Port Clinton to Delaware Water Gap

After leaving Port Clinton at 6:30 am, I hiked into Hamburg to resupply at the Walmart. I wasn’t sure if it was legal to walk on the side of the highway which led right into Hamburg, so I took the 5 mile route along side roads. By the time I got to Walmart, I was starving, and I bought way too much food. For the next thirty minutes, I sat on the bench outside eating hummus and pita chips, oatmeal cookies, and a banana. At that point, I refused to walk the long way back to the trail, and I walked the mile or so on the edge of the highway. This id apparently how all hikers do it, so Jessie, next year just walk along the highway or call Cabela’s for a free ride.

It was after 10 am by the time I got back to the trail head and it was a big, steady uphill climb. In addition to my extra miles into town, I also ran down a side trail half a mile looking for water which never appeared and then grudgingly walked back uphill in the rain. I decided to stop short of my goal for the day and end at the next shelter, but I somehow managed to miss the shelter and ended up walking all the way to the shelter I’d originally intended to reach anyway. Lots of extra walking!

The next couple days looked much the same: foggy and wet. There were some really neat rock sections (Knife Edge, Bear Rocks) that I’d like to come back and check out sometime when it’s dry and sunny. Both probably offered a nice view, but I saw nothing but gray sky. Just after passing by Palmerton, PA, there’s another really rocky section that requires a seemingly near-vertical ascent. I actually enjoyed that part a lot, but it was challenging with wet rocks. Twice I had to throw my hiking poles ahead and climb up using my hands.

Last night I tented just south of Wind Gap, where I had a package waiting for me before I reached Delaware Water Gap. Thanks for the package Mam and Goog! Thanks also to Aunt Barb and Grampa for sending money for trail magic!

I had a lot of fun hiking the rest of the way into Delaware Water Gap in the rain. Not only was I singing loudly, but I was jumping in all the puddles, standing in overflowing streams, and intentionally walking in the wettest sections of the trail. At that point I knew I wasn’t going to stay dry, so I decided to enjoy getting wet!

I’m now in Delaware Water Gap at the Church of the Mountain Hostel and will be hitting up a pizza place for dinner! The next update will not be from Pennsylvania; Jersey, here I come!

Rocksylvania?

Pennsylvania is reputably the rockiest, toughest-on-your-feet state on the trail. I’m now 150 miles through PA with about half that distance left to go before I reach the New Jersey border, but the Rocksylvania reputation needs some clarification. The first 100 or so miles are really no worse than any other somewhat rocky sections in other states. The last day or two, however, was pretty rocky – the sharp little rocks that you can’t avoid stepping on. The biggest problem is that sometimes your feet get turned and a rock pokes through the side of your shoes where there’s little protection. Anyway, northern PA is pretty rocky, but the whole state is more notable for how flat it is.

I had to laugh when I first saw this shelter. It has hanging flower plants, a picket fence, little duck signs, and a chess board. Jim “The Innkeeper” takes good care of this one.

At the next shelter, I met Birchy, who maintains the section of the trail around Birch Run Shelter. He was there cleaning up and offering trail magic, so I gladly accepted a soda and some cheese and sausage. He was so convincing that rather than hiking on to the next shelter for the night, I took up his offer to stay at his hostel a mile up the trail. Another hiker named Milkshake and I were treated to Mountain Rose’s famous steak and cheese subs, and we enjoyed all we could drink beverages all night. Breakfast the next morning was early and delicious: omelet, hash browns, and maple sausage.

The next day I hit a huge landmark: the halfway point of the AT!

As I thought, the Pine Grove General Store (traditional home of the half gallon challenge) was closed, but I did check out the AT museum next door, where they had a model of what the first shelters looked like.

For a few days, I’d been working on a song about my fellow thru-hikers that I finally convinced them to sing with me at Cove Mountain Shelter, just outside of Duncannon.

That night I was the only one that stayed in the shelter rather than in my tent and it was a mostly sleepless night. I was constantly waking up to scare off a very persistent flying squirrel and a slightly less persistent, but much bigger porcupine, both of which kept heading for my pack.

In Duncannon the next morning, I met Vicky and Pat, owners of the popular hotel/pub The Doyle. I cashed in on the free beer token that Birchy had given me a couple nights before and also enjoyed a couple burgers and some fries. On the way out of town I enjoyed a milkshake. (I’m beginning to realize that a lot of my blog posts are filled with food stories as some of you have commented.)

After leaving Duncannon, I learned that there are in fact some rocky sections of PA.

I found another shelter that pizza companies deliver to (the 501 Shelter) and took full advantage of the chance to eat a meal I didn’t have to carry, easily polishing off a large pepperoni, pineapple, and broccoli pizza.

