Date: 2010-04-20
From: Iron Masters Mansion

To: Mt Holly Springs
Miles today: 8.6

1 CPR what was expected to be a perfect evening, didn¢t happen as expected¢¦ I had arrived at the Pine Grove furnace State Park. The Camp store was closed, so no 12 gallon ice cream challenge for the halfway hikers (as a flip thru-hiker from HF, I intended to only polish off a quart). The soft drink machine worked, so I had a cherry coke.   I waited next door at the Iron Masters Mansion for the Hostel to open, which would be at 1700. Tumbler, another NOBO flipper, hiked in and had a drink. He had a mail drop to catch and there was couple of more hours of daylight and he hiked on. I kinda felt sorry for him with me resting up for a night in the Hostel. This place was a famous part of the Underground Railroad and I was anxious for the tour. There was no cell coverage; but I was able to access a local wi fi and check some things out on my phone. The battery was getting low, and I decided to drain it down to zero, so I could get a full cycle recharge over night. I even managed to post my journal via the iphone. Time passed quickly and it was soon nearly 1900. I tried several times to find someone at the Hostel; but no response. It was getting cool , the sun was beginning to get low and I wasn¢t too excited about either waiting for the manager to eventually show up or finding a place to camp. The PA parks are reported to hand out $500 fines for camping in the wrong places The park was quite large and the AT probably ran 1 mile thru it. I decided to hike out and try to find a place to camp outside the park. There are a good number of ¢unofficial¢ campsites along the trail. These have flat, clear tenting areas and firerings, and are usually ocated near streams or near boundaries where camping is prohibited. I was hoping to find one of these just outside the park. I got my gear on and streaked out. At one place, I came across a water fountain and filled my water bladder. Also, took several big gulps of dry Gatorade powder and washed that down. The park was quite pretty and presented numerous photo ops: old facilities, wood duck nest, water flowers, etc, but I was pressing on. I got to the end of the park and then started a climb. I was blazing, climbed about 400 ft oand covered close to 2 miles. Did I mention I did all this in my Crocs? I was looking initially for an ¢unofficial¢ campsite, then a flat clearing with bearline limb, and finally just a flat spot. I crested a ¢falsepeak¢ and it was getting darker. I made a decision to stop at the 1st flat place, which was slightly downhill. Pitched my tent, got sleeping bag out and tried to boil some water; but didn¢t do too well. Lukewarm oatmeal is not among my favorites. Cleaned up and got ready for bed. Went out to hang my bearbag and the limb broke. Found another limb and it held. Finally, got to sleep, after saying ¢Good Night John Boy¢ to the timber rattlers.2. Report Got up early, fixed a good breakfast, broke camp and started hiking in my Crocs. I hiked maybe 30 yards and what did I see ¢ an ¢unofficial¢ camp. This one was perfect: a big flat clear space you could play pool on, a big fire ring with a nice stack of dry firewood and big logs to sit upon. Just my luck, if only I had hiked 30 more seconds!!   It was a pretty easy morning hike and I covered a lot of ground without too much difficulty. Saw dogwood, laurel and rhododendrons beginning to bloom.   Stopped at the Green Mountain General Merchandise Store for a big lunch and made arrangements for shuttle and overnight stay at Holly Inn in Mount Holly Springs. I continued hiking in my Crocs and hope to get my heels in good repair. For the near-term, I plan to hike moderate distances and try to stay in a room to keep the injuries clean and hopefully recover in a quick manner.   Life is Great!