Annapolis Rocks, Maryland, October 31, 2016 — Today the final curtain descended on the 2016 ridgerunner season, and an anticlimactic ending it was.
This morning I dashed up to Annapolis Rocks to meet Kyle, our long-term Maryland ridgerunner. Together we struck the caretaker’s tent, packed up the gear and marched it down the mountain for storage in the apartment the ridgerunners share at Washington Monument State Park.

Kyle moving in to the apartment in April.
The tent platform is clear again.
Caretaker sign in April and October.
The view is always spectacular.

Thanks both to Kyle and to Robin, whose season ended Labor Day, for their dedication and hard work caretaking at Annapolis Rock and ridgerunning on the Appalachian Trail in Maryland.
Ironically it’s Halloween, admittedly a scary day. After today, with the scolds gone, you are not free to trash the woods. That would be really scary.
Will look for you next summer. NOBO March ’17. “44”
Good luck. That’s a start date after spring break. Be prepared for large numbers. Hope to see you somewhere along the way.
I’ll wave and wish them well as they pass me by. Light and slow. But the grit that got me this far in life may be what keeps me going up the Georgia and NC mountains.
Not many horses in GA and NC. Everyone is fairly slow.
Nice job! Thanks to all of you for your hard work!
All good things come to an end. Until next year!
It looked like a beautiful day for the camp break down. Our nice fall is lingering later this year. The trees are still loaded with colored leaves.
Lots of drought stress here. The colors are not as vivid as usual. Many trees have dropped their leaves early as well.
Thanks for all you guys do. I love Marylands at section. 🖖