May 7, 2005 Saturday Hike 40.9 miles Across Maryland in 12:07
It is 36° and I slept well when Ron called me at 3:40. I packed up and put my bag inside for transport to Harpers Ferry. I drank some
orange juice and ate some yogurt and a bagel with cream cheese. I am taking my hip bag with dry socks and wicking liners, small headlamp, a small bag of Gorp and water bottle. Ron Cully is number 11 and I am 62 (alphabetical order) with 105 registrants so he is on the first bus and I on the second. We load the buses and are off at 5:05.
At 5:18 our bus door is opened and we file off in the dark down a steep bank, across a road around a steel bar stumbling up and across the railroad tracks into Maryland at 1250’ elevation. We are packed closely together so you can’t pass in the dark. The reflective tape on hiker’s pack and shoes gives off an eerie glow. As we turn up into the woods I recognize Kira Rashba and Vannah Zablotny, two young ladies that started hiking with us this year. We chat for a while until we start separating on a hill. After 15-20 minutes into the hike it is easier to see in the grey light than with my headlamp. I head up the steep rocky and long climb up to High Rock,
probably the toughest climb of the day. I remove my light running jacket at the bottom and tie it around my waist. Not far from the crest I recognize Ted and Fran Sanderson with others manning the first checkpoint at 3.1 miles. Ron is waiting as agreed and we are off down the Appalachian Trail along the ridge.
As we go we often talked to other hikers including two guys from Los Angeles who through hiked the Appalachian Trail together in 1984. They have two other friends on this HAM who did the AT in 84 as well. At 4.9 miles we pass the Devils Racecourse Shelter. We drop down to Raven Rock Road MD-491 and feel the air getting noticeably cooler maybe because there is a stream, the first of only two (not counting the Potomac River) we will cross all day. The rest stop at 5.9 miles, as all will be, is stocked with Gatorade, oranges, gorp, bagels, candy bars, cookies, etc. I down some Gatorade, banana, orange and move on with a handful of gorp.
Ron and I cross the first stream then go over a small mountain before crossing the second stream by the gravel Warner Gap Road at 6.7 miles. After climbing we come to a power line and the recent Mountain Club of Maryland trail reroute. At 8.6 miles we cross Foxville Road MD-77 and continue on the reroute done by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. Just before crossing MD-77 Ron tripped on a small stump and fell with slight abrasions on both knees. At 9.8 miles we stopped at the Ensign Cowall Shelter and the next rest stop. I had some more
Gatorade and a bagel with cream cheese as Ron got his right knee bandaged. Continuing on we crossed Wolfsville Road MD-17 at 1400’ and climbed steeply. At the top we traversed a ridge for a long distance at one point passing through nasty rocks for about half a mile. We passed Pogo’s Memorial Camp at 14.6 miles. We passed Black Rock 1800’ at 15.3 miles and Annapolis Rocks a mile later. We pass Pine Knob Shelter at 17.9 miles,
cross the I-70 footbridge at 18.5 to Boonesboro Mountain Road and a rest stop at 18.7 miles. We climb a hill and descend to cross Booneboro Mountain Road again at 19.3 miles. We stop at the Washington Monument Pavilion at 21.6 miles about 11:20. We sit down to a bowl of soup
and a sandwich plus cookies and ice tea. After changing out socks and liners we are going again at 11:45. We descend into Turner’s Gap 1000’ to cross Alternate US-40 at 23.4 miles. After another .2 miles we pass the Dahlgren Camp and then climb to cross the Reno Monument Road at 24.4 miles. A mile later we pass Rocky Run Shelter at 25.4 miles and start the long climb up Lambs Knoll 1600’ at 27.0 miles and another rest stop. We have been sluggish since lunch but now we start to pick up the pace a bit with the Knoll behind us. We know we have no more significant climbs ahead of us and the trail is generally good. We pass White Rock with it’s great view at 27.2 miles and then Bear Spring Cabin
at 27.8 miles. At 30.4 we pass Crampton Gap Shelter 950’ and descend steeply to Gapland Road at 30.8 miles and the rest stop in the pavilion in Gathland State Park. We have been greeted warmly, cheered, encouraged and helped by friends at each rest stop but the ladies at Gapland really welcome
you with whistles, cow bells, cheers and dancing. If they dance like that for everyone, and I’m sure they do, they get more exercise than the hikers. Refreshed we climbed a gentle small hill out of the gap before descending into Brownsville Gap at 32.5 miles, then passed the Ed Garvey Shelter at 34.5 miles. We start our final long descent to the Potomac River and pass Weverton Cliffs at 36.6 miles. We emerge from the woods at Weverton Road at 37.5 miles
and our last rest stop. We cross under US-340 and over railroad tracks turning right on the C&O Canal towpath at 38.0 miles. We are walking along the river and it is a very flat gravel road. We pass under the US-340 bridge at 39.5
miles and continue around the curve to the Byron Memorial Footbridge 250’ at 40.8 miles. As we approach the bridge, Ron Mayer and Nora Scanlon, give us a cheer and held their hiking poles like swords in an arch for us to
walk under. We crossed the bridge and crossed the finish at 40.9 miles about 5:25. We are warmly greeted and hugged by our friends Norma Walker, Dick
and Susan Whiteford and others. Karen Kleindints who finished ahead of us and husband Dan join us for picture
taking. My daughter Kara came with my car keys but had to leave because her children were asleep in the car. The guy who finished first in 9:00 hours at 2:17 pm asked for a ride to Jefferson so he joined us.
He had hiked in four states from Pennsylvania through Maryland and West Virginia into Virginia covering 47 miles. We stopped for ice cream then loaded into my car and drove home arriving past 7:00 pm. After inhaling a cold beer and enjoying a hot shower, I weighed myself and lost 8 pounds.
Last Updated May 28, 2005