Smithsburg, MD

Alas! Maryland is beneath my feet, and I am writing from a computer at my Mom and Stepdad's house to boot! How exciting! I began about 5 miles north of the border at around 9:30am and was picked up, 15 miles later, on the side of the road by my mom at 4:30pm, covered in sweat, dirt, and a dozen or so insects that were matted to my body and couldn't escape.

It was quite a gratifying experience crossing the MD/PA border! I imagined all the wonderful trails that were before me and the pleasant people that I would meet in my old state... I was greeted, however, with more hills, rocks, and nobody worth mentioning in the first 10 miles of the Old Line State. Not a good start, but at least there are only 30 miles left of it!

I haven't taken the time to inform everybody out there that life on the trail ain't exactly clean. I pride myself, unlike several hikers that I've run across, in my use of deodorant and daily cleansing rituals. You'd be surprised at how quickly one gets ripe out in nature! So, upon getting into Mom's car this afternoon, I grabbed a towel from her trunk as I loaded myself into the car and sat on the barrier for the 5-minute ride home. Lucky me, unlucky towel.

So here I sit, behind windows and before a keyboard, enthralled with the novelty of it all.