Date: 2013-07-01
From: Chris & Jon's house, Wolfsville Rd

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: light rain

It was hard to go to sleep last night. Maybe I was overstimulated from all the TV and internet. Or maybe I had been too lazy the day before. Who knows? Instead I watched the lightning flashing through the curtains. It was a good night to be sleeping inside.I got up as soon as the alarm went off. We were dressed, fed, packed up and walking out of the door by 6:45. Jon dropped me off back at the trailhead. Slow-n-Steady & Bob were there as well. It was overcast and looked like it might rain at any moment. The forest was lush and the trees were big. I kept my eyes peeled toward Mt. Patoctin. There was a flat hazy cloud squatting right on top of it. There were several pastures to pass through as well as several old stone fences with gaps missing to allow for the trail. Someone had built them stone by stone. I had the trail to myself for most of the morning. Coming through Raven Rock, I had to watch the trail carefully because the white blazes seemed to contradict each other. On at least two occasions there would be a white blaze on a tree with the trail running right along aside it. But if you were to look 90 degrees in another direction, there would be another tree with another white blaze with a trail running beneath it as well. My rule of thumb was follow the trail with the newest looking paint. It seemed to work.I decided to take a loop trail out to see High Rock. There was a large rustic parking lot with a wide opening for a rock outcrop. There were stairs leading up to a flat cement platform. Apparently the area is popular with hand-gliders. It was covered in layers and layers of colorful spray paint. Every surface of every rock, tree, stair, cement whatever was coated in color. It was so concentrated and thick with names and designs. Despite myself, I sort of liked it. The only thing that annoyed me was that someone had painted over the white blazes. That wasn't cool. The vista opened out on to farmland and houses and the forest below. There was a high concentration of houses. To the right there was a rounded top mountain covered in trees. The sign said that it was a no-fly zone.The climb down was a bugger. Steep, rocky, uneven, longsteps. Good practice for Pennsylvania, no doubt. Trigs & Gromit came up behind me. I thought they were weeks ahead. She was hiking with Rome, another super cool girl. We all agreed, the rocks sucked. Maryland had tricked us into believing that it was an easy state. We all stopped at the Pen Mar County Park for lunch. We had hoped to set up at a picnic table, but as soon as we opened our packs to pull out lunch, the rain started. We hustled over to the covered pavilion. There was one other group there, and they took pity on us. Soon they were giving us their leftovers. Woohoo! I headed back out first. The trail immediately took us across the Mason-Dixon line into Pennsylvania. State #7. I had officially left Dixie. The fact that I had now walked from Georgia to Pennsylvania seemed completely unbelievable. But the sign assured me that this was the case. The mosquitos started biting immediately. Fortunately, there were plump, ripe blackberries to make up for it. I also spooked a little deer, and another hiker saw a beer. The gnats swarmed around my head. Eight, yes, eight gnats flew in my eyes. My stopped for a break and realized that the padding on my pack had rubbed my back raw. I crossed a perfect little stream near Antietam Shelter. I needed a break. I dropped my pack and stripped down. It's been too long since I took a full-body soak. I washed off the dirty and sweat and gently swabbed the raw, chaffed bits. There were lots of them. I felt the tension ease out of my feet. Some little stream fish nibbled on my feet and legs. I wanted to stay all evening, but I knew I still had a mile to got before I got to where I was going. I stumbled my wet body back into my sweaty clothes. Just the 5-10 mins of cool water re-energized me.Tumbling Run Shelters is a hoot! There are two shelters, one labeled "Snores", the other labeled "Non-snorers." Brilliant! And they are as clean. There are actual clothes lines behind each of the shelters and two picnic tables, one of which is under a nice covered pavilion. The privy has soft toilet paper and hand-sanitizer. One of the threes has eyes, nose and mouth. There is gravel in front of the shelters. Holy Smokes, Pennsylvania, you know how to do shelters! I saw that Big Foot Jim had left me a message in the shelter log. Again, I had only missed him by days. I sent a note to my friend, Jeremy. He lives somewhere near by, and I hope to link up with him soon. My body is tired, and I think it will rest well tonight.