Date: 2003-05-20
From: Dalgren Campgrounds 

To: Wolfsville Rd
Miles today: 13.7

Aloha! Whoa Doggie! As I sit here on the side of the road I realize I'm a bit out of practice. I slightly miscalculated my day today. Oops! Math is so hard! But before I get into explaining that comment, I believe all tales should have a beginning, with that said...in the beginning...   I woke early in hopes of getting out and to the pay phone for what was believed to be Dusty and Skipper's closed down time. Off I went heavily resembling a woman with a mission. I arrived with plenty of time to spare. Much to my joy, Skipper answered the phone. Yea!    I got to chat with both of them and catch-up on the recent change from Bears Den to the Youth Hostel/Backpacker Suite in Harpers Ferry. For you future hikers, do plan on stopping in with them when passing through Harpers. They have lots of changes in store to make the place even better. I plan on stopping back at the completion of my Grand Adventure.    Anyway, as luck would have it, Skipper was already scheduled to hike the exact route I just hiked but in the southerly direction! What perfect timing! He and a friend were setting up cars at both ends so he¢d be able to shuttle me to a quick grocery trip and to Caledonia. Yippeeee! Problem solved. We discussed when I thought I'd get here and I through out noon. He indicated that they wouldn't even be back by then. That's okay... I'd wait and take longer getting here. With that we hung up and my day continued.   After a call to the home front to ensure all was as it should be I was off to see the Washington Monument. This is a Maryland state park built around the first monument ever constructed to honor George Washington. It's an interesting monument. Quite resembles that of an old milk bottle and is supposedly more modest than the one in DC. I didn't know there was one in DC. When the tower is open, as it was today, the observation deck provides views of the surrounding countryside. In this case it was great for watching a couple of hawks playing on the winds.   Along the way I enjoyed the company of Quasimoto and met Moose Killer. This is a 72-year-old gentleman that's been making his way south over many years. He is known in and named by the fine folks of Massachusetts for his tangle with a moose. No he didn't kill it. He just literally tangled with it and came in second. An interesting man.    Our continued walk took us across the I-70 footbridge. It's the first time in a long time I've had a trucker honk and wave at me. Hummm... as I sit here it just dawned on me that maybe the honks were for Quasi. He is quite cute. Humph! We also took in the Annapolis rocks while we were passing by. The rocks reminded me a bit of McAfee Knob in southern Virginia. Lovely views and great practice for the 7 rock climbers present. I spent a lovely lunch there watching the climbers and hawks.   This is where things seem to get "iffy". As I strolled along north with Quasi I was beginning to think that I was taking this meandering to the extremes. How long can it really take to go 9 miles? "Nine?" says Quasi. "It's 14 to the road." Huh?   Well, a quick look at the map and data book proved him to be correct. Where I was thinking that I only had maybe another mile to go, I had a touch over five! No wonder Skipper sounded a little surprised when I said noon. Now here it is 1:45 and I have 5 miles to go!   Okay, no big deal. You can do 5 miles in decent enough time. Or so I thought. I would have though had Maryland not found the need to place a boulder field in my path for half the distance and make 1/4 of the remaining part Uphill! I huffed and I puffed, and I carefully picked my way through the boulders to finally arrive at the road parking lot at 4:30! Noon - silly me!Okay, next problem. I don't know if Skipper has come and gone because I don' know what his vehicle looks like! I planned this really well, can you tell? Skipper ran a shuttle for me once before when hiking in the Shenandoah¢s so I have a vague memory of what the vehicle looks like. I also vaguely recall that they're from Alabama originally and the vehicle I'm now sitting outside of has Alabama plates. Boy I hope so. Because if not I'm going to look really foolish having picked an uncomfortable gravel parking lot to hang out in vice just feeling foolish. My fingers are crossed that when he said that they would be going slowly, he meant really slow!   Now I know what you're thinking. Yes, we should have run in to each other since we were hiking in opposite directions on the same trail. We actually planned on reuniting on the trail. But alas, the best-laid plans of mice, men and hikers... didn't happen. The only thing I can surmise is that when I was enjoying my leisurely lunch at Annapolis Rocks, they opted to forego the view and hike on by. Can't think of any other place we could have missed each other. Well, I guess they could have been off peeing in the woods and I would have happily missed that but otherwise no.   So now I sit. I'll continue to do so until either they return, the owners of the vehicle return or it starts becoming dark. If the latter occurs then I'll head back to the trail and hit the next shelter a mere .2 miles away. It'll all work out in the end. For some odd reason it just happens that way on the trail.   That brings you to the moment on my day. Isn't it lovely? It's been another gorgeous blue-sky day but I hear that that's coming to an end tomorrow with thunderstorms anticipated thru the weekend. That should make for new and different tales. For now though, I'll close.    Wait! It's 6:30p, I was just about to shut this down and write a note for whomever and ... they're here! Right van, right plates! Wuhuu! I'll catch you up on the end of the day in a short. Aloha for now.    Well, it's 11:00p and I'm content and cozy. Thanks to my demi-god Skipper I¢ve had dinner at a lovely little country buffet with two, count 'em, two, full tables of pies. Every flavor you can think of. Dangerous, very dangerous for a gal that's only been on the trail for three days. Bless him! From there to here - the Rite Spot Hotel down the road from Caledonia State Park. It was too late and dark for me to hike to the first shelter and raining on top of it. My choices were to find a camp spot somewhere in Caledonia, hide out in the pavilion area or checkout the local hotel. We came to the hotel. Nice folks, they gave me the last room at a discount and no taxes. They're also going to shuttle me back to the trail in the morning. Most excellent.   So you see, everything really does work out in the end and better than hoped in my case. I got to spend more time with Skipper, a buffet and another shower! Pretty darn good for my third day on the trail!   Aright, it's been another long and fun-filled and wonderful day. Time to snuggle down into my cozy comfy sleeping...oh wait, make that my queen size bed. Right after I soak in a hot tub! Ahhhhh...hiking is such hard work! Sure glad I can take the burden away from you!BS&T: A&P: None really to speak of. The hips are still feeling bruised but only slightly. I am a bit stiff but nothing a Motrin won't fix.   M&G: ROCKS! Big rocks, little rocks, middle-sized rocks, stump your toe rocks, and irritating rocks! ROCKS!Critter count: 2x chipmunks, 3x squirrels, 1x deer, and lots of southbound 2-legged pack mules.