Survivor Antietam!

Friday and Saturday at Antietam National Battlefield proved to be an exercise in wet weather survival... well at least for the Friday morning and early afternoon phases. At times it rained so hard that the rain was coming down at a 45 degree angle! There was no way to keep your legs dry below the knees. I found out a few things about my personal wet weather gear. First, my rain slicker is to well insulated and holds in the heat all to well. If the rain wasn't going to get me wet my own sweat would. I ditched the slicker for my huge golf umbrella. No, I do not golf. Second, my water-proof jungle boots aren't. Thank God I had two extra pairs of dry socks along! In spite of the weather a great time was had. Also in spite of the weather over one hundred people showed up. Below are low-res photos of Friday's battlefield hike.

Umbrellas, not muskets, were the order of the day on Friday September 17,
2004.

We were joind by hikers and Civil War buffs aged twelve to seventy-two! A bus load of teenagers joined us too.
A veritable sea of umbrellas.
Soaked and not a dry towel to be had.
Marching forward through the storm. Everyone was toughing it out.
Ranger Keith Snyder describes the action in the Bloody Lane.
Ranger Mike Gamble points out that this large tree - a witness tree -was a mere sapling the day of the intense fighting at the Burnside Bridge.
Ranger Kevin - he likes to be called Ranger Kevin - talks about the Sherrick and Otto Farms on the southside of the battlefield. The Sherrick farm can be seen in the background.
Detail of an Ohio Monument on the south side of the battlefield.
Ranger Keith Snyder describes the action of the South Carolina P.D. Artillery during the closing phase of the battle. He holds up an image of their flag.
At the end of the morning portion of the hike we returned to the visitor's center. Two-thirds of the group did not survive the weather and would not be back for part two because of the threat of more heavy rains. As it turned out it didn't rain at all during the afternoon portion of the hike. In fact the sun peaked out a few times and it warmed up. I'll have more images to show from Saturday's hikes and a monument rededication on Monday.