Days 108 + 109

Day 108: Mile 1042 | Backpacker Campground

Huevos joined us for the day and we all went back to the ATC in the morning to pay for my post cards and get Miles a tag for his backpack because he lost his. Afterwards we headed back down the blue blaze to the trail. The trail led us through historic Harpers Ferry and over a bridge:

The three of us, happy and energized, finally crossed the bridge over the Potomac River into Maryland! We could see where the flooding had damaged the trail:

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Maryland brought us easy terrain and sunshine. There weren’t many viable water sources along the way so we stopped at Gathland State Park as we walked through it to get some water.

Under the pavilion we set up to make an early dinner. Miles and I had splurged at WalMart the day before and bought a $4 nonstick frying pan that weighed 11oz along with a pair of tongs.

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For dinner we packed some steaks, asparagus, and pasta. I sprinkled marinade on the steaks and cooked them in olive oil. I almost dropped them because the pan wasn’t balanced properly! But they came out great. After I cooked up the asparagus and pasta. We shared a bit with Huevos who was nice enough to let us use some of his fuel when I ran out. Dinner was incredible. It was so nice to have fresh, home cooked dinner.

Miles loved his new pack. He did a little dance and said it made him feel like he was wearing a jet pack.

At the backpacker camp Miles and I arrived first. We set up next to each other near a picnic table. Huevos arrived an hour or so later and hung out with us before bed. It was a great day!

Day 109: Mile 1060 | Raven Rocks Shelter

In the morning I woke up first. Miles packed up faster than me, though. While we ate our breakfast at the picnic table Vermont came over! We hadn’t seen him the night before because he had been in his tent. We chatted for a bit about gear and Harpers Ferry. Eventually, Miles left first and I left shortly after him. Huevos said he’d be right behind me. Miles and I hiked separately for the day. On my way out of camp I texted Soggy, the section hiker I had met in Shenandoah, to see if he was free to give us a ride into Waynesboro, PA. I had a package waiting there for me. He said he could pick us up at the Mason Dixon line, which we’d be crossing the next day, at 8am.

I went past Maryland's Washington Monument:

In the afternoon on a bridge, a girl called Early Bird (the second Early Bird I’d met) caught up to me.

I hiked with her for a while and we talked. It was great to get to hike with a girl for once! We talked chafe problems, annoying boys, careers, and she was from Washington, DC! The time flew by and we stopped about 10 miles in to get a snack at a view. We followed each other on Instagram and then kept hiking.

In the late afternoon Early Bird and I caught up to Bird, who Early Bird had been walking with for a couple of days. I learned they did 20 miles together the day before and today Early Bird was doing 23 miles. She had been doing big miles like that for most of her hike! She wasn’t even two months in and she had already made it past halfway.

About 5 miles from our destination we passed another shelter where we found Miles! He had stopped for a dinner break. I kept going with Early Bird because her energy was just infectious! I could go fast and far all day if I’ve got good conversation and someone to keep up with. We said goodbye to miles and headed toward Raven Rocks. Raven Rocks turned out to be a very steep, rocky climb. When we got to the shelter we realized that the water source was a half a mile down a steep hill... we should’ve cameled up before we got here. I went down to the spring and got 3 liters of water. The trail was steep and rough.

Exhausted I made it back to camp. Early Bird let me use some of her fuel to make dinner since I was still out. I ate early and quickly and then set up my bed in the almost empty shelter. Later in the evening Roadkill and Cowboy joined us. Cowboy told us about these crazy races through the woods that he used to do. Roadkill played some melodies on his PVC pipe flute! Miles arrived later in the evening and we agreed to get up by 5am to make it the 6 miles to the park where Soggy would pick us up.