Date: 2008-06-20
From: .2 miles north of Chimney Rocks, PA

To: Whiskey Springs, PA
Miles today: 41.5

I woke up at 4:45am and laid there for a minute thinking about the day ahead. I knew there was a grocery store at Pine Grove Furnace and also the Ironmasters Hostel...but it was 28 miles away.The idea of food won out! :-)I ate two Poptarts, drank some water, then packed up and was walking north on the Appalachian Trail at 5:15am.I was walking along enjoying the cool morning temperature and waiting on the sun to rise, when I started thinking about my ol' buddy Chief and what he was doing at this fine hour of the day.I just smiled to myself when I figured he was curled up in the fetal position and sucking on his thumb with a lacy comforter pulled up over him. He was probably wearing his jammies with the bunny tail on the rear of the pants. Carlene said he likes those jammies best because they have footsies.I was thinking of the walk ahead of me today...and I figured that by doing that 28 mile day to Ironmasters Hostel, I could enjoy the store and the food there, I could get clean at the hostel and I could recharge my cell phone overnite...or I could do like Liteshoe would and make it in two 14 mile days...or I could do it like my ol' buddy Chief and do a 8 1/2 mile day to Caledonia, hitch a ride to a motel, come back the next day, do a 9 1/2 mile day and look desperately for a road with cars in hopes of hitching a ride to another motel (but there wouldn't be any roads around), then really push it and do a 10 mile day to get to Ironmasters Hostel, where he would chill for three days because he "over extended" himself. :-)I was walking along and about 1 1/2 miles later I could see a beautiful sunrise through the trees, but I couldn't get a very good picture of it.I came around a corner in the Trail and got to within 10 yards of four turkeys that were on the other side of a downed tree. They took off fast when they spotted me.I could hear a turkey gobbling up on the hill a couple miles farther down the Trail.I walked by the side trail to Rocky Mtn Shelters without stopping.I got into Caledonia State Park and saw Professor Longjohns and Mary Poppins walking over towards the pool. I walked straight on the Trail and got to a park bench and sat down to eat my lunch at about 9am. :-)I made a bottle of lemonade, then ate the rest of my salami and cheese wrapped in New and Improved Tumaro's Gourmet Healthy Flour, Garden Spinach and Vegetable Tortillas. :-)I got real close to two owls that were talking back and forth to each other about a mile before I got to Quarry Gap Shelters.I stopped at those shelters and whoever the caretaker is, [Transcriber¢s note: In ¢04 the shelter adopter was Jim Stauch] they really take super good care of the shelters! It's really nice there....the best cared for shelters on the whole Trail. There was a good bound register, so when I signed it, I not only used a smiley face sticker, but I also used one of my special Stumpknocker stickers. :-)I walked on and was making good time and miles...I got to Birch Run Shelter about 7 1/2 miles later.Gator was there and already set up for the day at 12:30pm....he said he was tired.Gator told me he had called the hostel and it was booked full for four days with boyscouts....that's okay about the hostel, but I had the burgers from the store on my mind....and I WILL walk for food! :-)I signed the register and walked on.I got to Tom's Run Shelters after walking in rain and thunder for about 15 minutes. I signed the register and talked to Catfish and Hot Sauce for a couple minutes before I left in the rain. I was only a few miles from food! :-)I saw a turkey momma and five babies just before I got to Pine Grove Furnace.The rain had stopped and it was nice out again by the time I got to the store at 4pm.Brown Bag and Sandman who I just met, were already there.I went inside and got two hotdogs, a cheeseburger, fries, a Coke and a pint of ice cream and sat outside under the canopy and ate all that.Catfish and Hot Sauce showed up and a couple by the names of Willing and Able came in. They're doing the Trail in three long sections.It rained really hard with high winds while I was eating. I had to put my rain jacket on just because it felt so cool out.I decided that my only option since the hostel was full was to walk on. I left at 5:30pm after the rain had stopped.I got to the signpost that marks the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail and took a picture of that.I finished climbing that hill about 1 1/2 miles later, then on the downside of the hill, I came up to a cooler full of ice cold sodas left by Red '08....Thanks!I got close to Hunters Run Road and there was a dog barking and a buck was standing out there looking at the dog, then the deer's ears started searching for the noise I was making, he looked at me and took off running.It was just getting dark out when I scared up a coyote that took off running.I thought about stopping for the day, but when I saw I was getting close to 40 miles, I decided to keep on walking.I hadn't walked much in the dark this year, but my energy level was high and I was feeling great, so I put on my headlamp and kept walking.I had forgotten about two rock scrambles a mile before Whiskey Spring, but I got to them and slowed down and had fun with them. It's much different scrambling over rocks at night because your depth perception isn't the same.It was about 10pm when I got to the first one. There's a spot where the maintainers have painted an arrow pointing to GA and one pointing to Maine because you could easily get turned around making your way through all the different scrambles.I shined my headlamp on the one pointing to ME and took a picture of it.I eventually got through the first rock scramble (at that point I didn't remember there was another rock scramble coming up) and got on flatter ground for a few minutes, then hit the second set of rock scrambles.I couldn't have been having any more fun! :-)I started heading down the hill and got to Whiskey Springs.I had to walk around fumbling for a while till I found a good flat spot, then set up my tent.I had found the flat spot and checked my watch when I finally crawled into my tent...it was 10:45pm.I have to say that this was another GREAT day spent on the Appalachian Trail. :-)