To access a topological map showing the AT route and shelters click on the Appalachian Trail Map link in "Useful Links".
Day 4/4. Thur 5.17.07 Waynesboro Best Western, PAMiles From Katahdin: 1121.3; Miles Hiked To Date: 43.6; Miles Hiked Today: 12.4
Supplement to Day 3. After I finished my journal entry, sitting against the shelter wall with my headlamp on, reading the “Handbook”; I was buzzed by an enormous bee or hornet. This beast had been building a nest in the rafters of the shelter. The comb consisted of 3 hexagonal cells to which she was busily adding. The thing was 2” long with the regimental black and yellow bands. Out of the total darkness, the buzzing grew loud as it first went for Brad, who immediately turned off his headlamp. This seemed to blunt the attack. I was next and out of the pitch, before I could react, my face was struck full force by the hornet/wasp/bee. I batted her away and making contact, the hornet fell to the floor, still very much alive and madder then ever. With the Handbook as the only weapon at hand, I struck out again and again but this tough little aggressor refused to die. My pounding echoed in the shelter like gun shots, causing, I am sure alarm to those below. Finally, the full force of The Thru-Hikers Handbook, 2006 Edition terminated the short, violent life of my attacker.
With the adrenaline rush ebbing, guilt flooded my emotions. The shelter grew quiet again and that silence shouted condemnation. I felt compelled to offer an explanation, suspecting that all below were the types to walk around ants crossing the trail to avoid stepping on them. In an attempt at apology, I said that I really had no choice; that I felt terrible; I was filled with remorse, but forced to respond to this violent, unprovoked attack. After a long pause, a voice below suggested that perhaps we could have a burial service in the morning. I wasn't asked to leave. It wasn't till later that I realized that I had been stung on my left hand. No real pain, but some swelling.
As the sun rose the next morning (today), just after I had filled the water Camelbak, a Department of Agriculture Representative came up to the Shelter. He explained that helicopters would soon be spraying the area for gypsy moths. They would be using a bio-bacteria pesticide. He advised us to wait until 7:30 am to venture out of the shelter; even though it was “perfectly safe”. He carefully told us why it had to be done and repeatedly assured us of its safety. The group asked several questions as the helicopter flew low level passes over the shelter, shaking the platform on which we sat.
No one was too bothered by the spraying . Brad and I left just about 8:00, following 2 of our shelter buddies, the woman and her daughter. We had a pleasant walk with some short but steep ascents over very rocky terrain, crossing Antietam Creek and up to Raven Rock Cliff, to its wonderful view.
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We detoured from the AT to catch the even more spectacular view from High Rock (1800'), a much graffiti'd pile of rocks that offers views of the valley below. There we met up again with the mother-daughter team who had shared Cowell shelter with us . High Rock serves as a launch point for hang gliders; easily imagined as we looked down on circling hawks riding the thermals.
Leaving the rock we returned to the AT and hiked the 3 miles to Pen-Mar Park on the Maryland/Pennsylvania border– another great view. We made a lunch of cheese and summer sausage. I called Pat and found that she had had to rent a car in Dayton because we needed work done on our transmission. She had left Dayton only an hour or so earlier and wouldn't be in Maryland until 7 or 8:00 that night. Poor Kristen had to wait and wait with nothing to do and no way to go anywhere. Once Pat collected Kris, they would meet us.
Brad and I decided that we would walk into Waynesboro – the closest town with a motel and get a room while we waited. Waynesboro was 3 miles up the trail and 5 miles west of it's junction with PA 16. Around 5:00, as we trudged along the heavily trafficked highway on the outskirts of town, a pickup truck , on the opposite side of the road, stopped suddenly; to the honking of horns and screeching of brakes of the cars behind. The driver yelled out the window to ask if we needed a ride. Seeing no motel anywhere close and unsure as to how far we had to go, we said , “Sure!” and crossed the road, threw our packs in the back and hopped in the cab. Bernie Custer welcomed us with a wide grin. To his query I said that we needed a motel room for the night. He replied, “Well, choosing one won't be too hard, since there's only one in town.” The Best Western proved to be on the opposite side of town and Bernie cheerfully drove us down Waynesboro's only business street giving the low down on everything we passed – the school, the “Y”, the 'invasion of DC types who brought crime and high prices with them'.
Bernie explained that Waynesboro had once been a prosperous industrial town. He had worked as an assembler with Trane until he retired at age 60. He had made an attempt to Thru-Hike some time ago but got homesick and quit. He hiked from Springer Mt. to the Tennessee border. Since then, he registered his name at the hotel as a 'Trail Angel'. We arrived at the motel only to find it completely booked (although the place looked nearly empty there was a wedding party coming in that night and had reserved all available rooms). Bernie said the nearest hotel would be in Greensboro, about 8 miles away. He said he could drive us there but offered to let us stay at his place. I told him that my wife and daughter would be arriving late tonight and that it would be too much bother for him to put us all up, particularly since I didn't know when she would get here. He said it was no bother, his wife is a baker and would probably be up late baking cakes for a number of weddings and even though they were remodeling, they could easily clear out the spare bedroom in no time. He and his wife, he said, could sleep on the couch and leave us the 2 bedrooms. Not taking no for an answer, he called his wife and she reiterated the offer.
When we got there, she met us at the door, a stout lady of late middle age wearing a cake batter splattered apron, holding a frosting knife in one hand and wiping flour from her face with the other. Bernie and his wife were the most delightful couple. While we were riding to their house, Bernie's wife called and we heard Bernie say, “I don't know how many, maybe 200, 250?” He turned to us and said, “My wife wanted to know how many “pulls “ on a cow's udder does it take to get a gallon of milk.” Of course, I thought, that's something people should know. When we arrived at their house, Mrs. Custer said, “392!” That's how many “pulls” it took to get a gallon of milk from a cow. Bernie expressed surprise that it took so many but then he admitted that he had never actually counted (he had grown up on a farm). The question had been posed on a radio program. After introductions and a glimpse at the half dozen or so wedding cakes in process in her kitchen, Mrs. Custer told us that the Best Western called to say that they had had a cancellation and a room was available.
After repeated their offering and our declining their bed, Bernie reluctantly drove us back to the motel. En route, he drove us by the laundromat, the grocery store, best low cost restaurant and offered to take us anywhere we needed to go for supplies, etc. He finally dropped us at the motel and we bid him a heartfelt farewell. What a wonderful person, so generous and helpful! We were completely blown away by their kindness.
