Date: 2018-04-30
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Dahlgren Back Pack Campground
Miles today: 10.9

It was cold last night, in the upper 30¢s. I was warm enough in my 35 degree bag but by morning, I was mummied in tight, with just a three-inch breathing hole over my mouth and nose. My down puffy in the fleece sided clothing sack makes a very fine pillow, but I might have slept better had I worn it instead. I awoke late for me at 5:15 and didn¢t want to leave my warm nest, but my body left me no choice. The moldering privy is well maintained with no odor at all and a full barrel of wood chops, but the steps up to it are steep with the bottom one missing. New structures on the AT should be accessible, but this one is anything but.  The valley to the east was filled with fog and changed from pink to red to purple with the rising sun, providing entertainment as I ate my breakfast of a tortilla and precooked bacon. I gave Debbie a wake up call about 6:30. Willow left shortly after. We saw her at an overlook where we ate lunch, but she has obviously gotten ahead of us. The tread way was somewhat rocky for long stretches today, something Debbie doesn¢t appreciate. It requires concentration and lifting the feet higher than usual. Debbie misjudged in one place and her trailing foot caught a rock. Debbie fell forward in slow motion and suffered a minor bloody nose and abrasions and a contusion over her left eye. It has developed into a pair of black eyes that would do a teenaged boy proud . Debbie rejects the trail name of Raccoon, but what do you think? There¢s already another black eye in my FLip-Flop class. One of the two slack packers fell yesterday and her trail companion Sally Forth christened her Shiner.  Debbie has proposed Anchor for herself because she thinks she¢s holding me back. She¢s not. These short initial days are the best thing I¢m doing to improve the odds of completing my thru-hike. Besides, a trail name ought to be self-referential, like Klutz or Clumsy. For now she remains just Debbie. Not even Little Debbie. These are not the only injuries. Plumber Man had a knee go ¢pop¢ on a downhill and now must lead with the injured leg. He plans to go off trail and at least rest it a couple of days. It sounds more serious than rest will cure. With my knees, I can feel for him. And be grateful that mine continue pain free. To add to her woes, one of the load lifter straps on Debbie¢s pack is coming loose. She sewed it back on this afternoon with dental floss. The pack is her son¢s and really doesn¢t fit her. Debbie has very narrow shoulders and hips and needs a woman¢s pack. There¢s a Super Walmart in Waynesboro and we will check it out on Thursday. We had planned to stay at Rocky Run Shelter tonight but we decided to push on 1.8 miles to Dahlgren Back Pack Campground provided by the State of Maryland. There¢s a bathhouse with free hot showers, but no soap, shampoo, towels or room service. Great to be clean again and to have my hiking clothes drying in the sun!At 6:30 there are now 16 tents and tarps of every description at Dahlgren, lured in by a hot shower. We are about 0.2 mile from Turners Gap and South Mountain Inn, a restaurant of long standing reputed to have served George Washington. Alas, they are closed on Mondays.