I woke up at the hostel to find a big bowl of pancake batter sitting right next to the stove. It was actually pretty fun to get to do the cooking myself, even if it was just pancakes. It took me a while to get motivated to make the return to the trail but once I did I felt great. The first three miles was along a canal path and absolutely flat, a nice break in period after three days off. There was a short climb and a decent overlook from Weaverton Cliffs before resuming a generally level course the rest of the day.
There’s a lot of talk about how rocky the trail gets in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Today I covered a good chunk of Maryland and yes there were some rocks, but nothing worse than anywhere else on the AT. There were several miles of pretty smooth trails and some of the rocky parts were mostly rocks that were smooth and flat and easily stepped on. Even on the rougher sections my feet felt amazing, the time off seems to have done a lot of good for now and hopefully the effects will be long lasting. I had lunch at a little state park picnic area and met some section hikers who were originally from Arizona and currently living in Baltimore, as well as a girl who just this year had done the Springer to Harpers Ferry section earlier in the season. Her whole family was there and I got to finish off their left over fruit salad which was quite delicious on a hot day. Actually the weather wasn’t all that bad. I don’t know if it’s less humid, more shade, or a few degrees cooler than those last two days I hikes but it sure felt like a world of difference. Maybe I just feel fresh after the time off. Tonight might be interesting though, I’m camping at a nice campground but there’s a thunderstorm rolling in. Could be a wet night and wet morning.