Later, however, Brad confessed a little discomfort at their insistent generosity. He posed the possibility that in reality, this seemingly kind couple are serial killers, luring innocent hikers to their death. That prompted some excited imaginings of disappearing hikers finding their way into this mad baker's cake mix. Crazed by the loss of her two children on the AT, the Custers seek vengeance on the unwary AT Thru-hiker; an Appalachian Sweeney Todd! We envisioned headlines such as: “Trail no cake walk for unwary hikers!” or “Half-baked hikers hit the trail” or “Trail Angel Food Cake proves deadly” or “MAD BAKERS DOUGH UNTO OTHERS”.
With Pat not arriving until 9:00 pm or so, Brad and I decided to find a nice restaurant and have dinner. Our approach to eating opportunities was to take advantage of every one that came our way. We figured that good meals would be few and far between and it was in our best interest to eat well when we could. Next door to the motel was the “Hoover House”. So, after cleaning up and putting on our other clothes, we sat down in this 19th Century home to a great meal of fettuccine for Brad and filet mignon for me along with crab soup. Brad remarked on the contrast between how we had been eating the past several days and the dinner we were currently enjoying . We had the full complement of salad, bread, soup, the works including a nice cappuccino.
Kris and Pat arrived as predicted. We ordered pizza from Pizza Hut. However, the Pizza Hut had written down the wrong room number and never showed. We called to check on it and the manager said that she would drop it off on her way home and not charge us. She did drop it off but by that time it was stone cold.
Day 5/5. Friday 5.18.07 Antietam Shelter, PAMiles From Katahdin: 1116.8; Miles Hiked To Date: 48.1 Miles Hiked Today: 4.5
Everyone was up and about by 6:30 am. Both Brad and I had blisters that needed attention. I guess the mileage and weight are taking their toll. Neither of us had suffered blisters in the past and the example of the poor fellow we met our first night out heightened our concern. Brad's feet aren't as bad as mine. The blisters don't appear to be getting worse and a couple of aspirin dull the pain so we're good to go. We ran errands following an atrocious breakfast at the hotel cafe. We needed some supplies including band-aids, Ibuprofen and food. We stopped at the book store and got Brad and I some books to read on the trail. Then we had a terrific lunch at the Hoover House (bleu cheeseburger).
Pat dropped us at the trail head around 2:00 pm. We hiked to Antietam Shelter about 5 miles up the trail. It drizzled rain on the way Brad and I quickly put on our rain jackets, learning from our previous experience.
Antietam Shelter is really wonderful and we had the place to ourselves. The creek, clear and fast, runs 50 feet from the shelter. Shortly after arriving, it began to rain fairly hard but there was no wind. We made freeze-dried stroganoff for dinner, very good! We were in our sleeping bags shortly after dark and read to the sound of rushing creek.
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| Brad Updates Journal While Waiting Dinner |
Not many miles today due to the late start.
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| Antietam Shelter |
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| Antietam Creek |
Day 6/6. Sat May 19, Birch Run Shelter, PA
Miles From Katahdin: 1096.0; Miles Hiked To Date: 68.9; Miles Hiked Today: 20.8
We left Antietam Shelter at 7:30 am and refilled the Camelbaks at the recreation field just .1 mile from camp. The temperature is in the 60s, clear and bright. We walked well, passing Tumbling Rocks Shelter to begin a long assent to Chimney Rocks. We passed Gizmo and Pizza Man on the way. They had stopped at Tumbling Rocks Shelter the night before.
Chimney Rocks are an interesting rock formation, offering a fantastic view. We saw several other hikers . Pizza Man arrived as we left. Seeing Pizza Man and Gizmo confirms the advantage of putting the slower walker in front. Otherwise, you never walk together. Depending on the relationship, that could be good or bad.
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| Brad on Chimney Rocks |
We continued to hike well at a rate of approximately 2.5 mph. The very rocky trail had some serious ups and downs. We arrived at Caledonia State Park around 12:30 pm. While we ate our PB&Honey sandwiches, we watched a couple of trout fishermen. One young, heavy set man and his older partner. The younger guy hooked the biggest trout I've ever seen (which is not saying much as I have not seen too many). He called his friend to help net this monster. Unfortunately, as the older guy was trying to net him, he apparently knocked the hook loose. The fish got away. This fish was longer than the net was wide and the younger man was clearly disappointed. The old guy felt terrible and kept apologizing. To his credit, however, the younger man was gracious and said not a word of rebuke. Later, he came over to us and told me that that fish would have been the “catch of a lifetime!” It really was huge.
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| This One Got Away |
We called Pat to check in and found that both she and Kristen had gotten sick on the ride back to RI. They stopped at a motel around 3:00 pm. They slept until midnight, then checked out. Kris had to be at the airport in Boston later that day. The sympathetic motel clerk didn't even charge them for the room! Kris got to the airport on time and everything else at home seemed okay. Pat said it was really cold on the boat and since we had already taken the heaters off for the season, she spent an uncomfortable night. She is heading back to Dayton tomorrow. I told her that we would most likely be in Pine Grove Furnace State Park around noon tomorrow. She suggested that she meet us there. Noon would be too soon to stop for the day, so we'll see how we feel after seeing Pat before deciding whether or not to press on or getting a motel. I think we sense that stopping and starting interrupts any rhythm, particularly so soon in our hike.
After talking to Pat, we started up the ever steepening path to Birch Run Shelter about 10 miles from the Park. A beautiful but long hike, giving us a 21 mile day, our first 20 miler! Birch Run was occupied by several young men out for a 3 day hike. We made a dinner of 6 scrambled eggs and retired @8:30 pm.
Day 7/7. Sun 5.20.07 James Frye Shelter, PA
Miles From Katahdin: 1078.9; Miles Hiked To Date: 86; Miles Hiked Today: 17.1
The young men at the Birch Run Shelter had 2 dogs. One a mutt with some hound in him, the other a border collie. The hound on our arrival growled with hair raised, menacing. The collie, in contrast, bounced with tail wagging welcome. The hound seemed to get used to us but as soon as we returned from getting water from the spring, it once again treated us with suspicion and hostility.
