Trail Journal - July 10, 2005
 
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July 10, 2005
     I left the Crampton Gap Shelter about 8:10am.  I stayed last nigh with some section hikers.  Unusual section hikers; there was an Amish father and his 3 young sons.  He said that they had just finished gathering in the hay and had a bout a week that whey could hike.  Then they would go back and thresh the oats.  The boy really enjoyed playing with Simon.  Of course he enjoyed that too.  Every time they got the chance they would feed him a little something.  He thought that was just great.
     Today looks like it's going to be a beautiful sunny day.  The trail has been good so far.  It has some stone breakers that I have to step up over but it isn't anything that slows you down a whole lot.
     I came up on a clearing and I can see out into the valley and  over the farm lands in Maryland.  I talked to a section hiker for about 15 minutes and she left and right behind her cam a man that was doing section hiking, wanted to get away for the week and found out he was from Zanesville, Ohio.  His name it Tim Boggs, I gave him my AT website because hw was also interested in short hikes and I told him about the COHC and told him to go on my website and link into it there.  NOTE: Tim did contact the COHC.  Hope to see him on the next hike. Kathy
      I just passed Rocky Run Shelter.  The last mile I have been literally walking through a trail in the park.  The Dahlgren Park is the one I getting ready to go into.  The moss along this trail is just beautiful, a bright green, really pretty.  The woods is not open,  there's a lot laurel underbrush and small oak shrubs.  Beautiful hiking, but very stony through this section. 
     I'm at Dahlgren State Park.  They have a Big Civil War Monument set up for Reno, on of the commanding officers in the civil war.  This whole section is a big civil war area.  I met some day hikers coming out of Dahlgren Park and they were trail angels.  They were giving the though hikers fruit.  They gave m some fruit, grapes, orange and some cherries.
      I just wet into the Dahlgren back packing area and took a shower.  Certainly felt after a couple of days without one.  I can certainly understand why the state offers showers and restroom facilities for through hikers as they come through, is because whenever you get up to 40, the have what the call the South Mountain Inn.  They don't want sticky  hikers in there.  I went in and had a Swiss ham and cheese on a Kaiser bun and cottage potatoes.  For dessert I mixed fruited pie with ice cream.  Right I'm so stuffed that I won't be able to hike the next 5 miles.  The South Mountain Inn is quite a historical little place.  In the 1800's before the roads were paved it was used an a stage coach inn for the settlers that were coming west.  After the road was paved, then more traffic came through there and it was used as an Inn, at some time or another it's been a tavern.  But always a place for people to stay.
     Coming across 40 and past the old stone church and back into the woods again.  It is the Washington state Park.  Very easy trail, open woods, quite bit of undergrowth. but it still open and a beautiful trail.  It is really a hike trough the park.  I have seen several sections of old stone fences.  Coming into a white pine forest with its soft needles on the trail and its wonderful aroma.
I just hiked over the Monument Rd and I be coming into the Washington Monument Rd. and then to the Washington Monument.  Can you believe I'm standing here talking to a deer that's looking straight at me in the path.
    I'm doing a little side trip now, Going up the Washington Monument Trail that leads to the monument.  I have a feeling that this is a more fitting monument that the one that's in Washington DC.  This monument is built on crushed stones,  you know the ones I've been telling you about.  They have taken this stone and have built the building.  I went inside ant up to the top and there's a 360 view fro the top, down into Boonsboro, and the battle ground, the mountains were  WV mountains,  and also into Harrisburg, PA area. 

      More of the stone walls, a couple different sections of them.  I see Moulin is beginning to bloom at the edge of the forest.  I'll be coming up to the foot bridge that m goes across I70 and US40.  I can hear the traffic from I70 now.  This is interesting, I'm crossing the road and the AT went right between 2 property lines, just laid off by logs, then around and down to the I70 overpass, which is what I'm going through now. Note: The traffic noise is awful here. Kathy.  South Mountain, the elevation is 1,200 feet.  I'm now going under the underpass for US40.

     Hiking on a dirt roadway trail pass towards Indianapolis Rock.  I'm going to the Pine Knob Shelter tonight, and I'll go on to Indianapolis Rock in the morning.  Simon's rally tired, we'll have done nearly 13 miles and I think that's enough for today.  An enjoyable day.  I seen a lot of section hikers and day hikers and stopped to talk to all of them.

     I just stopped to pick those 2 black berries  that were yelling for me to eat them.  I've probable had enough for today after the fruit the trail angles gave me.  Going off the trail to go to Pine Knob Shelter.  5:45pm.  It's been a great day.  Talk to you tomorrow.
     Swing'n Jane and Simon
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