Day 3 started with Melodie dropping me off where she had picked me up the day before. The crew I have been hanging with had a 3 mile jump on me. I was hoping to catch them somewhere down the trail. I started at 7:15 am, thinking they would break camp around 8:30 am. I would have to move fast to catch them. My target for the day was a shelter 13 miles down the trail and luckily it was a perfect hiking day. Spartacus sent me a text that they would see me at the shelter. Many areas on the trail were very challenging, especially the areas where you have to pick your way through the big rocks. As I was getting close to shelter one of the crew was able to massage me that Spartacus and Quarter Master were going on to the next shelter, 4.9 miles down the trail. I arrived at the first shelter by 2:30 and felt like it was too early to stop and I continued on to the next shelter. I said a quick hello to King of Hearts and Ypsy and kept going.
Heading north, I met a couple people heading south. For 5 miles these were the only other hikers I saw, I always enjoy hiking in solitude. I came out of woods to a beautiful open area where the path continued through open grassland. Finally I got to the last mile of the day. Oh, what a last mile it was, straight up! What a great feeling to see the trail was flattening out and when I saw the shelter sign I would have danced if I had any energy left, 17 miles for the day. The crew was set up to sleep in the shelter since there was lots of rain forecast for the morning, so I set up inside also, which relieved me of setting up my tent. Side note, the water source was .3 mile down a hill and then you have to come back up. Ate some dinner and bedtime was at about 8.
Woke up in the morning and there was no rain. Everyone ate and packed up, then back to the trail. I left first but the other 4 passed after a while, that put me at the end of crew as usual, but that’s ok, hike your own hike. The days hike was only 4.9 miles for myself because Melodie was picking me up at a park at the border at Maryland and Pennsylvania, .2 miles from the park is a sign stating that you are crossing the Mason-Dixon Line.
The Mason-Dixon Line, surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by English astronomers Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, is a 233-mile-long boundary separating Pennsylvania from Maryland and Delaware. Originally created to settle colonial land disputes, it later became a symbolic cultural and legal divide between Northern free states and Southern slave states. This was copied from the internet.
The 4.9 mile hike involved a lot of rock scrambling and a little bit of elevation. After about 2 hours we all gathered for a break among the big rocks. The trail brought us to Pen Mar park where I would wait for Melodie to hike the final .2 miles to the Mason-Dixon Line with me. Two of the crew, Geo and Karaoke were continuing on for the day. I hope to see them further down the trail. Quarter Master was picked up at the park and sadly will be going home for a couple of weeks then he will get back on the trail. Spartacus will be taking a zero in a nearby town and Friday we will meet at a shelter for the night. By the way, a zero is a day that you do not hike any on the AT but get things done like resupply, laundry and take a wonderful hot shower.
The state of Maryland is officially done, 42 miles! On to Pennsylvania for 220 miles. They say that Maryland is a practice hike for Pennsylvania also known by hikers as Rocksylvania.
Melodie and I will be spending my zero day touring Gettysburg. I have always wanted to visit the battlefield and now I have my chance. I am sure I will be doing a lot of walking but I won’t have my thirty pound pack on my shoulder. I will be posting in a couple of days when there is cellular connection available. Until then, Happy Trails!
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