Around 2:00 am, I had to go to the latrine. As I started out of my bunk, I thought, “What if that hound forgets that we're friends?” Still, the outcome of not using the latrine was certain and unacceptable. So, I carefully left, took care of business and returned. Not a sound from the dog.
Brad and I were up early, as usual, and on the trail by a little after 7:00am. We wanted to get to Pine Grove Furnace in plenty of time to meet Pat. We did. Without really pressing hard, due to the ease of the terrain, we covered the 9.6 miles in about 3 hours. Pat arrived within an hour of our arrival. It was a thrill to see her again, even though it had only been a couple of days since we had last seen her. We were hanging at the General Store and planned to go to a nice restaurant to eat. But because the rental car was completely full, we couldn't all fit. So, we decided to eat at the Store. Brad and I each had 2 cheeseburgers each! We caught up on everything with Pat, found most of what we wanted for supplies at the Store and after ice cream sandwiches, Pat bid us adieu.
Pine Grove Furnace is the approximate midpoint between Springer Mountain and Katahdin. The AT tradition calls for Thru-Hikers to eat a half gallon of ice cream purchased at the store. Of course, we were less than 100 miles on the trail and settled for ice cream sandwiches. They have a nice hostel near the store and everyone is very welcoming. Last year, Pine Grove Furnace was the site of our off-year family reunion hosted by my niece, Heather, who until recently lived nearby.
Brad and I decided to push on to James Forge Shelter, about 7 more miles. The hike was fairly easy and we made the shelter by 6:30 pm. Mosquitoes happily greeted us. They were quickly repulsed, however, by a liberal application of Ben's. We weren't very hungry and fixed only a cheese and salami on pita for dinner and retired around 8:30 pm to read and update our journals.
Day 8/8. Mon 05.21.07 America's Best Motel, PA
Miles From Katahdin: 1058.7; Miles Hiked To Date: 106.2; Miles Hiked Today: 20.2
This morning we planned to reach Rt 11 and get a motel. It was only 7 miles to the next shelter (Alec Kennedy Shelter). This seemed too short a distance given the rate that we had been walking, but the next campground or shelter was 25 miles away, too far. The trail, a little rough at the start, after 10 miles or so levels out, crossing farm country. The first half of the trail rises over 3 low, steep peaks. It was very rocky. At about 20 miles, the AT crosses Rt 11 and there are a couple of hotels within ½ mile of the trail. Although we had been on the trail only 2 days since Waynesboro, we couldn't pass up such a practical opportunity for a good meal and hot bath.
We had seen no one on the trail since the day before with the exception of a middle aged man hiking the PA section North – South. There were no views from any of the peaks but it was a pretty walk.
As we left the forest and entered the open farm & dairy country (which we smelled before we saw), we were struck by the beauty of the fields of winter wheat and Pennsylvania barns. A nice contrast to the woodlands.
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| PA Farmland |
As we walked back, looking for the missed marker, an older farmer in a large “no till” John Deere planter came driving across the field in our direction. He pulled up next to us and turned off the engine and offered a friendly greeting. “We missed the turn,” I offered, stating the obvious and hoping he wasn't going to give us a hard time for trespassing. He replied, “You're not the first.” After introducing ourselves, I asked him how the season was going so far. He said the season was pretty fine so far and we discussed the weather for a while. Twenty minutes passed in friendly conversation and as I was beginning to wonder if he had driven all the way over to us just to pass the time, he said, “You know, there was quite a fight, a legal battle, here a while back. The government wanted to move the Trail through this piece of land from where it used to run. About 50 farmers got together and tried to stop it. The government ended up buying up a number of these fields, like the one you're in now. This land, these fields, had been farmed by these folks going back 3 or 4 generations. Those families, after being forced to sell, had to rent back that same land, rent their 'own land' back. You can understand how people feel about it. Hard feelings. Still, that's been awhile ago and , as they say, time heals all wounds.” I expressed my genuine sympathy and appreciation for his telling us. We talked some more about the government and how since they had to rent the land from the government, they had to follow strict guidelines on fertilizer, runoff, and conservation. He didn't seem angry, but clearly wanted us to understand the farmers point of view. Finally, since he seemed willing to talk all day, I said we needed to get to going and he pointed out the trail and told us we were real close to the town of Boiling Springs. By talking with him I really came to understand how the local farmers must feel and see how, maybe, the young farmer who passed us without a word could resent AT hikers. It's unfortunate that a more amicable solution couldn't have been worked out. Boiling Springs has a reputation of hostility toward AT Hikers, most likely stemming from this legal fight.
Fifteen minutes later we were in Boiling Springs having lunch by a beautiful pond of crystal clear water (Children's Lake), with overhanging willow trees and bordered by 19th century buildings. The town gets its name from the bubbling of some 30 springs that feed this man made pond. The water stays around 52 degrees all year and causes steam to rise in the winter. This phenomenon suggests an alternative explanation for the “boiling.” While eating lunch on a bench by the pond we watched ducks diving for whatever ducks dive for and saw a good sized rainbow trout. A number of people were fishing and strolling along the paved walkway around the pond.
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| Children's Pond, Boiling Springs |
We found the trail through town somewhat confusing but eventually found our way to the ATC Regional Headquarters. We registered at the office and headed off along the trail (made somewhat more difficult by the fact that the white blaze nearest the ATC office was masked by a road sign) toward the Rt 11 intersection. After a pleasant, flat walk with a lot of birdsong, wild flowers, and wheat fields, we arrived at the “America's Best” motel around 5:30 pm.
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| AT Uncharacteristically Passes Through Wheat Fields |
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We had walked over 20 miles, had broken the 100 mile
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| One of the best "trail magic" spots on the trail |
Day 9/9. Tues 05.22.07 Doyle Hotel, PAMiles to Katahdin: 1041.1; Miles Hiked To Date: 123.8; Miles Hiked Today: 17.6
The next morning brought another gorgeous day, sunny and cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon. We ate a large breakfast pancakes, sausage and eggs. We didn't hit the trail until almost 9:00 am. We walked steady and passed though woods over I-81 and into open fields, the flowers were phenomenal and the birdsong glorious. While passing a dairy farm, some yearlings in the field next to the trail came bounding over to the fence, as if expecting handouts. They soon lost interest when it became clear we had no intention of sharing any of our limited resources.
