When John Denver sings that “life is old there, older than the trees,” he is talking about this part of America.

It is a happy coincidence that it passes right by us in Central Maryland.

Maryland accounts for only about 42 miles of the trail, beginning at Pen Mar Park in Washington County, which straddles the Mason-Dixon line near Cascade, then meanders across the top of South Mountain, roughly paralleling the borders of Frederick and Washington counties before finishing at the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

I didn’t do too much planning for these day hikes, and you won’t need to either. My hiking wardrobe consisted of comfortable shorts, a T-shirt, sweatshirt, sunglasses, hiking shoes and two pairs of white socks.

I filled my small backpack with two bottles of water, one bottle of Gatorade, two granola bars, two pieces of fruit and some crackers and almonds. I threw in my phone, of course, a towel, an AT guidebook purchased at Trail House in Frederick, a Mophie phone charger and a few bandages and Neosporin, just in case.

What follows are my notes from the adventure.

DAY HIKE 1, MARCH 14Pen Mar Park to Route 17 (Wolfesville Road) — 9 Miles

My first hike was a modest nine miles from Pen Mar Park to the trail crossing at Wolfesville Road. As I stepped out of the car at 10 a.m., I was pleased to have as my first AT experience a beautiful vista overlook, panning east toward Thurmont. Thank goodness there is a big sign featuring north and south directional arrows near the overlook or I would have needed my phone’s built-in compass right way. The sign says that Maine is 1,080 miles away to the north and Georgia 920 miles to the south.

As I strode deeper and deeper into the woods, I made sure to note the white vertical blazes on the trees that would show me the way. These crucial signposts, painted by various hiking clubs who voluntarily maintain the AT, will become your best friends. I started out on a gentle incline, but it rapidly changed to a steep one of about 700 feet over the course of about three miles to High Rock, a hang-gliding site on the northern part of South Mountain in Cascade. The vista at High Rock is mesmerizing, and the rock itself is covered in graffiti. High Rock is accessible by road so it is a popular hangout for locals of all ages.

The trail soon began an equally steep descent of 500 feet over another two miles to Raven Rock Shelter. From there, I descended another 200 feet over two miles to Warner Gap Road. Along the way, I had the pleasure of making two stream crossings, one by rock hopping and one via two boards situated over the creek by the local AT hiking club.

I ate lunch by a babbling brook and couldn’t help but think I was in a Norman Rockwell painting.

From there, I climbed 250 feet over the final three miles past Md. 77 and Ensign Cowall Shelter and on to Md. 17 for my scheduled pickup.

My tracker said I covered nine miles right on the nose, took 27,000 steps and climbed 134 flights. I finished up at about 4 p.m. I hiked for roughly six hours and averaged just under two miles an hour. I felt exhausted but great.

DAY HIKE 2, MARCH 20Wolfsville Road to the I-70 footbridge — 8.7 Miles

It was a drizzly, cool Friday when my wife dropped me off at the Wolfsville Road AT crossing near Smithsburg at about 11 a.m. I was happy to see only two other unoccupied cars in the lot. My plan for this day was to hike 8.7 miles to the AT footbridge at I-70, possibly the best-known AT crossing in Maryland to non-hikers. It is hard to miss the Appalachian Trail sign on the bridge as you drive under it — or the cars parked at the access point. The footbridge area is also one of the most popular access points to the AT in Maryland, so you can expect some small crowds at times, but they quickly thin out on the trail.

I set off on a slightly downhill path and then crossed back over Md. 17 and immediately started a grueling uphill climb back and forth over large boulders until I reached the top of South Mountain. This is a 400-foot, hand-over-hand ascent in just over half a mile. It is strenuous, but I couldn’t help feeling proud of myself as I reached the top still able to breathe just about normally.

The rest of the hike was mostly downhill, and I settled into a nice loping gait that seemed much faster than two miles an hour. At six foot two, I am blessed with long legs and a long stride. Even so, I had no idea these mountains are so rocky. Nearly every step forces you to decide which rock to step on or avoid.

The two best landmarks on this section of the AT are Black Rock Cliffs and Annapolis Rocks. It took about 5 miles to get to Black Rock Cliffs. I was rewarded with a breathtaking vista looking west toward Hagerstown. In another mile or so with a slight incline, you arrive at Annapolis Rocks, which is at the end of a secondary trail that takes you just 2/10 of a mile out of your way. It is well signed and very much worth the side trip. Don’t pass it up.

Still looking west, the vista is higher and even more breathtaking than Black Rock Cliffs. The downside is that Annapolis Rocks can be crowded. On this particular day, there were about 30 people lounging among the rocks. Annapolis Rocks is only 2.2 miles from the I-70 footbridge, which explains its popularity. It is a moderately easy hike from there. I later realized that Annapolis Rocks is that clump of rocks you see plastered on the side of South Mountain as you approach Frederick from the west on I-70.

From Annapolis Rocks, I descended about 600 feet over the course of 2 1/2 miles to the I-70 footbridge. I have learned that steep descents bring their own challenges. I found myself trying to hold back so as to not fly down the mountain. This puts some added pressure on your knees. My wife was there to pick me up at about 3:30 p.m.

My tracker said that I walked 8.7 miles, took just under 22,000 steps and climbed 68 flights. I did all this in under five hours, averaging almost 2 miles per hour.

DAY HIKE 3, MARCH 26I-70 footbridge to Gathland State Park — 14.5 Miles

My wife dropped me off at the I-70 footbridge and now has more confidence in me. I have more confidence in myself, too. On this day, I planned my longest and most ambitious hike yet: 14.5 miles to Gathland State Park near Burkittsville. I didn’t really want to hike this far, but the best two pick-up points on this part of the AT are at Gathland and Reno Monument Road, the latter of which is only seven miles away.

