6/10/01
It was a late start this morning as Phantom, The King, Thru-Thinker and I all slept in. Finally at 9 a.m. I got on the trail. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the trail in Maryland was fairly easy except for occasional rocky stretches (signs of things to come in PA). Phantom and I hooked up at Turners Gap while King and Thru-Thinker went to the South Mtn. Inn for an expensive brunch. Phantom and I hiked together the balance of the day, stopping at the original Washington Monument near Boonesboro, MD. for a little history lesson about old George himself. The afternoon presented a healthy climb to Annapolis Rocks, a magnificent rock outcrop from which a view of the Maryland/Pennsylvania Valley below was enjoyed. There were a number of rock climbers scaling the side of the rocks, so we kicked back and enjoyed the scene for an hour before moving on down the trail. We arrived at the Ensign Cowell shelter at 6:30 p.m. We met Gary, a section hiker going south who had met Phantom earlier down in NC.
As we were preparing dinner, The King, Thru-Thinker, Green Light and Gypsy all arrived for the night. Thru-Thinker was on a mission to get some beer and sodas and was going to stop at nothing to make the mission a success. First Green Light tried several phone calls to relatives and friends in nearby PA without success. Since we were only 2 miles from a road and only 2.5 miles from a town, Thru-Thinker used my cell phone to call a bed and breakfast there to see if he could negotiate with them. Unfortunately all he got was an answering machine so he and The King headed for the road for a hitch as darkness began to set in. I heard the sound of a pickup truck stop, then start again a few minutes later, so I knew the fellas must have been at least partially successful. A few minutes later The King showed up and said that Thru-Thinker had indeed secured a ride. A few minutes later he and I walked back down to the road to wait for Thru-Thinker to return. Sure enough, 10 minutes later the pickup truck arrived and Thru-Thinker got out with a bunch of goodies for the gang in the shelter. A small party ensued and it was a very fun evening in the shelter. After lights were out, there was a very funny conversation about Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, but I'll spare the details for now. Another slumber party in the shelter was too much fun.
On the down side, the heat has found us, and the bugs have started bugging us. Ever since we left WV the mosquitoes and gnats have been a real pain in the butt. I knew it wouldn't last forever but at least we got 1000 miles behind us before it finally happened. Today's stats: low 60, high 85. Sunny. Today's mileage: 20.6; cumulative 1,035.1.