The AT here follows Conodoguinet Creek through woods bordering beautiful farms. The poorly marked trail then crosses open fields into more woods, climbing Blue Mountain, intersecting the Tuscarora Trail. Great view! This fairly steep climb eventually slips back down, then up again to a ridge on Cove Mt. While not particularly steep, the terrain is fraught with rocks that make walking very hard on your feet. Before descending to the Susquehanna you pass Hawk Rock, providing a spectacular view of Duncannon and the valley below. A very steep descent dumps you into town .
We walked about 18 miles today from Carlisle to Duncannon on the Susquehanna River. The Doyle Hotel is a traditional stopover for Thru Hikers. Even though we stayed in a hotel last night, we wanted the experience
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| Doyle Hotel |
We ordered drinks which came with a detailed history of the hotel. The menu was surprisingly varied. We ordered dinner. I had their own, original recipe, pulled pork BBQ sandwich , fries and a salad. It was great. Brad had a buffalo cheeseburger & fries. The cost of the two dinners, two beers, a Smirnoff, and a private room...$56.00. We also got instructions on how to use the shower (bathrooms/shower is shared). “If you hear the pipes rattle, step out of the water. That sound means someone has flushed the toilet and you're going to get scalded.!”
After dinner we went up to our room. “Shabby Minimalist” would best describe the décor.
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| Luxury Accommodations |
Pat, the owner, took us to the grocery store and waited while we shopped. Without his assistance, it would have been a long uphill walk. After stowing our purchases back in our room we explored the town. Economically depressed, the town has a rundown appearance with shuttered stores and broken windows. The people we passed, however, were very friendly. We really enjoyed our stay at the Doyle and Duncannon. The welcome we received here, compared with the lackadaisical service at “America's Best” made up for the less that luxurious accommodations.
Day 10/10. Wed 05.23.07 Peter's Mtn Shelter, PA
Miles From Katahdin: 1029.7; Miles Hiked To Date: 135.2; Miles Hiked Today: 11.4
Arrived at Peter's Mt Shelter around 1:30pm. Left Duncannon around 8:00am, kind of a late start, so we made up for it by stopping early. On the way out of town, we stopped at the Hardware Store to see if there was anything we could use. In this hiker friendly town, everyone we saw waved including office workers who happened to look up as we passed.
Called Pat to tell her we wouldn't be calling again for several days. She was amused by our trail names: 'Ancient Mariner' and 'Walking Stick'. The walk today wasn't bad. This was the first day when I didn't have any problems with blisters. Now I can focus on all the other aches and pains! We only did 11 miles. The next shelter would have been another 18 miles. Too far. We could have pressed on and camped somewhere but thought that an easy day would be nice. Brad's right foot is sore and while I think he would have pressed on, we made a good decision to stop. We have, I believe, gotten off to an aggressive start and don't want to push too hard and put ourselves at risk. The rocky terrain makes for easily turned ankles.
The trail from Duncannon wends its way through the town, crosses the Juniata and the Susquehanna Rivers. As we passed the Chamber of Commerce, everyone looked up from the conference table smiled and waved! Hikers seem to be a serious customer base in an otherwise depressed economy. After the Clark's Ferry Bridge over the Susquehanna, the trail crosses the very busy railroad tracks and heads up Peter's Mountain. As we left the bridge we saw trail markers directing us to the mountainside. Unfortunately, a long freight train was sitting on the tracks, engine running but not moving. There were two ways to get to the trail – under the train or around it. The engine for the train was about 100 yards from us so around we went. We didn't want to run the chance that the train would start up as we climbed under. Rounding the engine found us in a narrow space between the train and the mountain. There was just enough room for a person to get by. As we made our way back to the trail, pressure relief valves periodically let off steam which kept us moving pretty good!
A dozen stairs led up the side of the mountain to a steep winding path bringing us past the first of 3 black racer snakes that we would see today. The first was 4 foot long and moved slowly away, belying its name and allowing us a few photo ops.
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| Black Racer |
Two young men passed us on the trail mid – morning. They had also stayed at Doyle's last night. We caught up with them at the Shelter again. One called himself the Professor and they were the first Thru-Hikers we met. They had started from Springer in March, the 25th I think. They planned to keep going today to Yellow Springs (a clearing about 10 miles up the trail). We talked for a while before they headed out. They said that they were averaging 20 to 25 miles per day! They had given up on hiking shoes or boots, having had terrible blisters using them, and were hiking in regular gym shoes.
After they left, Spike (trail name), another NOBO Thru-Hiker, arrived. Spike, had stayed at the shelter just before Duncannon, giving him a 16 mile walk to this point. He decided to keep going as well. He knew the Professor and wanted to catch up. We asked him about camping and he said it was pretty easy to find good spots if you kept your eyes open. He said places near streams and creeks offer the best opportunities. Brad is taking a nap after getting water (an 800' descent from the shelter to the spring). The need for water drives hikers to stay at the shelters. With Brad napping and our short hiking day leaves me with nothing to do. I can't remember when I had nothing to do! Kinda nice. Just saw a Scarlet Tanager.
Day 11/11. Thur 05.24.07 Rausch Gap Shelter, PA
Miles From Katahdin: 1012.2; Miles Hiked To Date: 152.7; Miles Hiked Today: 17.5
We arrived here about 2:45pm. A good 18 mile walk. Pretty uneventful. The only hikers we saw were two young men who joined us at Peter Mtn yesterday late afternoon. They didn't introduce themselves. They left just before we did this morning. We saw them a couple of times on the trail and here at the shelter. I think they plan to go on, camping by the stream. We did pass a couple of men going south but didn't speak. We had one long up hill but the rest of the hike was not too tough. A long descent brought a familiar ache to my right knee. Not a pain but a warning. So, I stopped and put on the knee brace for the first time. The ache went away and I had no problems. I'm a little worried about my ankles. The back of my ankle is swollen and I wonder if I'm developing a repetitive motion injury. I took some Advil and that took care of the pain. Here at camp is seems okay so maybe it isn't a problem. Brad is hiking well and his feet seem to be bothering him less. We are trying to balance the need to make good mileage with working ourselves into shape gradually. This was a good day's hike.
