October 8, 2005 -Quarry Gap Shelter to Rocky Mountain Shelters
I rained throughout the night. I slept alright but not great. I got up at around 7:00 a.m. and had coffee and oatmeal
for breakfast. Shakes and I walked into Caledonia State Park but could not find the campground. I left to walk into
the little store to get a few groceries up on route 30. Shakes wanted to find a big town to work for a few days since
he was low on money. I bought $20 worth of food including a giant sub, called Virginia and headed back to the trail
in the rain. I had stashed my pack as to make better time and did not think I would get a ride back without it. A
couple pulling out of the store were hikers too and gave me a ride back to the trail. It was still raining so I beat feet to
the next shelter. I hiked in the rain all of the way to Rocky Mountain Shelters. It is 6:00 p.m. and it is still raining as I
write. I am cold and can’t seem to get anything dry. The spring is way down by a road and when the rain slacked for
a bit I went down to get what I needed. Three fellows from the area doing the trail in piece work stopped and got into
the other shelter. One was carrying a big bow saw. They cut up a lot of wood and had a nice fire and we got things
dried out as the night went on. The Ohio State Penn State football game was on tonight and they called on their cell
phone many times to check on the score. They let me call Virginia too. We sat up late and drank some booze to
lighten our packs. It was a great time! Penn State won the game to their delight! It is turning off real cold and
clearing finally. My tendons are really sore tonight. I think it is the wet cooler weather. The drought is officially over! I
am 55 miles from Harper’s Ferry tonight.
October 9, 2005 - Rocky Mountain Shelters to Tumbling Run Shelter
I got up late after a cold night here in the big woods. The rain stopped at 9:00p.m., and it began to clear and get
really cold. The fire last night was needed to dry out all of the wet clothes I had and it did its job well. I hiked into
Tumbling Run Shelters and soon after getting a group of people came in. There must be 15 or so. They attempted
to take over the shelter but the leaders told them to set up tents, which they did. There are way too many people
here and all are jabbering and running around missing the reason they are here in the first place. There are two
shelters here and they are marked, snoring and non snoring! Years ago the same statements were at twin shelters
in Pennsylvania. I don’t know if they were at this twins but it probable was. I will go to Antietam Shelter tomorrow and
stay if I feel like it. There may be hot water at Old Forge picnic area tomorrow so I will clean up if so. The three
hikers with me last night had a truck waiting three miles from Rocky Mountain Shelters and we got to the truck at the
same time. They gave me a beer and I drank it there and also one to carry to this shelter. I put it in one of my water
bottles. After getting at this shelter I again put out a clothes line to finish drying my stuff out. I just went to the spring
here and it is a beauty. It is across the creek and up another bank and it is big and running fast. It is getting dark
earlier tonight with 16 people out front, 60 feet away. One of the female leaders walked over into the woods and
smoked some pot with one of the students. This is the last one in the bunch I would have expected to do that. There
was also an outward bound group I saw yesterday. They are camped nearby and are very quiet and organized. I am
drinking earl gray tea tonight and it is keeping me warm.
October 10, 2005 -Tumbling Run Shelters, non snoring, to Deer Lick Shelters
I was up early on a cool morning. I had to ask large group to hush up at 11:00 p.m. They complied without griping at
all. They were singing and being really loud and I let them go but 11 is time to be quiet. I got down to 50 last night. I
hiked to Antietam Shelter where I took a break. This is an old shelter, looking like all did way back. It is well
maintained and the oldest shelter still in service maintained by P.A.T.C. [Potomac Appalachian Trail Club] It is built
of log and chinked with concrete and painted white and black. I washed up at the picnic grounds and moved on after
a break. I made it only 2.5 more miles to Deer Lick Shelters where I will stay tonight. The outward bound group came
in later and they were very respectful and camped up on the hill by themselves. The water here is a bit far away
and a little slow but I got enough to get by. I got a small fire going here to keep warm and read a book and rested up
for tomorrow. A couple came by and invited to take me to there place to shower if I go into town tomorrow where they
live. They would run me around and bring me back if need be too. I thanked them but I didn’t need to bother them if I
could get a ride on my own in the morning. I still thanked Dick and Sheryl Martin for their thoughtfulness. This over
all has been a rewarding and great 555 miles this trip. I will be in Maryland tomorrow! Tomorrow I will get a shower at
the backpacker’s campsite.