I headed out at 10 a.m. on a sunny Thursday with highs forecasted in the 70s. I double checked to make sure I had my sweating towel. After all, it is a long hike and one that promised to be quite challenging. The pros would call it highly technical and moderately difficult. I started out at 1,200 feet, went down to 900 feet, went back up to 1,600 feet, before finishing up at 950 feet.

My first stop came at the 3-mile mark at the Washington Monument, built in 1827 by villagers of Boonsboro to honor the first president. The 30-foot stone structure commands the southwestern edge of South Mountain, can be seen for miles and looks out over Boonsboro. It quickly appears as you come up a small hill and takes your breath away.

Next, I traveled over fairly flat terrain to Turner’s Gap on Alt. 40. You may know Turner’s Gap better as the place where the South Mountain Inn currently stands. It prominently promises “Food and Drink For All.” Here, I appropriately stopped for lunch at an employee picnic table.

At about the halfway point, 7 miles in, I came upon Reno Monument Road and the monument built to honor a scene of heavy Civil War fighting in 1862 and the winning general from the North, Jesse Reno, who was mortally wounded at the end of the battle. This was the low point of today’s hike (in more ways than one) at 910 feet.

From there, I had a gradual but arduous 700-foot climb to Lambs Knoll and White Rock Cliffs. The overlook at the cliffs faces eastward toward Frederick and features mile after mile of pristine Frederick County farmland in the beautiful Middletown Valley.

From there, it was a gradual 700-foot descent over 3 miles to this day’s terminus at Gapland Road just south of Burkittsville. As I passed through these woods made famous by the movie “The Blair Witch Project,” I was happy to see no strange wooden mini-structures designed by otherworldly beings.

I called my wife 30 minutes ahead of time to pick me up at the appointed parking lot. She beat me by about 10 minutes, as I undertook a steep and arduous descent down the mountain. I could see the parking lot below teasing me for what seemed like hours as I eased down the hill. I was traveling extremely slowly on this section, slower than I had traveled when I was going up the mountain. It was that steep.

As I finally collapsed into the waiting car at 5 p.m., my tracker said I traveled more than 14 miles, took 33,000 steps and climbed 106 flights over seven hours. I am improving; I averaged just over 2 miles an hour. After a hot bath and great dinner, I slept like a baby.

DAY HIKE 4, APRIL 2Gathland State Park to Harpers Ferry — 10 Miles

It was a sunny but blustery Thursday with highs in the 60s as I began this final leg of the Maryland section of the AT. I anticipated it to be the easiest leg of the trail, since I was starting at 1,150 feet and would be descending steadily to 250 feet over 10 miles, making my way to the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry. I scrambled out of the car at 11:15 a.m.

First, I traveled a little more than 3 miles over mostly level but rocky terrain to the Edward B. Garvey Memorial Shelter, which was closed on this day. I found a rickety picnic table to have my lunch. The shelter looks east over the fertile farmland of Southern Frederick County. Another hiker was lounging there, too.

Next, I completed a gentle descent of about 200 feet over another 2 miles to Weverton Cliffs. The view of the Potomac River from this vantage point is breathtaking. Again, only one other hiker joined me at this beautiful landmark.

After mentally recharging here for about 15 minutes, I began the arduous trek down the mountainside toward Weverton Road and on to the Potomac River. This nearly 400-foot switchback down the trail covers just 1 mile. I was glad I was going down and not up.

From Weverton Road, it is an easy hike under US-340 onto Keep Tryst Road, and then as an extra bonus, you hike west for 2 miles along the C&O Canal towpath to reach the Goodloe E. Byron Memorial Footbridge over the Potomac River and into Harpers Ferry.

Over about six hours, I had hiked exactly 10 miles, took 27,921 steps and climbed 66 flights.

I had reached my goal of hiking all 42 miles of the AT in Maryland over the course of four day hikes. My wife picked me up at about 5 p.m. on nearby Sandy Hook Road, which parallels the Potomac River and C&O Canal on the Maryland side of the river.

Reflections

The silence and solitude experienced on the AT is all-consuming. The times when the silence is interrupted by the rat-a-tat-tat of a woodpecker, the laughing of oncoming hikers, the humming of a chainsaw in the distance or small trees creaking in the breeze are surprising and sometimes startling. A strong breeze sometimes sounds like a small freight train just above your head. Sounds of civilization far, far away somehow become comforting. I particularly enjoyed the lonely moan of a train horn many miles away, the faint crackle of a power line in the distance and the drone of a small plane on the horizon.

There seem to be millions and millions of rocks and boulders of all shapes and sizes to consider on the trail. You will step on many of them and curse some of them.

The white blazes that point the way are like long-lost friends. When you don’t see one for a while, you might panic just a little, even when you know you are not that far from civilization. The trail mostly looks like how you’d expect a trail to look, except when you are clambering up the side of a mountain over boulders. Then, even the rocks are marked with blazes.

For me, hiking the AT was like a very hard workout done during a very quiet mini-vacation with many unexpected rewards along the way.

The trail this time of year is breathtaking, exhausting and very possibly the closest you will ever get to seeing what you are made of.

My mantra was simply put one foot in front of the other, even when tired. That philosophy served me well. If you can do that, before you know it, you’ll be done. It helps that at some point during your hike it makes no sense to turn back. It is better to keep going.