Harpers Ferry, WV to Delaware Water Gap, PA

Day 4, Monday, September 22

Ensign Cowall Shelter to Antietam Shelter, 16.5 miles

I sleep soundly overnight except for one time I wake up choking. I ate too late last night and I’m still not over my bout with pneumonia. Waking up at 7:15 PM, I’m packed and hiking by 7:45 PM. The forecast for today is rain, and it’s already 70-72 degrees with high humidity. The first several uphills are tough and soon I’m sweating like a pig. Buzzard Knob warms me up for Quirauk Mountain. It’s a pretty good climb over Maryland’s highest point on the AT. The trail is alternating between decent footpath and rock scrambles. But the downhill off of High Rock is a killer. I’m grateful to get to the level, skatable trail into Penmar Park. I walk into the park at 12:15 PM. Not much going on here on a Monday this time of year.

I drop my pack on one of the picnic tables by the pavilion and strike up a conversation with one of the caretakers. He’s tired of blowing leaves and I’m tired of hiking. None of the concession stands are open at the park, so the best I can do is get a cold drink from the machine to go with my Lance crackers and Reese’s lunch.

Bill, the caretaker, tells me it’s not supposed to rain until this afternoon. That’s good news. I have miles to go. I’m undecided whether to stop at the next shelter or press on with the rain coming the next day or so. I fill up my water bottles and move on at 1 PM. A nice long break is just what I needed.

Dropping down out of the park, I cross the Mason Dixon Line into Pennsylvania. Goodbye Maryland! Check off another state! Pennsylvania doesn’t start too bad, it throws an 800 feet climb and some rocks at you. Sort of letting you know what’s ahead. I stumble down the other rock pile side to cross Highway 16. The footbridge across the creek just before the highway has taken a direct hit by an Isabel tree. I walk back upstream a few yards and cross the old fashioned way, hopping rock to rock.

Four southbound thru-hikers are sitting on the other side of the highway watching my progress. “Welcome to Pennsylvania”, one of them calls. These are the first SOBO’s I’ve seen. Kingfisher is from Chapel Hill, one is from Rhode Island, one from Australia, and one is from Maine. They all started at the end of May, first couple weeks of June timeframe from Katahdin. I talk for a few minutes. They’re trying to decide whether to hitch into town or not. I move on. No town for me tonight.

When I reach Deer Lick Shelter at 3:30 PM, I decide to head for the next shelter. It’s only 2.4 miles away and I should reach it by 5 PM at the worst. The trail is following an old road so I’m making good time up the next hill. I cross a pipeline right-of-way and the trail reverts to its woods/rock scramble to the top and down the other side. At 4 PM I feel raindrops. Not going to make it to the shelter in time. I walk the next thirty minutes in the quickening rain and at 4:30 PM I see the shelter ahead. No one there. I drop my stuff inside the shelter and break out my cleanup gear and take a quick dip in the ample creek in front of the shelter. The water is cold, but refreshing. I even wash out my clothes before the rain sets in too hard.

The water source for this shelter is a pump house spigot two-tenths of a mile further up the trail, so I head up the muddy trail for water. I find the pump house at a park ball field. Not that far from civilization after all. Back at the shelter I cook supper, write in my journal, and clean up as the rain falls harder on the tin roof of the shelter. Not a bad location except the mosquitoes have figured out it’s dry underneath the shelter as well.

It’s dark by 7:45 PM when I climb in my sleeping bag. The rain is drumming a nice beat on the roof. Great sleeping weather. Fun day in the mud tomorrow.