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July
11, 1983 Monday (1113.1 mtg) From
Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal
This
morning I had only one bag of oatmeal and some sprouts I had gotten
a few days ago from John. I ate the sprouts on bread with peanut
butter. Soon after beginning the day I passed by Antietam Shelter
and then lost track of the blazes. The shelter was located in an
area called Old Forge Park. I noticed some guys nearby who were
cutting down some trees so I decided to ask where the trail was.
I knew it had been relocated along this section, and I was seeing
greyed out blazes, and knew I was on the old route. They assured
me that the trail was up the road, so I thanked them and followed
the road a bit. Thinking I should have seen the trail by now, the
road split into two at a "y", I retraced my steps back
to the men and asked again. They said that if I kept going on that
road I would find a sign. I never really trust locals giving directions,
but I went back and eventually found the sign. Once back on the
trail I ran into some hikers and knew I was on the right track after
that.
I took
a short side trip to an area known as Chimney Rocks, but I was not
impressed with the view. It was panoramic, but nothing really breathtaking.
Stopped for a drink at Raccoon Run Shelters, and then continued
on for another couple of miles to reach Calcedonia State Park where
a grocery store was supposed to be located directly along the trail.
This turned out to be not true; however, there was a concession
stand and a public pool tempting me to cool off in the afternoon
heat. The vendors were asking $1.75 for a cheeseburger, and $.75
for fries. The pool required $1.00 for a swim. I decided to pass
up this opportunity and moved on to Birch Run Shelters. The miles
in this area were either shorter than most, or the terrain was conducive
to easy passage as I traveled the nine miles to the shelters in
less than three hours! Over three miles per hour. Now that is what
I call hiking! After twenty-five miles I arrived at the shelter
and took the rest of the afternoon to relax and bring my journal
up to date. I was about five days behind. I soaked my feet in the
cool stream in front of the shelters, and whipped up a large supper
of Lipton's sour cream 'n chives noodles and sauce with two bags
of ramen noodles thrown in for extra bulk. I also added some cheese
that I had received from Linda back at Pen Mar Park. I began seeing
some new sights while in Pennsylvania today including huge ant
mounds with basal diameters of about three feet, and white rhododendron
with green splashed in the center. Another interesting change was
the use of twin log cabin type shelters painted black and white
rather than just one shelter as usual. I gathered a little wood
to help keep me occupied, expecting to have a fire later. Spent
the night by myself for the second time on the trip in 58 days if
I don't count the early morning drop off on the trail in the Shenandoah's.
Gonzo!
Appalachian Trail Journals ©1983
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