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| Rausch Gap Shelter |
Day 12/12. Friday 5.25.07 501 Shelter, PAMiles From Katahdin: 994.8; Miles Hiked To Date: 170.1; Miles Hiked Today: 17.4
Hiked to the 501 Shelter, so named for the highway that runs close by. We had an uneventful day, walking fairly fast and no unusual pain. We arrived around 2:00pm, having covered about 17 miles, helped by an early (6:20am) start. This shelter has a caretaker who lives in a modest house. The 501 sports a fully enclosed one room cabin complete with skylight. It was built originally as a potter's studio. There's an outside, gravity fed, solar shower. I couldn't get Brad to take advantage of the shower but I did. Being completely surrounded by trees, the solar aspect left the water cold, cold but refreshing!
A young man, Brian, joined us about ½ hour after we arrived. He had hiked south from Port Clinton and planned to complete his hike at Rt 40. He is a senior at University of Maryland. The 501, being right on the road was within pizza delivery distance. Brian had a working cell phone and agreed to call in a pizza for delivery! Rough camping!!! We had a large pizza and 2 liters of Coke delivered.
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| Shelter Pizza Delivery |
Later, I was getting ready to update my journal and dropped my mechanical pencil through the floorboards in the shelter. The crawl space is too small to get under and I thought it lost. However, Brian took some chewing gum and placing it on a stick was able to pick up the pencil and fling it toward the edge of the building where I could reach it. I would have been terribly disappointed if I had lost that pencil. I've had it since 1980.
Brad & Brian in 501 ShelterAround 7:00, a group of boy scouts arrived with their 2 leaders. They are hiking north in the morning. They generously shared some fresh strawberries! With so much company, we were up until 10:00pm, our latest night in a while. A good day!
Day 14/14. 05.27.07 Sunday, 'The Pavillion', Port Clinton, PA
Miles From Katahdin: 971.1; Miles Hiked To Date: 193.8; Miles Hiked Today: 23.7
I was too tired yesterday to update the journal. Saturday morning we left the 501 Shelter around 6:40 am, just after the Scouts and Brian. The trail was rocky but not particularly difficult from a ascent/descent viewpoint. We passed the Scouts late in the morning. It's very hot, 80's and very humid. We planned to overnight at Eagle's Nest Shelter, about a 15 mile hike. We got there about 2:00 pm and had a late lunch. We visited with a solo hiker, Greg, for a while. He was out for the weekend; a middle aged father of 5. The two scouts showed up an hour before their leaders. One of the leaders was limping pretty bad by the time he got there.
After refilling and purifying our water, Brad and I decided to continue up the trail. We thought we'd try for Port Clinton and get a hotel room. This would make a 24 mile hike! We knew that we could always camp somewhere along the way.
After our rest and lunch, we both felt pretty good and walked well. We met a couple of hikers. One pair we overtook and a father/son team heading south. We got a great view from Auburn Point and talked with 2 men and a young girl, asking about our hike and plans. One guy asked what's been the best part so far and I said, “The great people we've met.” Without a doubt, we've enjoyed the diverse and really pleasant people we've met. The views and nature have been fantastic but expected. The kindness of strangers was less so. I've been also struck by all the birdsong and smells. Still, it has been great fun making and talking with people on the way.
From Auburn Overlook, we only had 2.4 miles to go. Shortly after the Overlook, we started hearing serious thunder. Brad asked if I thought it would rain because the sky was particularly threatening. I, experienced mariner that I am, said “Not tonight.” Of course, it rained. It started just after we descended the steepest trail I've ever seen. It was brutal but ended at the edge of town.
After congratulating ourselves on walking 24 miles, we proceeded to walk in the wrong direction, away from town. The white blaze on marker post at the bottom of the descent was facing the wrong direction for those heading north. That was no excuse, however. If I had taken a second to look at the map, I would have seen the error. We walked about a mile in the wrong direction on an old railroad bed. All the while, Brad kept saying, “Why aren't we seeing any white blazes?” “Well, there's no way to get off this trail, we have cliff on one side and a drop-off on the other. Maybe they don't think blazes are necessary.” Shortly after we had made the turn we did see white blazes but later we learned that the game commission using white blazes of different size to mark public hunting land.
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| Port Clinton Train Station |
After some time, it became clear, even to me, that we'd made a mistake. With rain coming down harder and harder, exhausted from our long day, we turned around. Eventually, we made it into Port Clinton. With only 2 streets, it wasn't hard to find one of the two hotels. The nearest one was the “Union House B&B. We checked in. Our bedraggled, soggy appearance prompted the manager to suggest we leave our packs on the landing.
We were so tired and hungry we thought it best to eat before we cleaned up. We were the only customers. Everything prepared was prepared from scratch. It took forever. I really wanted to get cleaned up, take a hot bath and ease my aching feet. Still, when the food finally was served it was terrific: soup, fillet mignon, baked potato. Brad had homemade spaghetti . However, it took so long for the meal to come we nearly fell asleep at the table. The portions were so large that neither of us finished.
The waitress/clerk/manager told us that the Union House had been a boarding house/saloon in the late 19th Century. The current owner/chef's grandmother used to come to the Union House to sing there as a part of the entertainment. All the furnishings are antiques. We were assigned a room with a double bed. The Union House offers either single bed rooms or double bed rooms. We got a double to avoid paying for two rooms. The furnishings date from the mid 19th Century to early 20th Century including WWI army gear. In addition antique chairs, beds and dressers; the rooms were filled with civil war uniforms, period dresses, quilts, etc. There were so many materials displayed, you couldn't sit down anywhere. Even the closets were full of antique clothing.
Brad took a bath in the only, shared bathroom. The old tub is exactly like the one that we had in NH. While he finished cleaning up, I asked about a laundromat and was offered the use of the washer and dryer used by the hotel. I ended up finishing the hotel laundry so that I could get our laundry done. By the time I completed the laundry, it was 11:30pm.
Finally, a hot bath! Even though I was exhausted, I really didn't want to crawl into bed dirty. Brad was fast asleep by this time. Unfortunately, the hotel must have a low capacity hot water heater. Between dish washing (all done by hand), laundry and baths, all the hot water was used up. The fully open hot water tap produced tepid. Nevertheless, it felt good to get clean, even though a hot soak was not possible.
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| Foggy Morning at the Union House B&B |
I got up around 5:00 am and took another bath in only slightly warmer water. Afterward, with Brad still sleeping soundly, I headed downstairs for coffee. No such luck. Everything on the lower level was dark and quiet. I began to suspect that neither “B” in B&B included Breakfast. With no one around, I set forth in search of coffee.
