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May 24
Rested and refreshed, the hikers continue their journey in the late morning. We planned on doing an easy, 5 mile day to Devil's Racecourse Shelter. The trail wound through several grassy meadows and this (combined with the rocks from the day before) gave us an idea of what Pennsylvania would be like. After a short, steep climb, we found the trail to Devil's Racecourse Shelter, which was downhill a third of a mile of sharp rocks. When we got there, we found two hikers and a 4-ft. black snake coiling its way up the shelter wall. After one of the hikers said that snake had a friend living there as well, we decided to press on. We had planned to stay at a bed-and-breakfast in Waynesboro, PA, and restock the day after, but it was 3 pm and we decided if we pushed it we could make it to Pen Mar State Park and call the B&B for a shuttle.
The ground was level at first and we burned the first few miles away easily. Then we hit a rocky downhill stretch that tore up our feet and knees. We later noticed that Brian's Achilles tendon was
swollen and inflamed. When we arrived at Pen Mar, a Memorial Day celebration was underway and we felt like a couple of hobos walking out of the woods. We called the B&B on our cell phone and got the shuttle to Burgundy Lane B&B. We had a very relaxing evening there and a pizza dinner. And though we felt somewhat guilty about sleeping in a bed two nights in a row, it's our honeymoon, so all y'all haters can just back off.
May 25
After a scrumptious breakfast of fresh fruit, sticky buns, breakfast enchiladas, cornbread, orange juice, and coffee, we packed our bags and headed to Wal-Mart for a couple of items. We needed some food but the most important purchase were two pairs of Crocs. We had been noticing an awful lot of Crocs on the trail and they are truly superior to flip flops, Tevas, or any other camp shoes we've found. They're super light, closed-toe, and can be worn with socks or without. Our most valuable purchase yet!
This was an actual easy day--only seven miles and when we stopped for lunch we rested our feet in a cold mountain brook. We then
settled for the evening at Tumbling Run Shelter. Here we met back up with Daisy (the British girl with the badly blistered feet who we met at the Free State Hostel) and Steeler (a guy from Pittsburg). That evening we sat around the campfire. The smoke kept following Jessica and one of the hikers said she always seemed to be getting the short end of the stick. This became a joke and Brian suggested that "Short-Stick" might make a good trail name for Jessica. The next day, Brian and Jessica were officially christened with the trail names "Honeymoon" (because Brian tells everyone we're on our honeymoon and wears the Hawaii hat to remind ourselves of all the reasons we didn't go somewhere like that) and "Short Stick" (for the reason already mentioned and because she carries very short trekking poles).
Most Appalachian Trail thru-hikers and many section-hikers take (or are given) pseudonyms by which they become known. These names can be pretty much anything, but they often relate to an aspect of the hiker's personality, place of origin, or something notoriously funny or strange they have done. We don't know the actual names of most of the hikers we've
met. But we will refer to them by their trail names, and therefore, in the spirit of the A.T., we will now refer to ourselves exclusively by our trail names.
May 26
We had a steep climb to start the day but were rewarded with a beautiful view from Chimney Rocks. Our feet were a little sore today and Honeymoon's ankle was aching. The first ten miles or so of the hike were pretty uneventful, but late in the afternoon we reached Caledonia State Park. This being Memorial Day Weekend, it was overrun with the finest citizens of southern Pennsylvania (read that however you like). Again, we received many strange looks as we bought a coke and an ice cream cone and filled up our water bladders. We then beat a hasty retreat back into the mountains, and it felt good to get away from the masses. After a few more miles climbing up a trail lined with rhododendrons (which gave it a tropical feeling), we got to Quarry Gap Shelter, which was the best we've seen so far. It was a double shelter with a covered picnic table, a windscreen, a spring right in front, a composting
privy (meaning it smells OK), and even a couple of flower pots. There we met up with Daisy, as well as two other hikers (named Chief Daddy and Tupperware) with whom we played card games and did card tricks until dark.
May 27
We got an early start and made good time, getting many miles out of the way before the heat hit. We stopped at Birch Run Shelter for an early lunch and after filtering some water, we headed on to Pine Grove Furnace State Park, where we planned to camp. But before we reached it, the skies turned cloudy and it began to rain. We got wet and Honeymoon's ankle was feeling awful. We chose to stay in the hostel located at the edge of the park instead of try to pitch our tent in the rain. After checking into the Ironmaster's Mansion hostel, we found Chief Daddy, Tupperware, and Daisy at the general store. The latter two were attempting the "half-gallon challenge" (eating a full half-gallon container of ice cream). They barely made it through half of it, so they didn't make the club.
After a hot shower, we fixed pancakes, bacon, and eggs
for dinner. It was delicious and the beauty of cooking was that Tupperware and Chief Daddy did the dishes. That night we all explored the creepy room under the hostel, which, legend has it, was once a part of the Underground Railroad. A trapdoor in a closet led down to the dark, damp basement. After that, we watched part of a movie and fell asleep on a mattress in some clean sheets.
May 28
In the morning, Chief Daddy cooked up the remaining pancakes, we resupplied at the general store and made it a mile up the trail to the A.T. halfway point marker. Hiking was good and we had a leisurely time through the afternoon until we hit the 13 or 14 mile point. Then we encountered, on the top of a ridge, a succession of huge, sharp boulders that the trail wound through, around, and over. It felt like a Funhouse maze of rocks, as though whoever blazed the trail had decided to have some fun with the hikers. It drained our energy, killed our legs, and sapped our spirits. By the time we made it to Alec Kennedy Shelter, it was twilight and we were
exhausted. We shared the shelter with Chief Daddy (though he sleeps in a hammock outside the shelter), Daisy, and two older gents named Oly and Rising Star. The night was extremely cold (high 30s) and uncomfortable, and in the morning, Honeymoon and Chief Daddy struggled for half an hour with damp wood trying to get a fire lit just to warm everyone's stiff limbs.
