Date: 2016-05-19
From: Campsite, Licksdale, PA

To: Route 501 Shelter, Pine Grove, PA
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 2912 miles in 7.5 hoursCampsite before Lickdale, PA (1181.4) to the 501 Shelter, Pine Grove, PA (1193.4)Weather: Sunshine, 60s, maybe low 70s?Dinner: PizzaWildlife: Deer, assorted forest crittersHikers: About eight NOBOs including ¢Butter,¢ ¢Dark Water,¢ ¢Hanna Solo¢, and two SOBO sectional hikers, Zach and ¢Sweat¢ Slowly Walking and Enjoying the AT (while sweating profusely) While the day dawned sunny, yesterday's rain meant I started my morning donning a wet, cold bra and a damp wool t-shirt. That will get you moving, although as it turned out, still not fast enough. I was awake by 5:30, up by 6, but not packed up and ready to roll until 7:45 a.m. By then, my t-shirt was almost dry. There are two reasons why it takes me a while to get going:1)        I heat up water to make coffee and/or food and2)        I sponge off the wet tent and have to pack it up. Last night¢s campsite was maybe a half mile away from I-81 and I heard engine braking all night long. For the first hour, the trail ran parallel to the interstate highway and for most of the morning, traffic sounds could be heard. People are sadly mistaken about the Appalachian Trail being wilderness. In many places, the trail is just out of sight of thousands of people¢which is still kind of cool to think about. I'll never look at highway frontage woods quite the same again. The trail dipped down and through a rhododendron canopy before passing over the 55mile long Swatara Creek Water Trail and under I-81. Once it hit the ridge line, the trail stayed there for the next 10 miles. There were acres of Wild Geranium, Mayapples and Purple Phlox and the occasional views of the farming valleys below.I stopped for lunch and a water resupply at the William Penn Shelter and met up with Dark Water and Hannah Solo from a few days earlier. Hannah started out first and I kept pace with Dark Water until we hit rocks in the last mile. He was much more nimble and cavalier whereas I slowly picked my way through the boulder minefield. My destination tonight was the renown 501 Shelter located only .1 miles off of Route 501. It is really a large shed owned by an AT supporter. The main draw is that pizza can be ordered and delivered to hikers. They also have an outdoor solar shower which I was only too happy to use. I met two more Wisconsites: a dad and his son, ¢Pup¢ from Oregon, Wisconsin. (And yes, Wisconsin Public Radio¢s Dr. Zorba IS his physician for real.) They started from Harper's Ferry about two weeks ago and have consistently been putting on 18 mile days. Pup is planning on flipflopping. The dad needs to return to his teaching job and is only going as far as Maine. They get going at 5:45 a.m., so yeah, likely won't be seeing them again anytime soon.Because of the allure of easy to get food, Dark Water had me concerned that the shelter might be full in spite of my early 3:30 arrival time. But as it turned out, six people took showers, ordered pizza, then hiked on for another 5 miles, leaving another six of us here. And because it was hot today, the enclosed shelter is actually too warm. I set up my tent to dry and then decided to camp out. But I did order pizza. And pierogis. And a sub to take with me for lunch tomorrow.