In addition to not a finding a single open establishment, I found that the “Appalachian Outfitter” was no longer in business. There was a note on the closed store indicating that a new outfitters, “Ye Olde Backpacker” had opened 6 miles from town. A shuttle service was available. Continuing my search for coffee lead me to query an old man about the possibility of getting coffee and breakfast. This gentleman, riding an ancient bicycle directed me to the “3Cs”. It's just up the road, straight ahead.” I went on and on till I began to doubt that I had understood the man correctly (due in part to our experience yesterday). With no restaurant in sight, I turned back toward town. Shortly I came across the old bicycle rider again. He was photographing some tree stumps bordering the river! How strange, I thought to be photographing tree stumps. I greeted him again and asked if I had understood him correctly about the restaurant. “Yes,” he replied, without taking his eye from the camera. “It's just up the road about ½ mile, you just didn't go far enough.” I thanked him and turned once more following his directions. Sure enough, I found it and had a pretty bad cup of coffee while reviewing the next leg of our journey. Returning to the hotel, I passed the “Pavilion” where hikers can shelter for free. Essentially, the Pavilion provides protection from the rain in a large picnic shelter. Over the years, people have donated couches and tables, all in the various stages of decay one would expect from constant exposure to weather and rodents.
Brad was up and ready to go when I returned. We headed to the 3Cs for a great breakfast. Advertised as the “best breakfast on the AT”, it may just be that. We returned to the Union House, packed and leaving our gear in the foyer of the hotel, headed out to replenish our supplies. Since there was no one around, I left a note explaining that we would return shortly to pick up our gear. Apparently, no one works on Sunday at the Union House. The restaurant was locked, the hotel quiet. There were no other guests.
We went in search of a pay phone (Brad's cell phone battery was dead). Our best bet, we thought, was the train station. While heading there we came across a young man sitting under a beach umbrella with a cooler offering free drinks for hikers. This generosity, sponsored by “Ye Olde Backpacker” store, advertised their services and offered free rides to the store. Fifteen minutes later, Scott, the backpacker store owner, arrived in his pickup truck. He took us to his store and we found most but not all we needed. We wanted a knee brace for Brad but they didn't have any. They suggested that CVS would have one and offered to take us there but it would be after noon when the store opened. So we waited, visiting with Scott and his son. Eventually, Scott dropped us at the mall entrance that housed the drug store. We found a brace and picked some snacks and food supplies.
Back in the truck, in response to my query about good backpacks, Scot made several observations. The ones we were using were falling apart and were heavy. The biggest mistake I made, so far, was the purchase of our Kelty Coyote packs. Scot said that he had two very similar packs that were both excellent and reasonably priced. He offered to knock off 20% if we agree to switch off using them between us and write reviews. After checking them out, we agreed. He offered to ship the old packs back home or to Kelty (thinking that some refund might be forthcoming). After some discussion, he also suggested our donating them to the local scouting organization. He could get a receipt so that we could get a tax write off on the donation.
We returned to the hotel, got our gear, repacked and called Pat to explain what we were doing. Anyway, we have an added purpose to our journey: evaluating new backpacks.
Scot dropped us at the Port Clinton hotel so we could get lunch before hitting the trail. We had a great cheeseburger, tauted as the best on the AT, and it was really good. We also made a stop at the Peanut Store, bought some homemade peanut butter and headed back to the trail. We needed to doctor our ever present blisters before heading out again. Our original mileage goal for the day diminished as the day waned. It was now 4:00 pm. Brad's foot was bothering him and after a brief discussion, we both agreed to spend the night at the Pavilion. Walking somewhat guiltily back to the Pavilion, a car stopped near us. A woman rolled down her window and asked if we were “Thru-Hikers”. When we answered the affirmative, they became very excited. Out of the car, they explained that they were parents of a young man hiking the trail with some friends. They were looking for them because one member of the group had a court date and they needed to get him home asap. They were supposed to meet them at Port Clinton but got word that the group wasn't going to make it in time. They wanted to know where Pine Grove was. We produced our maps and the Thru Hikers Handbook, showing them how to get there. When they saw the Handbook, they asked where they could get one. Their son had left his at one of the shelters and was desperate to find another. I explained that normally you can only get them “on-line” but that “Ye Olde Backpacker” had the latest edition. In fact, I had picked up a copy while at the store and offered them my old edition. They were so excited, they insisted that I take $20 to buy dinner tonight in return. In spite of my repeated refusal to take the money, they persisted and I finally accepted.
Several other hikers were already at the Pavilion, a big picnic shelter that the local church opens to hikers. Food and drinks are available, free with a donation. A volunteer with the trail name of “Bag Of Tricks” informally runs the shelter. He is a very talkative guy and very generous with his time and advice. He shuttles hikers, buys food, and provides a tremendous amount of good information about the trail. “Renaissance Man”, another AT Thru Hiker, along with his chocolate lab “Gojo” also stayed at the shelter. They are NOBO, having started in March. They had walked over a thousand miles together!
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| Ancient Mariner', 'Bag O'Tricks', 'Walking Stick' |
We ate at the Union House again, being the only place open. We continue our policy of eating in restaurants when we can to both save our trail food and increase our caloric intake. We had a great salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, pineapple and mixed greens with an oil and vinegar dressing. Along with soup, we shared an order of hot wings. The owner chef, Vic, a descendant of a woman who sang at the Union House 100 years ago, visited with us as we ate. Once again we were the only customers. He regaled us with stories of the past, the hotel and his personal history. All the while he smoked a big cigar apparently having missed the whole “No Smoking” protocol of most modern restaurants. He said that he learned to cook while visiting Italy as a young man.
After dinner we walked back to the Pavilion. Then I remembered that I had left our only tube of toothpaste at the hotel that morning. So, back I went. I explained to the manager/clerk/waitress why I had returned and she allowed me back to the bathroom to retrieve the toothpaste. My toothpaste tube was there, but someone had used it all, leaving only the flattened tube. I walked back to the bar holding my deflated tube. Vic said, “Not much left is there?” I explained that with no stores within walking distance, it would be 3 days before we could buy another tube. The waitress said, “Wait a minute,” and walked off. She returned a minute later with a full, large tube and sold it to me for $1.00.