Finally, yesterday I hiked into Port Clinton, PA. (What a steep descent into town!) Before setting up our tents and eating dinner at the pavilion outside of town, a group of us decided to stop for a beer at the firehouse (which is a bar in disguise). Well, one beer turned into a few beers and then a few shots. I had a great night as you can tell from this picture with the bartender (in purple) and a local hiker-loving patron who contributed to my over-consumption.

At the end of the night, we somehow managed to walk to the pavilion, but this morning I was in no shape to hike, so I paid for a room at the local hotel so I could wash up and do a much-needed load of laundry. Tomorrow I will resupply and try to catch up to those that went ahead today. Still having fun out here (perhaps a little too much)!

Maryland

My time in Maryland was short (2 1/2 days) so this blog post should be short too!

Some of my fellow hikers intentionally hiked through Maryland without stopping for the night (as part of the challenge of walking in four states in one day: VA, WV, MD, and PA). In comparison, I had a leisurely stroll through the state, which I found to be quite beautiful.

After the group of DC warriors left me at Crampton Gap, I hiked on another 7 or so miles and reached a tenting area near a building with showers and restrooms for hikers. It happened to be Saturday night, so the place was packed full of boy scouts. After setting up my tent on the edge of the tenting space, I chatted with one of the group leaders who had thru-hiked 30 years ago. He noted that hardly anyone used trail names, there was not much “trail magic,” and their gear was much heavier and slower to dry. I think I picked the right time to start hiking!

The next morning I packed up my tent and (as always) hiked north. I soon came to a small Civil War museum and stopped in to check out the antique weapons and hear a little of their history from the man working there. I then took a side trail up to the Washington Monument (not the one in DC), which was rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s at the same time as the CCC was finishing up the AT.

That afternoon I stopped at an overlook and met the Maryland ridge runner who stays in a tent on the side trail to the overlook. She happened to be a beautiful young woman who thru-hiked both the AT and the PCT in the last few years. A twenty minute talk with her may have been the highlight of my day. 😉

I then stayed in one of the most beautiful shelters on the trail. The wood floors were so nicely polished and cleaned that I felt obliged to take my shoes off before entering! I slept well all night and in the morning, I decided to stay in the shelter a couple extra hours to read rather than hike in the rain.

When I did finally get out of the shelter, I had a surprisingly fun time hiking and singing in the rain except through one section of particularly slippery, sharp rocks that was a little less fun. My short hike through Maryland came to an end when I suddenly found myself at the border of Pennsylvania: the Mason Dixon line.

The Good Life

If you are one of the few that still thinks that I’m roughing it out here, I’ve managed to deceive you! With the trail magic, town stops, and visitors on the trail, I really am feeling like I’m on vacation (which is good, because I am!).

On Friday night (May 12), John and I were joined by some more of the DC broomball guys: Tom, Dave, Chris, and Tony. Lesson learned: if you ever want to throw a party, invite Tom. He and the others brought everything necessary to feed us that night and probably the next two days as well. I had a great time hanging out with the guys around the campfire, drinking beers and making s’mores. By the way, eating melted marshmallows is much harder now that my face is all hairy. I stayed up way past ‘hiker midnight’ and was happy to see more familiar faces.

The next morning Tom whipped up an amazing breakfast of bacon and eggs to go with the free pancakes from the KOA. He even brought orange juice! (Simple things are hard to get in the woods!)

We then met up with a carful of other awesome people from DC! My friends/coworkers Terry and Liz and Terry’s friends Kelly and Bill joined the broomball gang at the trailhead where John and I left off the day before.

(John decided that his feet were blistered enough already, so he held down the fort at the KOA.)

If you know Tom, it shouldn’t surprise you that he brought his broomball stick and ball with him on the day hike.

We crossed the Potomac River and entered Maryland, my 6th state. After a few flat miles along the Potomac River, we started to climb pretty quickly. We stopped at Weaverton Cliffs for a lunch break and to enjoy the views below. Tom shared the salami and cheese that he sliced on the wooden cutting board he packed up! Kelly, thanks for the delicious poppyseed bread!

Tony, Dave, and Tom watching the turkey buzzards soaring by the cliffs.

Terry and Liz braving the edge of the cliff.

We hiked on after lunch to the Edward Garvey Shelter, which is one of the fancier shelters on the trail. (They didn’t believe me after I told them what a typical shelter looked like.) Tom decided to introduce broomball to the AT community.

We hiked a total of 11 miles to Crampton Gap and saw a snake and a couple (wild?) goats along the way. We played frisbee at the end of our hike for a bit and then I gratefully accepted everyone’s leftovers before we parted ways.

Having everyone out on the trail was a special treat and it reenergized me to complete the second 1,000 miles with enthusiasm. Thanks for all the food you brought me and thanks for joining me for a day of fun!

