It rained all day long. It would ocasionally let up, then get very heavy. But it rained all day long. Not good if you are a thru hiker. Some will keep going. Some will stay put. But the majority will be down in the dumps because of the rain.

So, on this National Trails Day, performing our once a year public service thing feeding thru hikers took on an additional meaning. They really needed us to give them that mental lift to make it to Katahdin. And, hopefully, we did that for 5 hikers. Here's how the day went:

Nancy and I arrived after 11AM. We were late, but the weather was partially to blame. There was another reason, but I don't want to be in the dog house over that one :) Bill and Chris, Charlie and Kelly had set up a tarp and a table next to Bill's truck. Charlie and Kelly had already put out signs. We had drinks, hamburgers, hotdogs, barbeque, cole slaw, potato salad, fruit, spiced shrimp, and a multitude of snacks. We were ready to feed thru hikers!

When we got there, Nancy got the grill going and I went to put out my signs that I had alerting thru hikers that there was free food ahead. Charlie and Kelly made some real neat signs from paper plates that they actually placed on the trail bed itself advertising "Free Food for Hikers". Very ingenious! While I was putting up my last sign, I spotted a hiker coming down the trail. His trail name was 'Old Guy' and he was a thru hiker from Wisconsin. He was very happy to see us. Having anything warm to eat or drink on a day like today was heaven. And, since the grill was not hot enough for hamburgers and hot dogs yet, 'Old Guy' scarfed down some barbeque. He was most grateful for the free food. We loaded him up with snacks to help him along his way.

About that time section hiker 'Scout', from Charleston, SC and thru hiker 'Blue' from Austin, TX rolled in. They said that they wanted to go into Smithburg and have a pizza, but they would be back later that afternoon to have some of our food. We said that was fine with us. So they left their things at the Ensign Cowall Shelter 2 tenths of a mile north and started towards town.

Next came section hiker 'Album'. Now, he was an interesting person. He was a section hiker going from Harpers Ferry to Port Clinton, PA. He was from Minnesota. He would end up hanging around eating all afternoon and having some great conversations with us. He loved those Nathan's hotdogs that we were serving. When we sent him back to his tent just south of the Ensign Cowall Shelter, he looked like he was trick or treating because he had a shopping bag chocked full of food that he would take with him along the trail!

Then came 'Deebo' from Maine. He was doing a "flip-flop" thru hike. In other words, he started at Harpers Ferry, WV a few days ago, was intending to hike to Katahdin, ME, then, go back to Harpers Ferry and hike south to Springer Mountain, GA. The Appalachian Trail Conference is encouraging thru hikers to do this to cut down on the huge crowds that start at Springer Mountain and make their way north every year. The large numbers of thru hikers (some estimate over 300 on April 1, 2004) put a great strain on resources both on and off the trail. Hence, the "flip-flop" philosophy. Deebo stayed awhile, ate alot, then we loaded him up with more food and sent him on his way.

During the lull, Charlie and Kelly went for a short hike. Nancy and I hiked the 2 tenths mile to the Ensign Cowall Shelter. Nancy had never seen a trail shelter up close. She liked the shelter, but did not like the smell of the privy.

Our next 2 "customers" who were not hikers. One was a PATC trail maintainer, who was telling hikers about us as he was working on the AT southbound. It is the unsung heroes like this gentleman, Matt M from Baltimore, MD, who build and maintain the various trails around the country that we hike but take for granted. We are very greatful to these men and women. We fed Matt all the hamburgers, hot dogs and barbeque that he could hold. Also, a scout master was doing a "recon" of this section of trail for an upcoming boy scout hike. Hiking is one of the best reasons to join the scouts, in my opinion. We fed him too and told him about the trail in each direction.

'Scout' and 'Blue' returned late in the day with 2 big boxes of pizza and were dropped off by a ride that they had hitched from town. We found out that today was 'Blue's' birthday. So we sang Happy Birthday for him. We also fed them and loaded them up with a bunch of food to take back to the shelter with them.

So, this year, we ended up feeding 3 thru hikers, 2 section hikers, a scout master and a trail maintainer. We were disapointed with the low turnout, but we think that our efforts were worth it from the sincere appreciation that these men and women gave to us. Next year, we are thinking of camping at the Ensign Cowall Shelter Friday night, then setting up at the shelter the next day (Saturday) and serving hikers from there. We'll see next year.

Mike C

At left, 'Album'.
By Mike Calabrese

From left, Kelly, 'Album', Charlie
& Nancy. By Mike Calabrese

'Deebo', Bill, 'Album', Nancy,
Charlie and Kelly. By Mike
Calabrese

From left, Kelly, Matt, 'Blue'
and 'Scout'. By Mike Calabrese

PATC Trail maintainer Matt M
and Kelly. By Mike Calabrese

One of the signs we put out.
By Mike Calabrese