Nick and I just returned from our traditional pre-deployment camping trip. This time we went to the Mapletree Campground in Rohrersville, Maryland, the website claimed the grounds backed right up the Appalachian Trail. The cabins are one room buildings on stilts. Using the term loosely, they are called tree houses. They have no electricity or water, but do provide a wood stove for heat.
When we arrived we quickly unpacked the truck then set out to take some pictures to hopefully use as Christmas photos for our annual Christmas letter and photo. We didn't get many pictures before the sun went down, but I think we managed a few good ones.
We hiked straight up the mountain and ran into the actual trail! It was very thrilling.
We took the main road back to camp and hit the sack so we could get up early in the morning and head to the actual trail. We both took our packs, even though only one was necessary. If we were going to do it, we were going to be authentic about it! After a quick photo in Gathland State Park where we left the truck (we wanted to take the actual trail instead of heading up the mountain through the boundary line) we were off!
The trail was definitely not without its challenges, especially after all the snow they had last weekend. I was having to stop about every 10 minutes to eat a pack of fruit snacks and a bite of jerky (along with LOTS of water) to keep my energy levels up. The trail did eventually level out, then I felt a lot better. Nick was great and walked behind me just to make sure I didn't "Fall out"
I was determined we would make it to at least one summit. We ended up making it to two of them, but I was only able to get one picture. There were campers at the other summit and we didn't want to disturb them.
The picture definitely does not do justice of exactly how high we were. We ran into some snow, but we'd been burning calories and "blazing the trail" in the words of Nick, so we were shedding layers left and right. We made a hearty lunch of soup at the top of the summit then headed back down to our camp. We stopped to appreciate the Gathland State Park. It has a walking tour and crosses the Maryland Civil War Trails. I told Nick if we had any family nearby, that is the park I would want to have our family reunion at! He just laughed.
Overall it was a wonderful trip! I survived and walked away with only three small injuries. To all my family, surprising, right?? I was putting my pack back on and pinched my hand in the buckle. Scraped my hand on some thorns and wound up with a blood blister on my foot. Overall, a smashing success.
