Who said MD was easy?!

MD Rocks on Trail

I made it to Waynesboro, PA.  I'm only here for a "in and out" resupply.  I need to beat the next storm to the shelter for tonight.

Relatively speaking, MD is probably the easiest state.  It is mostly flat and only about 45 miles of trail.  However, most of the hikers that go thru here have already completed 1000 miles this year and that makes a huge difference.  To top it off, the upper 90 degree weather I mentioned in a previous post turned out to be 110 with heat index.  I have never sweated so much in my life.   I also have noticed the rocks in northern MD getting worse.  The story is that PA has the worst of it... I may lose this pair of shoes before NJ. 

Below is a picture of the trail and the terrain of the first 3 miles out of Harpers Ferry.  This follows the old C&O canal towpath toward Washington DC.  I believe you could continue this path for about 60 miles and go right into DC. 

C&O Canal Tow Path

Weaver Cliffs

The AT turns left off this path and makes the first climb out of Harpers Ferry.  It was brutal in the heat but the view at the top looking over the Potomac River and back towards Harpers Ferry was worth it.  Below is a picture of me on top of Weaver Cliffs.  You can see Harpers Ferry over my left elbow. 



I found myself at Gathland State Park around noon.  Nice park with bathrooms, water, pavilion, and lots of history.  I stopped and spoke to a southbound hiker for a bit, replenished my water supply and started heading north again.  As I crossed the field, I realized I hadn't eaten lunch.  I stopped at the pavilion, ate my lunch and rested briefly.   I stepped back on the trail and within .5 mile, I noticed I had reached my destination for the day.  It was 12:45!!!  I couldn't stop again and waste half a day so I continued on.

Gathland State Park.

After a 17 mile day, I made it to a small backpackers campground around 4:30, complete with bathrooms, fire rings, running water, bear bag hangers, and plenty of tent spots.  There was one other north bounder there asleep.  He woke up around 6:30, we spoke for a bit and he packed up and went on another 7 miles probably in the dark before he reached the destination.  He was the only other non-day hiker heading north I met all day.  his name was "Clean Cut".   That left me for a lonely night in the campsite.

 I am about 200 miles south of the crowd of hikers, something I am not used to.  I miss the community the trail has to offer at nights around a campsite.  I am going to have to do some catch up miles if I want to be a part of that.  I am considering a bit of a jump on the trail to catch the crowd and return here to complete this section last.  It will allow me to relax on the hard stop date of Oct 15th in Baxter State Park and put me back into the trail community.   I can easily return here after my summit and knock out this section.  I will work on these details during my next leg of hiking.

Until then.... Switchback