I bid farewell to Fritz in the morning–for now, at least–and headed back out into the Maryland countryside. Yesterday’s wind was just a memory, as I was met instead by placid, if chilly, conditions. The sun beamed regally overhead throughout the day, only giving way in the afternoon to some thickening clouds.
As has been the trend, I was met with a steady stream of traffic over the first hour of the walk, which today led me into the small town of Ridgely. I grabbed a coffee in the mini-mart, mainly for the easy opportunity to top-off my water, and then quickly pushed on. The third day of long-hiking usually hurts the most and this was definitely the most ambitious stage of my opening week. I hoped to fly till noon, before entering the crash-and-burn portion of the walk.
Those plans were interrupted, though, by a series of surprise encounters along the road soon after town. I first passed a cluster of three trucks, all parked on a dirt road adjacent to a handful of wooded acres. On one bumper, I saw three stickers: McCain/Palin, Cruz 2016, and Trump 2020. The driver greeted me with a nod. The next truck’s owner was already out of the cab, striding to his trailer which I quickly realized was filled with five or six hunting dogs, all amped up and ready for some bushwhacking. I asked him not to send them after me and he replied that they weren’t interested in me at all. Maybe if they knew I was from Portland, Oregon, though!
Soon after, another truck mechanically ambled its way down the dirt road towards me. Chad introduced himself, noting that he tries to help out ADT walkers in the area and that he had been alerted to my presence by his wife, who had spotted me. He gave me his card and offered support should any need arise, and laid out the next section of the walk–noting that my next stop, Tuckahoe State Park, had been taken from his family by the state through eminent domain a number of years ago. Chad’s truck also had a MAGA sticker. The streak of no visible support for Democratic candidates continues.
Just a little way further down the road, a woman in an SUV pulled out of one driveway and into another. As I approached, she greeted me and asked what I was up to. She immediately perked up and asked to take a picture. She then told me about her business, Farm to Fork Fresh Herbs & Veggies, and asked me if I’d like a bag of romaine lettuce. I should note at this point that it was probably the most impressive looking romaine I’ve seen, so of course I took her up on it. She smiled and said, “I asked myself, should I pick one more, and God said to pick one more. He had me pick that one for you.” For the next few miles, I summoned my inner-Lila Fenner and munched on romaine leaves as I strolled through the backroads.
That, along with a nice break on the shore of Lake Tuckahoe, was the high-water mark of the day. After some great walking through mostly car-free roads, the second half of the day led me onto minor highways, with gradually increasing traffic as the afternoon rush kicked in. Fortunately, things never entered the crash-&-burn zone–more like fender-bender-&-singe. After passing through the Queenstown Outlet Mall, which had a disappointing dearth of food options, and running across a busy highway while vaulting over a pair of dividers, I just zoned out and pushed on. Fortunately, when I needed a pick-me-up near the end, I made it onto the Cross Island Trail through the Kent Island Narrows, getting a break from cars and some nice scenery of the Chesapeake Bay–a preview of more to come tomorrow.
Today was the gamble with the first week’s itinerary, especially given that I didn’t come into this in great walking shape, but it went as smoothly as I could hope for. Ultimately, I covered 33 miles in around ten walking hours, and I finished feeling sore but with nothing worse than a generalized dull ache. Now, the schedule becomes more forgiving over the next four days, offering some chance at recovery before the next spike.
