Friday, May 6, 2011

The Blair Witch


Last night was rainy and windy, but fortunately the tent held up through the night, passing this first test. We waited out the weather, and fortunately the front passed by ten. John and I were on the road by eleven.
The main sights of our day were Civil War landmarks. Much of the war was fought up and down the Potomac River and I started to see the first evidence that in actuality there really is nothing civil about war anyhow. First off, our contingent of two passed White's Ford, which the Confederates used on three separate occasions during forays into Union territory. Later in the day we crossed the Monocacy Aqueduct, a forbidding thick stone structure whose masonry stood up to attempts by the rebels to destroy the crossing via Nobel's vile invention.
The most logical home for the evening was just on the other side of the Aqueduct, so we ditched our gear there and headed off the towpath towards Dickerson, Maryland. We had been stymied in an earlier attempt to buy hot food when the lunch counter at White's Ferry turned out to be closed. Our stomachs had tired of granola and yearned for something better. The five mile round trip to Dickerson culminated in our reward. I had the juiciest hamburger pretty much ever made, topped with bacon, cheese, pickles, and a wickedly good pepper relish.
We grabbed a few snacks for the future and headed back to Monocacy. As we neared I spotted an older woman carrying a stick, but not using it as a walking aid. Immediately it dawned on me that the "Blair Witch Project" had been filmed in the woods of Maryland. I felt terrible after we reached her and discovered she was a sweet older lady. We exchanged good wishes and trod onward. Then, suddenly, she turned me into a newt (I got better).

14 miles/153 total miles

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