Date: 2018-04-16
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Dahlgren Backpacker Campground
Miles today: 17.2

I forgot to mention in yesterday¢s entry how nice I was treated at the ATC Headquarters. There were two older gentlemen there, both former thru hikers, working as volunteers. They took my picture for placement in a notebook of all the thru hikers, and also spoke with me for awhile. They made me feel very welcome. The ATC also has on display a very large 3-D relief map of the entire trail. Very nice. I was glad to be out of the Town¢s Inn. In spite of its advertisement as being a hostel, it is just not setup that way. For starters the entire bunkhouse, which is in the basement, was rented out to a family that was vacationing. They were not hikers. Doesn¢t sound like a hostel to me. I was given a private room at a good rate, but there were no kitchen facilities, no common room, no tv. When there I was basically confined to my very small room. The owner is a bit persnickety as well. I had an issue with my maildrop and shuttle service to the post office this AM, that did not go well. The owner offered me a half-hearted apology for her rudeness, but getting my maildrop was a hassle. Anyway I got out of there shortly after 9, and was glad to be back on the trail. I am now finished with WV (5 states down, 9 to go) and am now in Maryland- which only has about 41 miles of the AT in it. So far the trail in MD seems well maintained to me, and the grades have not been steep. Easy hiking. It rained all morning, so the trail was often a stream. Not much you can do about that. This afternoon the rain stopped, and in a few hours the trail for the most part was fairly dry with only a few stretches of standing water. The drainage is good, many appropriately placed drainage bars, which is a testament to the fine work of the trail builders and maintenance staff. I also encountered a ridge runner today, the first one that I am aware of on my entire hike so far. A young man out checking on things, a member of the Potomac ATC. I stopped for lunch at the Ed Garvey shelter. What a nice shelter that is - a two story structure, and the second level has its own outside stairway, balcony and door. Very clean also. Tonite I¢m camping at the Dahlgren Backpack Campground, a no fee state facility for use by backpackers only, complete with a restroom with running water and electricity. I have my very own level tent pad, with its own picnic table. There is also a bear pole here, and a trash can for garbage. It¢s a real nice setup. Today I was also most pleasantly greeted by trail angel Vicki at Gathland State Park. She was there in her car, invited me and section hiker Fox to sit in her heated car, and enjoy some goodies and drinks that she had brought. She lives not far from Harpers Ferry, and is a hiker herself. On a cold, rainy and generally miserable day, this token of kindness was most appreciated. Thank you trail angel Vicki!Besides section hiker Fox I also encountered today 3 flip-flop thru hikers:  Pim and Toby (their second day on the trail), and a young man whose name escapes me (his first day on the trail). All the best to you gentlemen as you embark on this great adventure - hope you have as much fun out here on the trail as I¢ve had so far (but hopefully you¢ll have less snow/cold, HaHa). I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite. Goodnite.