Date: 2005-05-22
From: Stealth camp just north of Crampton Gap

To: Stealth camp just north of Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: broken clouds

start: Stealth camp just north of Crampton Gapfinish: Stealth camp half a mile north of Ensign Cowall Shelter miles: 21.6day: 76Feeling fine this morning. Don't know what the problem was last night, but it's gone. It rained a bit during the night. I think I woke when it started to check the tarp edges, but other than that I remember nothing.I was awake for a while, laying in bed eating breakfast and catching up my journal while the sun dried out the tarp. Life is great when all your breakfasts and dinners are eaten while lying in bed. I walk most of the daylight hours, and sometimes in the dark, and when not walking I am definitely off my feet.Anyway, due to all this lollygagging we didn't get started until 9:30 or so. Quite late for all the miles we have planned for today. Tea Break is unhappy this morning. His tent, which he had bounced forward, then just recently picked up again, is broken. He was so glad to get it back and all set to enjoy it's comforts. But alas, it was a real cheapie, and this is only the second time he's used it and it broke. So now he has to lug 4.5 lbs. of useless tent around until we reach a place to throw it away.We reach that place in 7 miles. The only place on the AT with a free hot shower. I jump right in, clothes and all. There's no soap or towel, but I just need a rinse and can drip dry in the sun. The water's real hot and feels great. As I get out the guys tell me to hurry up, as there's a 5 star restaurant serving Sunday brunch only a few tenths of a mile away.We walk into Old South Mountain Inn and the buffet and service are great. We ask and are allowed to put our packs upstairs for safekeeping. We order hot tea and it's served quite nicely, one of our measures of a good place, as so many restaurants mess that one up. Among many other things the buffet has carved roast beef, huge sausages, fruit salad, ceasar salad, and great desserts. This is much, much better than yesterday at the Hilltop House, and only a few dollars more. The only problem is that I think I'm eating more than I'm walking. We're all sleepy after our feast and Goldilocks suggests napping until dark and night hiking a long way. This never works well for me. Besides we've only done 7 miles by 3:00 pm, so I suggest we push on. We waddle along in a daze.Eventually we come to a road crossing. There's a man walking on the road, and turning onto the northbound trail. We talk for a bit and he walks on ahead. We catch up to him in a half mile when we cross the road again. He lives right beside the trail and invites us to have a cold soda. We gladly accept. He tells us how he walks the loop up the road, and then on the trail almost every day. His name is Wells Ridenour from Boonsboro, MD, but from now on he shall be called by his new trail name: Roundabout. We enjoyed the refreshment and the conversation. Thanks Roundabout!We push on, focusing now and shooting for 20 miles by dark. At that point we'll probably night hike a few more. We'd like to hit Waynesboro, PA tomorrow morning for Post Office and breakfast.The Maryland trail is largely very wide, smooth, and flat. But we run into a section of bad rocks that take time and wear us down a bit. We stop at a shelter near dark to get some water and rest a few minutes. We decide that because of the rocks we'll only hike a couple miles more tonight. We end up not even doing that much.Now I'm falling asleep in a good flat, relatively rockless spot. A gentle rain is falling, having started 10 minutes ago, and as with all of the Maryland trail, I can hear cars on a road not too far away.