Day 15/15. 05.28.07 Monday, Eckville Shelter, PA
Miles From Katahdin: 955.9; Miles Hiked To Date: 209; Miles Hiked Today: 15.2
Brad and I headed out around 8:00am after breakfast at the 3Cs Restaurant. We had a climb at the start but switchbacks made it relatively easy. We encountered some rocky patches but not too bad. Great views from Pulpit Rock and Pinnacle Rock. With temperatures in the mid 70s, it was much more comfortable than what he have been having. However, we suffered a terrible loss. Someone stole Brad's walking stick! While at Pulpit Rock some pilgrim probably took it. Brad and I were wandering around the observatory near the overlook. We had left our gear under a tree. When we prepared to get back on the trail, we discovered that the walking stick, a companion of over 10 years, was gone! A road that leads to within about ¼ mile of the Pulpit makes for easy access. We had seen a non-hiking young couple taking in the view and suspect that they were the culprits. This upset us a bit. Brad had grown attached to that walking stick. It had been a great helpmate on our sojourns in the White Mountains and she will be greatly missed.
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| John at the Pinnacle |
We hiked the rest of the day without mishap. We made the Eckville Shelter just after 2:00 pm. There we found another hiker, Greg, already ensconced at this caretaker maintained shelter, a shed really with four bunks. Greg proved a very pleasant fellow. We had met him earlier at the Eagle's Nest Shelter. He must have passed us while we took the zero day at Port Clinton. He works as a financial analyst for a defense contractor. Greg ended his hike early due to bad blisters. He warned us that the Eckville caretaker is a bit of an eccentric. 'Bay of Tricks' had warned us as well saying, “Just stay out of his way. He can be a bit gruff!” Soon his words proved accurate when Mick, aka, “Lazee”, poked his head in the door. Lazee, bare chested and burly with a full beard, without a word of greeting or introduction, warned us that 'no see'ums' were going to be particularly bad tonight and we would be better off moving out of the shelter to the field across the road. After he left, we discussed his warning and discounted it. It was already late afternoon and there was no sign of any insects. Lazee returned three times to warn us. He didn't seem very eager to have us stay. Later, I learned that Lazee, when once asked what season he liked the best, responded, “Winter!” Asked why? He said, “Because all the hikers are gone by then!” The shelter and adjoining property is owned the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club. It's one of the better shelters, fully enclosed with a shower room in an adjoining building. Lazee stays on the property in a small house rent free in return for providing maintenance. Reportedly, Lazee used to provide free snacks and other services but apparently became disenchanted with hikers over the years, who, I am sure often leave the place a mess. Anyway, we stayed in the shelter and had no problems with either bugs or Lazee.
Brad and I reviewed our plan to be in NYC on June 10. We based that plan on averaging 15 miles per day. However, to date, our average has been only 12 miles per day. We'll see if our mileage picks up after Pennsylvania but may have to push the date back.
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| PA Farm from Trail |
Day 16/16. 5.29.07 Tuesday GW Outerbridge Shelter, PA
Miles From Katahdin: 931.7; Miles Hiked To Date: 233.2; Miles Hiked Today: 24.2
Full moon tonight, 77*, clear skies. Today we hiked 24 miles! We are trying to get to NYC by the 10th of June. The trail crosses the railroad outside of the City and the train will stop for hikers at the Appalachian Trail Station. We hope to catch it and meet Pat in Manhattan. We only have 100 miles to go. This gorgeous day made for one of our best walks. We hiked very well, covering the 24 miles in just 11 ½ hours. The rocky terrain made for difficult footing and really beat up the feet.
We crossed the “Knife Edge”, a jumble of rocks set on edge in the spine of mountain, a real balancing act. Great views!!! Brad and I have really gained strength and if our feet were in good shape it wouldn't be that hard. We both suffer constant pain from blisters. Each night our routine is to pull off our socks, pierce the new blisters (often rising on the old), applying alcohol and bandaging; adding moleskin, etc. Tomorrow we'll try for another 20 mile day.
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| Knife's Edge |
Day 18/18. 5.31 The Delaware Water Gap , PAMiles From Katahdin: 894.8; Miles Hiked To Date: 270.1; Miles Hiked Today: 36.9 (21.3 + 15.6)
The day before yesterday, Wed 5/30, we hiked 21 miles to Wind Gap, PA and stayed at the Gateway Motel. The hike was uneventful but we had great views and rock, rock, rock. My suggestion for the PA motto is “Pennsylvania Rocks...and Rocks...and Rocks”! It's hard to believe how difficult it is to walk at any speed with the entire trail covered with knife edge sharp rocks sticking up. They come right through the bottom of your boots and leave your feet aching. Plus, turning ankles on every step, yikes! Still we made great time.
We saw the remains of a fawn along the trail. Only a leg bone and some fur remained. We stopped at the Leroy Smith Shelter to get water and rest a bit before the final 4.6 miles to Wind Gap. We met a 30 something man who had hiked up the day before. While I went for water (a .5 mile walk to the stream), Brad learned that this guy used to party at this shelter. He even brought some pot and beer to commemorate the occasion. He generously offered both to Brad, who declined. We tended to our poor feet, rested awhile and left.
After a long day we stumbled to the Motel, about ½ mile from the trail, checking in around 7:00 pm. We were greeted by Pete, the owner. He welcomed us with enthusiasm and offered to take us anywhere we needed to go. “You need food, I can take you ...listing all the nearby restaurants. Laundry? You need to do that first, the laundromat closes at 8:00.” He also explained in great detail that he was planting cayenne peppers all around the property as an insect repellent. In the meantime, Brad and I, still in our packs, are barely able to stand upright from exhaustion. Still, on he talked about his landscaping plans, interspersed with admonishments to get to the laundromat soon or it'll close. Finally, he checked us in. We quickly dropped our packs in the room, pulled our dirty clothes off and donned the only other clothes we had, meeting Pete outside and the clock ticked down toward 8:00. As we're getting into the car, Pete calls out to another hiking couple and commences a long conversation about their day, introducing everyone and on and on! Pete dropped us off and we got our clothes into the washers just in time (as long as you load before 8:00 you're okay). Just as we sat down, Pete came back and called to us. If we wanted he could take us to the grocery store while the clothes washed. So, off we went. Pete waited while we made our purchases. When we returned to the car, Pete was pouring coolant into the radiator of his Isuzu Trooper as steam poured out of the engine compartment. I asked what was wrong and he said he was just low on fluid, no problem. We started back to the laundromat with the car making sounds of pending death (I think his water pump had failed). I made that observation but he seemed unconcerned. He returned us to our now clean clothes and suggested we call him when we finished dinner. He said, “Don't worry about the time, I'm up all the time, it's no problem.”
