Date: 2005-07-09
From: Devils Racecourse Shelter

To: Antietam Shelter 
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: few clouds

The trail was pretty nice today except for a few nasty rocks. How I hate them. How I fear the infamous rocks that lie ahead. Seems like a short day, but I hiked into Cascade, MD to re-supply at a nice market and I'm not counting those miles, of course. I hoped someone would offer me a ride, I didn't try to hitch, and no one even waved as they passed.   When I was in Pen-Mar Park, I asked the forest ranger directions to the town of Cascade. His directions were pretty vague and confusing, and as per my usual, I didn't ask enough questions. I started going the wrong way out of the park, but turned back when I felt I was going the wrong way. I saw a group of people in a parking lot and asked one of the adults if he knew which way to go to get to town. He was very nice and helpful. I asked if the group was a scout troop and he said they were scouts from Minnesota. After we looked at his maps, I started to go and he asked about the springs on the trail and about treating the water. I explained that there are a few springs and that they are marked with signs or maybe a blue blaze and I said if it looks like a flowing spring, coming out of the ground, I don't filter. This began a discussion of water and how as kids we used to drink the water. He started telling me about the mountain streams in Utah. I told him when I was young, I used to lie on the ground and drink from those streams in the Utah mountains. He asked if I am from Utah and if I was "One of those Mormons". When I said I am, he told me they (indicating the group) are Mormons too. In a few more minutes we discovered we lived only a block away from each other when he lived on Catherine Street. His name is Connard.(sp) we spoke a bit about some of our neighbors that we both know. Saunders grocery store was small, but they had everything on myshopping list. Nice people too. At the checkout, two teen boys, the clerk and the bagger were very interested in my hike. The clerk said, "How do you cook this food? Do you go to people's houses and ask to use their stove?" I said, "No, I have a small stove I made from pop cans that cooks with alcohol." I could see he was confused. He asked, "Are there enough liquor stores along the trail where you can buy alcohol?""No, I buy denatured alcohol from hardware stores." With raised a voice and a look of surprise he said, "PAINT THINNER!?"After I returned to Pen-Mar and the trail, I was only two tenths of a mile from the Pennsylvania border. As I crossed some railroad tracks I spotted some Pink Blooming Raspberries and also some black raspberries growing near the tracks. How could I continue hiking and leave these jewels in the sun? I didn't! I was gathering them in handfuls and popping them into my mouth when I heard an excited shout. "Yay! Maryland!" A large group of girls were crossing the border going southbound. In few moments the group emerged from the woods. I stopped picking berries long enough to say a simple, friendly, "Hello". Not one would reply. Many times in the last few days I have greeted people on the trail and very few will return the greeting. I don't really care, it isn't my problem. Still I am curious as to why teens and even adults won't respond to a simple greeting. Is it a Maryland thing? Is it me??Anyway, I did a good job of cleaning those bushes of ripe berries and within a minute after hiked on I crossed the border - which is the Mason Dixon Line.   So, Goodbye Maryland! Hello Pennsylvania!