October 11, 2005 - Deer Lick Shelters to Devil’s Racecourse Shelter
I was up a little late after I heard the rain early in the morning still falling. I had oatmeal and coffee for breakfast and
left by 8:15 a.m. I made it to route 16 by 9:00 a.m. I got water before road at a beautiful big boxed in spring house
which was very interesting. It has been here a very long time. I continued to hike to Pen Mar and called Virginia at
the old museum. I stopped at the restrooms and cleaned up at sink with dial soap and hot water. I washed out a
shirt. I found a pen here to take the place of my old one which died. I had a Pepsi at Pen Mar Park too. This is a nice
setting with a pavilion to view the sunsets and is a favorite with locals in the area. It has a lot of beautiful grass on
this rolling mountain top. I stopped near the museum and read about the oldest white oak in the world which stood in
this very spot until it died in 2002. A little seedling has been planted here to replace the old tree and it is a
youngster from the old tree. Many miss the history of these areas when they are in a hurry. I go out of my way to
soak up the history and be a part of it. I hiked 4 more miles and ended up at Devils Racecourse Shelter for the
night. The shelter is .3 miles off the trail this time. In 1981 the trail went across the boulder field if I remember
correctly. This is another old leaning shelter which has been taken care of. This is more history living on! I stayed at
this old shelter 25 years ago and it looked old then. I got here early enough to go over to the Devils Racecourse
and hop around on the boulder field. I met Chainsaw today. I have been reading his trail entries all year even in the
south when I was there in the spring. He had flipped because of the weather and we talked for a while. He knew of
the Goat too! We had actually met in Tennessee in the spring. He will finish his thru-hike in Pawling New York. It will
probably rain tonight. I found a 7X10 tarp here at the shelter and will carry it to Harper’s Ferry for the rest of the trip.
I may need it to camp overnight there. The hostel there is out of the way and $20. I don’t like the noise at the hostels
either. I am having a ball these last few days down in the big woods. I am ready to go home but I will miss the A.T.
dearly. It will be a long winter to wait for my final leg to victory! I will be on the bus this time next week back to Florida.
I had salami and pepperoni and cookies for supper along with the usual Lipton dinner. I will resupply tomorrow.
Tartaragus and Anxious came into camp late and stayed. Tartaragus is from Brazil and she is hiking with Anxious
though this area where they met 20 days ago. Anxious is a thru-hiker. We hiked around each other for several
days. They are a lot of fun at camp. I told them many dirty jokes at night and the Brazilian didn’t always get the jokes
because of the translation. It made the jokes even funnier! Freddie Bear met these two in a snow storm in the
Shenandoah’s later in the month and when Fred told them a dirty joke they knew the punch line. The Goat had got
to them first! Another man came into the camp at dark and asked me to put out my pipe before he even got with in
50 feet of the shelter. I didn’t mind but his arrogant tone bothered me. Payback came quickly. Two seconds later he
fell flat on his back on a slippery rock and busted his ass really good. In the night he had a sick spell and puked his
guts out for 3 hours in the rain outside. I sure felt bad for him! I later heard that the man was doing 25 miles a day
and was eating mostly candy bars and power bars for food. He asks me why I was hiking so slowly. I didn’t even
answer him. He would not have understood anyway.
October 12, 2005 - Devils Racecourse Shelter to Ensign Cornwall Shelter
I was up and gone from the shelter at 8 a.m. with others still in bed. The sick one was unable to get out of bed and
was as weak as a kitten. Was it bad water or food? I never did fine out. I hiked one mile to route 491 and ½ hour
later I got a ride into town to the grocery store. I got a T-bone and the other essentials along with a big sub to eat for
lunch. I then went over to the laundry and washed clothes. I found where the library was and caught up on emails. I
needed stove fuel badly and the closest place to get it was 2 miles away so I bought some alcohol for my denatured
alcohol stove and will use it for a while. I found out later it was 50 percent and it will not burn. I bought a pint of
booze also by the dollar store and walked back over to the road to hitch back up to the trail. I stood for a while and
got a ride back up to the trail and was on my way again. It was an easy town to get around in but there were no gas
stations around to buy fuel. My little stove will use unleaded gasoline but none was available. There was a new
relocation after town so the 3 mile seemed like 5 now. It was rocky through here too. I got to the shelter at 3:00p.m.
This is a nice shelter. The water is farther south on the trail. I was told that there was no water here but the people
who told me did not find the right spot. It wasn’t marked well at the shelter. This shelter is a newer one with a stone
wall around it with bunks and a table. There are lots of wooden pegs to hang things on too. You can hear the road
from here which is close in a straight line. I got enough food to get to the end today. Pack is heavy but will only get
lighter now after I ate that steak and poured out the cheap fuel not any good. Smithburg where I resupplyed is a big
apple growing area and the ride out of town was pretty with thousands of trees hanging with ripe fruit. In the night a
little hiker came in the shelter and quietly set up her sleeping bag and slept. In the morning I noticed it was a woman,
a little woman named Spider. She hiked around me for several days and was a nice kid. Freddie Bear met her later
in the Shenandoah’s. She was hiking in the snow with boots totally worn out.
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