A Detour off the Trail to Baltimore

We Spoke Saturday morning as Jonathan was on a train which he picked up in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, en route to Washington DC and then on to Baltimore. There he was meeting up with his brother, Colin, who would be coming from Connecticut into Baltimore Saturday in preparation for a Monday performance. Colin is on a month long tour performing small venues, and the timing and proximity to the trail just happened to work out. Colin will return Jonathan to the trail at Harper's Ferry on Tuesday. Jonathan was really looking forward to the detour.

Last Saturday night he enjoyed another huge campfire with a group of about 10 weekenders, some of whom he had sheltered with the previous night. There were two side by side shelters at this location and both were filled to capacity. He tented nearby. On Sunday, he hiked to a store, food supplies were running a little low, and took on what he thought was his own personal 1/2 gallon (ice cream) challenge He easily consumed what he thought was a 1/2 gallon of Breyer's coffee ice cream but realized upon completion that it was only a quart and a half. Last weekend's weather was hot for hiking. He so wished he had not sent home his T-shirt.

He has run into a photo journalist named Ulysses who is documenting the trail on his second hike. In addition to the standard backpacking burden, he also has a very large camera and a collection of lenses to haul. He has run into Stick Man again, a section hiker with whom he connects well. Stick Man lives in Louisville and frequently passes through Cincinnati so they plan to reconnect after the trail. Stick Man routinely hikes in spring and fall. Jonathan also ran into Steel Steve, a hiker who he last saw in New Hampshire. I also learned the story of Fox Trot, a modest 31 year old man who began hiking at 18, and in the subsequent years has racked up an enormous number of miles. By the time this year comes to a close, he will have completed 31,000 miles of hiking. He has hiked the AT four times, the Pacific Crest Trail twice, the Continental Divide Trail , as well as numerous international hiking trails. Jonathan says he has the most enormous calf muscles he's ever seen. I dare say there's a reason for that.

On Monday, Jonathan crossed the Maryland State line which is also the Mason-Dixon line. The terrain was more hilly with little towns nestled in the valleys and some nice views. The mountains are starting to get a little bigger. This section of trail crosses four states in just a little over 50 miles. There are some ambitious hikers who attempt this 4 state challenge - hiking a continuous 24 hours at a very fast clip in order to step foot in 4 different states over the course of a day. Jonathan walked the week at a very leisurely pace because he was timing himself to reach Harper's Ferry Saturday morning in order to catch the train. Consequently, he had to ration his food which didn't prove to be a problem for he found his appetite went down in conjunction with the reduced daily mileage. Temps have been mild, 40's to 50's with light rain off and on. He said he did hike through a pretty good rain Friday which then stopped as soon as he got to the shelter for the evening.

There are a lot of section hikers on the Maryland trails, likely because of their proximity to DC. The trails and shelters in this area are particularly well maintained by the local Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. He had a particularly nice shelter all to himself Friday night; it had a second story loft which was completely enclosed giving the impression of being in a cabin. He is looking forward to Virginia which holds the promise of higher mountains, better forests and bigger views. ~ Amy