My Second Visitor and 1000 Miles

Jess dropped me back at the trail head on Tuesday morning (May 8) and my friend John joined me for the walk to Harpers Ferry over the next four days.

It was great to have some new company and some intellectual stimulation out on the trail. In addition to his engineering degree, John has a Master of Divinity, so I picked his brain for most of the first day about general topics of Christianity and faith. He was more than willing to hike through the rain and answer my questions, even on the uphills. I think I’m onto something that could be pretty popular: hiking ministry. I’d recommend everyone ask their pastor to hike with them for a day.

Our stop for the first night was Dick’s Dome Shelter, which had a nice fire pit in front that John somehow managed to fill with a great fire despite using all wet wood. While we were hanging out by the fire, I found a mole climbing in the fire pit.

John in front of Dick’s Dome Shelter the next morning:

We then entered The Roller Coaster, a 13.5 mile section of trail that is a series of ascents and descents.

A commentary at the next shelter on the section from a previous hiker.

I think John would agree that, like with most roller coasters, the downhills were the best parts!

Some shots of John on the sunny days of the week:

We also hit some big milestones in the time John was with me. We left Virginia and entered West Virginia.

This border also happened to mark the 1,000th mile of my journey so far!

On Friday morning, John and I entered Harpers Ferry, an unofficial halfway point and the home of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters. It also happens to be the section of the trail closest to DC.

At the ATC headquarters, John and I ended our hike for the day, and I had my photo taken for their official records. I was the 99th northbound thru-hiker to check in at the ATC headquarters this year! Smiley checked in right after me and was lucky #100.

John then treated me to some fantastic pizza in Harpers Ferry.

We walked/limped down the road toward the KOA campground, where we planned to stay for the night with some other guys from DC. On the way, we were picked up by Bonzo and Rio (Bonzo’s dog) and driven to our destination with an invitation to join them later for some rabbit meat at Bonzo’s. Instead, John and I took advantage of the swimming pool and mini golf course at the KOA.

Overall, I had another great time with a friend on the trail. Thanks for the great company and the homemade treats, John!

Mini Trail Vacation

A short while ago my coworker Tom emailed me that his daughter Jess lives close to the trail and would be willing to pick me up, clean me off, and drive me to resupply. I gladly jumped at this offer of trail magic and was glad I did!

Jess was an awesome host: she didn’t mind my stink, she was fascinated and asked lots of questions about the trail, and she shuttled me around to do all my town errands. Even though she had friends staying over, she let me crash in her spare room and join them for dinner and hanging out all night. She also introduced me to the one and only Dinosaur Land.

(Obviously we had to stop for a photo.)

At Walmart, I was the entertainment for Jess and her friends Jen and Jesse, who followed me around and helped me pick out the best flavors of rice sides and drink powder mixes. We then hit up a very classy pub that played Irish versions of songs from Titanic and Disney’s Pocahontas. (Okay that may have just been what songs I thought they were.)

After dinner, I got an education in modern appliances when Jess showed me the magic of DVR technology. I also managed to learn about duck-call making, tuna fishing, and UFC fighting while enjoying some beverages in front of the TV with the ladies. It was great to have some female company after hanging out with stinky guys for the past couple months.

Jess, as thanks for your amazing hospitality, I’ve decided to collect and mail you samples from the various species of wheat I encounter along the trail so you can add to your wheat garden and increase your harvest this fall! In all seriousness, I really had a great time, and I am thankful that Tom put us in touch. I also hear that Tom’s wife/Jess’s mom is an avid follower of my blog, so here’s a shout out to you! Your family is really great!

Shenandoah National Park

Perhaps the highlight of my trail experience so far was the trail magic done by Bobber’s mother and aunts, who dubbed themselves “Bobber’s Babes.” Just before the entrance to Shenandoah National Park, they provided Snickers, PB&J sandwiches, and drinks while wearing shirts with bobbers hanging from them. I think I appreciated this more than most because I can see my Aunt Linda and Aunt Judy doing something like this and turning my face as red as Bobber’s.

The first couple days in Shenandoah were in the mid-eighties!

Shenandoah has a lot of bears and some of them are more comfortable around people than we’d like. One shelter on this area last year was closed for a week due to a bear that wouldn’t stop investigating people’s tents when they were left alone for even a little while.

I saw my first bears of the trip in this area.

I also saw what I can only assume was a dung beetle.

Deer were also very prevalent in the area and were not very shy.

My favorite photo so far:

The Shenandoah area was not very popular with many of my fellow thru-hikers. They didn’t like the fact that you saw more tourists than animals or that the trail crosses Skyline Drive about 50 times. I didn’t really mind these aspects of the trail and I certainly appreciated the proximity of the waysides and restaurants. Best decision of my trip so far: the blackberry ice cream pie at the Skyland Resort tap room. Definitely worth the outrageous price!

