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[Editor's note: My comments are in square brackets - Wendy]
May 13, 2001 - C&O Canal (east jct)
Miles: 12.1 Time 5 hr
Birds: Baltimore Oriole
Today is a short mileage day to my pick-up point for my "mid-hike" break. I stopped by the ATC visitor center but they are not yet open on weekends, despite the claim in the "Thruhiker's Companiion".
I had travelled about a mile along the C&O canal when I met a section hiker who was going the wrong way. He wanted to go to Crampton Gap but was headed for Harpers Ferry. He walked back to Weverton with me.
May 14, 2001 - Glenn Dale, MD [Blue Blazer!]
Miles: 0
One of two days off. I fixed a bug in my AT schedule program and went shopping for supplies.
May 15, 2001 - Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles: 3.5 Time: 1.25 hr
Today was actually another day off. I finished reading my accumulated e-mail and shopped for supplies again, this time for stuff to be sent to Duncannon, as I've decided to mail everything I need there rather than shopping in Duncannon for supplies. The Post Office is basically right on the trail and the nearest grocery store is 0.6 miles off the trail.
I wrote a rather long entry in the shelter log describing my encounter of a few years back with Ed Garvey and Chuck Logan.
May 16, 2001 - Ensign Cowell Shelter
Miles: 24.7 Time: 11.75 hr
It looks like rain tonight so I've set up the tent. I think this is only the third time since Damascus. There were a few minor relocations to the trail, but otherwise MD looks pretty much like it always did, so there's nothing much to report.
I met a day hiker today who intends to start an attempted thru-hike on March 5 of next year - his 73rd birthday. He has been thinking of letting his all-white hair and beard grow long and using the trail name "The Wizard". I told him he needs to wear a pointy hat with stars on it.
May 17, 2001 - Rock Mountain Shelters
Flowers: White Bluets, 1 TBI
Miles: 24.3 Time: 11 hr
It sprinkled a couple of times during last night and today but no real rain developed. It remained overcast all day.
I was first to the shelters today but two other hikers have arrived. But, since this is southern Pennsylvania, there are the traditional pair of shelters instead of just one, and I have one of them all to myself. I have decided to use it rather than camp, as it might rain and this saves putting up the tent. Also, there doesn't really appear to be a decent camp site here.
May 18, 2001 - Toms's Run Shelters
Miles: 19.3 Time: 9.25 hr
Birds: Hermit Thrush
I was going to go on to Pine Grove State Park today until I discovered that the store and campground are only open weekends until Memorial Day. Well, there's no rush. Here to Alec Kennedy to Darlington Sunday will put me in Duncannon around noon on Monday for my mail drop.
I counted two dozen other hikers today and it's not even into the full swing of the weekend yet. I expect a big crowd here this evening but there's lots of good camp sites. It was nice to stop a little early anyway. I have developed a sore right knee due to falling on my chest about a week ago. OK, what's the logic in that? Well, I carry a single walking stick and usually alternate hands. The fall produced a sore spot on the right side of my chest that made it painful to carry the walking stick in my right hand. Carrying the stick consistently left-handed meant less support for the right knee going up and down hills. Make sense now? My initial solution was to go back to alternating hands, chest pain or not, but that wasn't totally effective, so now I've gone, temporarily anyway, to two sticks. That seems to have helped. Hopefully the soreness will go away in a few days, as I find having both hands occupied while I walk very awkward. [Let me see...I think these are sticks #6 and #7. Any bets on the total by the time he reaches the end?]
May 19, 2001 - Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles: 19.2 Time: 9.75 hr
It rained yesterday evening and most of the night but by morning it was clear. I am first to the shelter again today but I expect "Waco" and Rabbit" will show up soon. I have spent every night since my break at the same spot as Waco and all but the first with Rabbit.
I passed the old 1985 trail mid-point marker (which is too far south, now) and somebody's hand-printed mid-point sign a little later (it's obviously too far north, though). In any case, somewhere between the two, at about 9:30 this morning, I was halfway to Mt. Katahdin from Springer Mt. Somewhere betweeen the two signs I saw a group of day hikers coming towards me.
"Look, there's a person on the trail", declared a female voice.
"It's a man!", yelled another.
I had a close look. "Uh, oh!", I cried, "It's all women". I stopped and chatted with them, answered a lot of the standard thru-hiker questions, had my picture taken, and promised to mention the six beautiful women in my journal entry for the day. (They didn't give me names and phone numbers, though).
I didn't even consider the tradition of eating a half gallon of ice cream to celebrate the halfway point of the trail. That's way too much ice cream for me and the Pine Grove Store wan't open when I got there in any case. I did stop at the little store on PA Rt 43 and have a pint of "cherry jubilee" and a few other snacks.