10/25/2020 A weekend of cider making and enjoying the shift in weather. Finally, after a summer of hot, humid, 90 degree weather there was a chill in the air. We planned to hike on Sunday, wanting to do a longer day hike than we usually do. When we got up that morning, it was the start to a rainy day. The soft sound of rain hitting the leaves. I was drawn to hike despite the rain. Annapolis Rock is a really busy trail, so I was excited that we might have some sense of solitude.
We pull up to the parking lot and we’re in luck. It’s overfull on a sunny day. I was happy to consider myself not just a “fairweather” hiker. We gather our gear and begin the trek. At the beginning of the hike, you’re going right along I-70 and eventually fade into the wilderness. It’s weird how when you begin the hike (straight up the mountain I might add) the road noise suddenly disappears.
The hike is a series of stone stairs on repeat. Poles are always a good idea on the AT. This section of the AT involved 1,175 ft of elevation gain. We stopped for several water breaks and to catch our breath going up the mountain. As you’re approaching the top, there’s a compost toilet and picnic table. We definitely plan to backpack there someday.
At the top, I felt expanded. The clouds quietly rolled across the valley. In that moment, there was peace. Kealy started the Jet Boil to heat up some water for our Mountain House meal. We had been meaning to have a hot lunch on a day hike, but always forget to plan ahead. We ate some trail mix while we waited for our meal to be ready. Any food tastes better on the trail, especially hot food. The stark difference between the cool weather and hot food was comforting.
Annapolis Rock wasn’t the last stop, so we continued on. Most people turn around after Annapolis Rock, so we saw even less people. Black Rock was an even quieter version of Annapolis Rock. It is a bit smaller area to picnic or look around. We were above the fog. All we could see was nothingness, which brought a sense of eerieness. We took a few pictures and continued on to our last stop, Pogo shelter.
The trail led us down in elevation a little bit. It was a series of gradual ups and downs until we made it to our halfway mark of our out and back. There was one single backpacker at the destination. A bit of urgency hit us as we needed to finish before sunset.
Longer hikes clear my mind. Breathing the forest air is healing. We soak in the silence most of the time. However, we did talk a bit about the pandemic on the way back. The raindrops got bigger and more intense. Dori (our dog) wouldn’t have enjoyed this hike. Surprisingly, a lot of people were headed into the rain to see Annapolis Rock. I couldn’t see at all… my glasses were covered in fog and rain.
We made it back to the car, a Dr. Pepper waiting for us. I had no regrets about our rainy day hike.