Glasgow and Trail Magic

On Friday I hitched into Glasgow with Smiley for a resupply. We first stopped for burgers at the Family Inn Restaurant, where they were nice enough to let us recharge our phones while we shopped. A woman working at the Dollar General, where I stocked up on food, told me about the live music event in the park across the street, and learning from Willie Boy that there’s a shelter in town behind the restaurant sealed the deal: I stayed the night in Glasgow.

A highlight of the night was my first deep-fried Oreos.

The next morning I hitched back to the trail and hustled to meet up with my former task-leader Carl at the Pedlar River Bridge. I ended up arriving early and seeking cover from the rain under the end of the bridge. I lucked out and met four guys section-hiking southbound also seeking shelter under the bridge. They taught me how hiking should be done: in short sections, with good friends, and with a truck full of beers and steaks parked at the midway point. They were really cool guys and I enjoyed their company (and their shared food) while waiting for Carl.

When Carl arrived, he brought his son Chase and half the items on the Hardee’s menu! I was treated to trail magic that I couldn’t finish by myself, so some other thru-hikers gladly helped me out. Thanks Carl and Chase for the fast food, fresh fruit, and deliveries from the other members of your family.

Carl’s wife sent me some homemade brownie bars, dried apple slices, and pineapple pieces, which were all quickly devoured, and his daughter insisted that I needed some candy on the trail. Thanks Chris and Cheyenne!

Hello to everyone at IDA, by the way!

After my day of trail magic upon trail magic, I stayed in a shelter with two longtime friends out for an annual trip together. Seeing them and the guys from under the bridge having such a blast made me want to start my own tradition with my friends. It certainly doesn’t have to be a hiking trip, but I definitely want to dedicate some special time to spend with the people that matter to me.

Thanks to everyone I’ve met out on the trail so far for inspiring me to continue hiking on this trip and to plan more adventures in the future.

Animals and Trail Characters

Coming out of Daleville, the trail soon led me through a cow pasture.

I saw some more wildlife the next day: some deer, a turkey, and a snake.

The three Atlanta brothers also saw two ten foot long snakes mating that day. (Sorry, they have the only photos.)

Thursday April 26 was a rainy, cold day, so I was happy to dry off in the Thunder Hill Shelter at the end of the day. I did get to see “The Guillotine” just before I arrived.

Shortly after most of us had settled into the shelter and were about to start making dinner, a gentleman in jeans with a large pack showed up and asked us if we’d like some trail magic. Would we?! The man introduced himself as John and proceeded to whip up an amazing feast of eggs, sausage, and pancakes with orange juice! His son hiked several years ago and John has provided trail magic for thru-hikers two days a week since then. I can’t tell you how grateful we were for his generosity and friendliness. Thank you John!

Later that evening, we met an interesting character. There were already seven of us in the six-person shelter when an older British man wandered into camp. He asked to sleep in the shelter, but there just wasn’t room. He persisted, suggesting that he could sleep across the shelter lengthwise at our feet and not move all night, but we just couldn’t fit him in. He inexplicably wasn’t carrying a tent or shelter of any kind, so Willie Boy lent him his tent for the night. (I think the man might have been a bit out of it mentally. Apparently, he did not know what thunder is.) The next morning, the man came out of the tent wearing a full tweed suit with his socks pulled over his pants. This was certainly among the stranger things I’ve seen out here, but the guy was clearly harmless.

Trail Perils, Tinker Cliffs, and Daleville

After checking out McAfee Knob, Smiley, You Again, and I spent the night in a shelter with a southbound hiker named Southpaw Sparrow. He started his hike last year, but was forced off the trail after being bitten by a copperhead, one of only two (I think) poisonous snakes in this area of the AT. I had seen a few snakes, but no rattlers and no copperheads…until the very next morning when Smiley almost peed on this copperhead near the shelter.

Luckily, it appeared to have recently eaten something and it was quite sluggish.

That same morning, Smiley, who left the shelter shortly after me, saw a bear running on an intercepting course that hadn’t yet noticed him. He instinctively shouted at the bear, which picked its head up, saw Smiley, and took off in a hurry.

Meanwhile, I was up ahead enjoying the Tinker Cliffs, arguably much more impressive than McAfee Knob.

The views after the Tinker Cliffs on the way to Daleville were equally beautiful.

I finally made it into Daleville and walked to the outfitter where I bought new shoes and had my Leki trekking poles replaced for free (the old ones couldn’t be adjusted anymore and they didn’t have the tools on-hand to fix them). I ate and bought lots of food and then caught a ride back to the trail from some nice young day hikers.

Daleville is definitely an easy resupply and if you want to stay in town, check out the coupon book in the convenient store next to the Howard Johnson; apparently there’s a coupon for a $35 stay at HoJo.