I’m off! Thanks Rhonda for taking me to the border and for the photo. Still nervous excited!

Lots of “Trail Names” out here.  Met “Tripod” and “Ranger Rick!” They were beaming; at the end of their section. I asked them about water , they weren’t sure. Huh? Turns out they did the ” motel between hikes” trip. Dirty Bastards. 😄   Clean Bastards, actually.  More power to’em! 

I thought these were “Annapolis Rocks” because they looked like ships coming out or the mountain! Nope. Annapolis Rocks was 2 miles up. 

Lots of terrain changes that first day. 

Day 2 started in the dark! Sunrise is the best. Everything wakes up. I intended to do 8 but couldn’t face finishing with two days of 12 miles each. I made 14 and crashed in a backpacker camping area. Wanted 2 more miles, then I heard there was a troop of Boy Scouts there! This place was upper class. There was a real toilet! Every marker gets me excited! I get in a reverie and bang, I’m on the AT!

This morning’s sunrise even better than yesterday. I left the camping area when everyone was still asleep! Except the dog and baby a family brought??? Not so peaceful with barking and crying going on. No matter. Nice that they were there and nothing could keep me  awake!

It was a 4 mile up today to start. I just kept saying to myself,”Slow and steady wins the race. I got to “Lamb’s Knoll” before the scouts! (Not a competitive bone in my body)  Prettiest view on the whole trip. A couple of runners training for an upcoming race snapped this one. I still had 7 left to go!

Lots of history, Civil War History, along the way. They never let it go do they?

Ahhhhh! The Ed Garvey Shelter, today’s trudge. 11 miles in the can! I am REALLY tired! Tent up. Doug down. 

It’s a dirty business this AT hiking. I haven’t been this tired and dirty since yesterday.

So. My last night on the trail.

Thoughts:

It was harder than I imagined. I worried about water too much, maybe. I met so many really nice people. “Smiley the Turtle” today. I could be dead tired and along would come someone asking how I was and poof.  ENERGY! That’s Trail Magic I think. Everything hurts at one time or other but it doesn’t matter. Underwear is useless. Any of my trail shoes would have worked. One woman saw the bottles on my shoulder straps and told me I was really smart. I seemed to be the only one sweating. Views are for day hikers.

And right now… RAIN!!! Nothing like rain in a tent. Especially when you only have 5 miles downhill and flat to go.