Shelters and scouts
- El
- May 11
- 3 min read
April 12-14, 2025
Turner’s Gap to Raven Rock shelter
Mile 1062.7
Strings dropped me off back at Turner’s Gap early in the morning. It was an earlier start than I’d been getting, because he had a full shuttle schedule. He picked me up at 6:30, and he had already been going for several hours. The season for him is getting started, and there are hikers who try to do the 4-state challenge in this area: in other words, they want to start with feet in either VA or PA and cover all of Maryland’s ~41 miles and WV’s ~3 miles to set foot in the opposite state within 24 hours. He dropped off a few hikers up at Pen Mar park at 3 this morning. Needless to say, I do not aspire to this level of hiking.
But starting early made it cooler and easier to get miles in. By lunchtime, I felt I’d gone further. I had gone further.
Things felt clear and smooth, and I had time to chat with hikers I met and enjoy my time as I passed I-70 and continued along the ridge.
I stopped at Pine Knob Shelter briefly, but chose to keep on for a bit longer and made it to Annapolis Rocks. It was a cold, clear night with a little rain.
There were some scouting groups camping nearby, but it was a fairly solitary night, as most of the campsites were separated out. Just people here and there waving or passing on their way in or out.
I got a later start the next morning, as I was only aiming for 6.5 miles. I’d reserved space at a hostel near Pen Mar on the Maryland border on the 15th, so I had time to kill—I’d been worried about my pace, and given myself ample grace to complete the miles. I’d also been a bit worried because one of the other guests in the bunkhouse at the hostel I’d escaped to during the storm was very ill with what looked like norovirus. I’d been careful, but it seemed better on all fronts to avoid communal space until I was sure I’d avoided the bug.
I hit Cowall shelter around 1:30-decent day. It looked like some folks might have been staying there long-term—there was a bunch of trash around back of the shelter, and folks had left other stuff behind. A section hiker who volunteers for the PATC told me that shelters close to roads like Cowall tend to become places to hang out or stay for non-hikers. By dinner time there was only one other person planning to use the shelter—a nice older fellow, trail name ESSC—but mindful of my recent bunkmate’s illness, I chose to tent camp. Later on, lots of others did as well. It’s spring break season, and the trail seems full of families and school or scout groups.
Raven Rock shelter was the next one on trail, and the last in MD before the border. Only 4.8 miles, but I’d been learning that all miles are not created equal, so I was hesitant to predict an easy day. Still, I had hopes. ESSC and I set off within a few minutes of each other, and I mostly kept pace, even through some of the sharpish ascents. He’d booked a stay at the same hostel for that night, so he pushed on; since my reservation was for the next day, I took a leisurely afternoon. No sign of Ralph—he was a true class act, and given his stated timeline, I had hoped to run into him again. In the meantime, I had plenty of time to enjoy the quiet of the afternoon. Another scout troop came by to stay that evening, led by a group of friendly adults with Trail names like Mama Bear and Farmer Chef. They all chose to tent together, so it was just me in the shelter—my first time staying in one. It felt odd at first, but I’ll admit that not having to pack up the tent makes things quicker in the morning.
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