We had a good day today. We started out from the backpackers campsite just before 8 am in another misty day after a good hard rain last night. It took quite a while to get the hammocks set up because one of the trees was way too big for the tree hugger straps so I had to join two of them together to make it around the tree and then we both were joined to the same suspension. It worked, but if Karen shifted it would jiggle me and vice versa. We both stayed warm and dry despite the rain but we had to pack them up soaking wet which is somewhat normal.
First stop of the day was the Washington monument in Maryland. Not as big as the one in DC but it has a better view. It was misty before we got there and we had great views of the countryside and just as we packed up to leave, the fog rolled in. Perfect timing.
We went a few miles to the next shelter and had an early lunch of pasta salad and relaxed a bit before heading off to Annapolis rocks to watch the buzzards circle. They allow camping there and have a caretaker to make sure it doesn’t get trashed like some of the impromptu cliff sites do. It’s a neat site that is not scarred by graffiti.
We passed the campsite where most of the people we started with stopped to camp and pushed on a little further since it wasn’t even 3pm yet. We passed a really nice spring and cameled up and headed out with four liters intending to either make it five more miles to the next shelter or stop to dry camp since the trail there was along a ridge line. We ended going about 3.5 miles before finding a nice spot with lots of good trees and big rocks to sit on. We were able to get the hammocks set up pretty quickly and get dinner cooked just before the rain let loose. Now we have another two hours to hang out and chat before it gets dark. We are set up about 15 feet from each other so we can see each other and chit chat.
We have seen a few hikers pass by headed toward the shelter and even though we are only about 1.5 miles away, we like our mountain top campsite and a little seclusion for a change. People are nice but being alone is nice sometimes, too. I think we did around 13 miles today which is good for this early in the trip. Better to lay up and feel good tomorrow than have pushed on a little too early in the trip and faced an injury.
The forecast for the next three days is more rain all day and all night with only small glimpses of only 30% chance or less. The rest of the time the chance is 70% chance or better. We haven’t had to actually hike very much in actual ran yet (just mist), but it looks like our introduction to Pennsylvania will be a wet one indeed.
May 4, 2016 at 11:13 pm
LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU HIT NY!!! I will be in the area in May and June! SAFE TRAVELS !! Take more pictures of the area!!! 🙂