May 29
Once the chill melted, we had an easy hike through farmland to Boiling Springs, PA. The smell of fertilizer and manure plagued one section of our hike, but we made it to Boiling Springs in the early afternoon. We hung our at the Appalachian Trail Conference office for a while, stored our stuff in the backyard of the Garminhaus B&B (where we were allowed to camp for a dollar donation). Then we went to Anile's Italian Restaurant and had subs and pizza. We lazed around the ATC, had some beers and chatted with Chief Daddy, Daisy, and another hiker named Snoopy. Before bed, Short Stick and Honeymoon dined on Buffalo Calamari and Portobella with Bruschetta at the local tavern. Quite unusual hiker fare! Then we hit the tent and called it a
night.
May 30
We woke to a heavy dew, so the tents were all soaking wet. We took our tent down and laid it in the sun to dry. All the hikers who had camped in the backyard (maybe 15 of us) were moving slowly that morning (many had indulged in a few more drinks than us) but we made it out of town by 9:00. The plan was to try to make Cove Mountain Shelter that night, about 21 miles away. We rattled off the first 8 miles before noon, stopping to eat lunch on a footbridge over U.S. Hwy 11. Most of the first half of the hike took us through fields of wheat and alfalfa. This was nice when there was shade, but absolutely brutal in the sun. After climbing 800 feet over just half a mile, we stopped to cook an early dinner at a shelter, with about 7 miles to go toward our destination. After eating our dehydrated "lasagna" we set off again at about 4:30. These last few miles were incredibly difficult, mentally perhaps more than physically. There was a steep downhill, two miles of wading through shoulder-level alfalfa fields, then another
800-ft. climb. We thought we must be near the shelter, but as the sun went down we kept trudging along over tough, rocky ground, thinking every minute that the shelter must be near. Finally, near 8:00, we found the shelter, ate a cold dinner, and went quickly to bed. But we had done a 21-mile day, and felt like serious A.T. hikers. We also met a middle-aged guy named Fog (he had passed us earlier in the day) who manages to put in 20-mile days all the time because he's cut his total pack weight down to about 17 pounds.
We should mention here that hikers carry packs weighing anywhere between 15 and 50 pounds, depending on how fast they want to travel and how many things they're willing to go without. Some hikers are willing to get rid of almost anything to cut weight. The most extreme of the lightweight backpackers carry a sleeping bag, tarp (no tent), minimal food and water, a few survival items (like water purification tablets and a first aid kit) and that's about it. If a hiker is willing to always stay in shelters, resupply frequently, and (most importantly) go without many comforts--like
extra clothing layers, clean socks, hot food, coffee or tea, a book, etc.--the pounds fly off. Many thru-hikers brag to each other about all the items they've sent home or left behind in shelters or hostels. Some become obsessive about weight, though others aren't bothered too much by it. Honeymoon and Short Stick fall somewhere on the mid- to heavy-duty, and they carry many comforts that others might leave behind. They have sent home several items recently, however: their heavy, bulky rain gear (exchanged for ponchos), one cook-pan, a Swiss-Army knife, a compass, a bottle of sunscreen, an aluminum windscreen for the stove, Short Stick's arch supports, and the detachable legs to one pair of pants each. All these items they have either found lighter-weight replacements for or have decided are unnecessary. To give you an idea of the weight they carry, Honeymoon's pack fluctuates between 30 and 36 pounds, while Short Stick's varies between 20 and 26 (depending on how much food and water they're carrying at the moment).
May 31
We woke early and had a quick breakfast and no coffee. The down hill hike was steep and hard on the knees and when we got
to the bottom of the mountain the trail blazes disappeared. We decided that we would head for the roads. Honeymoon and Short Stick arrived in Duncannon around 8 am. The Doyle Hotel (a 103 year old hotel) didn't open until 11 am so Short Stick ran to a laundry mat to clean some clothes while Honeymoon waited to check us into the hotel. It was nice to have some clean clothes to change into once we got a shower. We lazed around and took it easy ending the evening with some live music at the Doyle's bar and some card games with Treat and Tug Boat.
June 1
We ate breakfast at Goodies and went to Harrisburg with Treat and Tug Boat. We bought some items we needed at Wal-Mart and an outfitter then went to a movie (Harold and Kumar Escape from Gitmo). After our fun we came back to the Doyle and took it easy while getting the packs ready for our hike the next day.
We'll get you all an update soon, but for now we are back on the trail and happy to be there.
P.S. A great big shout
out and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ira J. on June Fourth (I don't think I will be able to call you on the day) We love you and hope you have a good one.
And thanks to Bryan Brown and Glen Gebhart for keeping us updated on OSU baseball.
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Ij
non-member comment
Appalachain Tail #2 gets Thumbs up!
I appreciate your spellbinding account of your latest entry "Appalachain Trail 2#". Your character studies and reviting accounts of mortal danger in conquering bolders, other geological obsticals, vicious and could have been venomous snakes and untold too numerous other dangers has been a pleasing read. Keep up the good work I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment to read what adventure youe may expose the public to next. I feel in your writing that you guys are not only prepared for the challange ahead of you but that you desire the oportunity for it "Bring ot On"... Belly Bump That. Good Show! Enjoy each other, embrace the spirituality in nature and absorbe every memory possible. With Love and God's Speed, Ij and Big Bill