to the drink machine and telephone by the museum, I hear a chorus of "Lightfoot! Hey Lightfoot! Lightfoot!" A dozen little black kids come running, swarming up to me across the lawn, calling my name. "How did you know my name?" I ask wonderingly (I answer to many things.)."It's us," they said. I peered closely. Why, it was the kids from Baltimore Christian School, the group Laurie Pottienger at the ATC office had had me speak to. The were all excited to see a real live specimen "in the wild." "We saw Hotdog too, crossing a road on the way here," they tell me. They ask some more intelligent questions, and I bask in the warmth of their interest for a good while. It is deeply flattering, and they are great kids. They tell me they walked on the AT a bit. Then they give me a bag of cookies and a bottle of water."This is Trail Magic!" I tell them. I had ended my little ATC demo with some chocolates, to demonstrate the concept. It has been a day of it, Trail magic. I leave with my heart warmed to the core.The shelter is only four miles away now, and I must cross another interstate I-70 via a caged tunnel. I make a tugging motion with my arm, and the truckers blow their horns. I laugh. I feel great, it's 5 pm and the sun is out. I stop at Pine Knob shelter. I'm a little nervous. This place is a little too close to the Interstate and civilization. I am more wary of weirdos than bears. No one has been signing registers ahead of me either, so I am thinking I might be alone there tonight.I am relieved to see In The Red, a young college student, sharing the shelter. He moves his stuff over, and we share a quiet, companionable evening reading. He is reading the old classic "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and I dig into my gift book, "The Secret Life of Bees." We hardly speak three words, but there is a companionable turning of pages.Half a mile away, the trucks grumble and downshift.