We finished the laundry and headed across the street to the “Beer Stein” for dinner. The clientèle, mostly barstool customers, were an 'interesting' combination of biker/office worker and the food was good. Nevertheless, I unaccountably started feeling a little nauseous and had the waitress bring me some Alka-Selzer. That, along with the beer seemed to take care of my problem.
We were about half way through our meal when Pete walked into the restaurant. He put his hand on my shoulder and asked how we were doing. I said, “Fine.” “How're you.” “Well, you think you could do me a big favor?” “Sure.” “See, I just had a big fight with my wife and, you know how it is, she's refused to make me any dinner! Do you think you could order something for me to go? Maybe a cheese steak – with everything.” “Sure, of course.” He said, “We can settle up later.” Of course, I insisted on paying and he quickly accepted my offer. He left, telling us to just call when we were ready to go and to let him know if we need to go anywhere else. Pete, then returned after we finished, we delivered his sandwich, greatly appreciated, and finally crawled into bed after a long soak in the tub.
On Thursday we hiked into the Delaware Water Gap. We had fantastic vistas along the way.
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| Delaware Water Gap |
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| Zinc Mining Left this Area a Wasteland |
The most fantastic thing happened! About 10 miles out of Wind Gap, we scared up a doe. Brad saw her first and after standing stock still for a few moments, she bounded away into the woods. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flicker of movement. To my surprise, I saw, but just barely, a fawn in the brush about 20 feet away. She was so well hidden that even knowing it was there, I could hardly make it out. It could a few minutes for Brad to see it.
If it hadn't moved, we would have missed it. I moved cautiously a few steps off the trail to get a picture. Then, Brad noticed that another fawn lay not far from the first! As I turned to take a picture, the fawn struggled to her feet and with no hesitation, started moving right toward us! She came right up to us, brushing against our legs. We realized that this was not something to encourage, so we began to slowly move away, down the trail. To our amazement, the fawn began to follow! We moved further, she kept coming. |
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The walk after that was uneventful and we arrived at the stunning Delaware Water Gap in the late afternoon. We checked into the “remodeling in process” Pocono Inn where we enjoyed a delivery Pizza Hut pizza with wings & bread sticks, a hot bath, a movie (Patriot Games) and bed (following a second hot bath!). Earlier, I had called Pat and since she was returning to Dayton Friday, we planned to meet her here. I needed new boots. The soles of my old, trusty hiking boots had succumbed to the rocks and the miles.
Day 19/19 Fri Jun 1 Hikers Hostel, Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles From Katahdin: 894.8; Miles Hiked To Date: 270.1; Miles Hiked Today: 0
This morning we went to the Outfitters Store in DWG and bought a new pair of boots. There was only a small selection but I found a pair of 'over the ankle ''Vasque boots that I think will work. They are lighter than my old boots which should make the hiking easier.
Pat got here just after 10:00am. It was a thrill to see her again and after catching up and telling our stories, we had lunch. We made a couple of other purchases: stove fuel, etc. By the time Pat left, it was nearly 4:00 pm. We started to cross the highway to continue our journey when a huge clap of thunder shook the town. Towering cumulus clouds rose toward the north. Clearly it was going to pour and we could already see multiple lightening strikes. I turned to Brad and said, “Does it make sense to start out only to get soaked, set up the tent in the rain, pack a wet tent tomorrow just for the sake of a couple of miles? Let's stay at the hostel tonight.” It wasn't hard to get him to agree.
So, we turned back to the Mountain View Church and the Hiker's Hostel. Pastor Karen runs the Hostel as a service to Thru Hikers. It's a great facility located in the basement of the church. It includes a common room with games, books, TV; bathroom, showers (with actual hot water) and a bunk room. Already situated there we found 'Renaissance Man', and 'Many Names', another Thru Hiker along with about 6 others. We decided that we'd try to go in to nearby Stroudsburg. To get transportation, we walked to the PA Information Center located nearby thinking there may be bus service. Ariel, the young woman working at the Center, checked the schedule to find that we could get there by bus but not return. Also, the bus ran very infrequently. So, she called a taxi for us. While we waited the skies opened and in addition to rain, we also got hail! This confirmed our decision to stay the night in DWG.
We thought it would be a good opportunity to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean Movie and had the cab drop us at the Mall. There we bought our tickets and walked the mall while we waited for show time. As we did, the show great in ferocity with golf ball sized hail. About 4:50 pm, the power went out at the mall. With the power off, we decided to take advantage of the only food being served, Sbarro Pizza! As time passed and the power failed to return, we checked with the theater and they told us that the movie would begin as soon as the power returned. However, as time passed we decided that even with the power back on, the earlier show would have to run before ours started. So, we got vouchers good at any AMC Theater. They couldn't give us a refund because the cash registers weren't working.
So, disappointed,we took a cab back to the DWG. It was still early. Passing the Sycamore Inn, I suggested we stop in and have a beer and catch the weather report. As soon as we ordered, the guy next to me asked if we were hikers (I think our snappy outfits give us away). I told him that my son and I were hiking the AT. The fact that a father and son were hiking the whole AT together impressed him so much, he insisted that we let him pay for our drinks! We talked about our experiences and he went on and on about what a great bonding experience it must be. He asked Brad, “So, when you're out there on the trail and you're not thinking about anything, what are you really thinking about?” Neither Brad nor I had the slightest idea what he was talking about, but he kept insisting on our answering the question. I think he must have been at the bar quite awhile before we got there. While we were talking the man on the other side of Brad said, “Excuse me for eavesdropping, but did I hear you say that you and your father were hiking the AT?” He too was really impressed and insisted on buying another round! We felt like minor celebrities as everyone around us was expressing their admiration and envy. Finally, I turned to Brad and said we better get out of here while we can walk upright!
We returned to the hostel. All the other residents NOBO Thru Hikers who started in GA last March. They invited us to go with them to the Deer Head Inn where there was live music. Brad and I went to bed.
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