Date: 2018-06-04
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 20.0

The day did not get off to a good start. Which Way¢s back was spasming all night and was still hurting into the morning. It was not the report she wanted to deliver to the Physical Therapist at her appointment later in the morning.  It was 9:00 by the time she dropped me off at Caledonia State Park and started making her way to Charles Town, WV for her appointment. The plan was to meet for lunch where the trail crossed Shippensburg Road (about 11 miles into my hike). The morning temperature was perfect as I started the only ascent of the day worth mentioning. Although the total climb was about 1,000 feet, it did not present much of a challenge. The cool temps and easy terrain had a lot to do with the relative ease of the first few miles. About halfway to the top, sat the Quarry Gap Shelter. My son and I had camped at this super nice shelter during a 2007 hike from Caledonia State Park to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. A few miles further up the trail stood the Milesburn Cabin. It is a PATC cabin nestled in the woods right next to the trail. Our family rented the cabin with some friends back in 2006 and did some day hikes in the area. We had covered most of the trail from Caledonia State Park to Duncannon when I attended the Army War College in Carlisle in 2006-2007.I hit Shippensburg Road at 1:00 PM. There was a parking area where I would meet Which Way. I did some stretching as I waited and she showed up about 20 minutes later with Chick-fil-a sandwiches and a cold drink. I could get used to this. WW had texted me when she was on her way from her PT appointment to let me know she had some bad news. As we sat on a rock eating our lunch, she gave me the full report. Her back spasms were continuing and she was advised that she should rest and continue with a recovery routine for 4 more weeks. Obviously, she was crushed by the news, as was I. She has put alot of blood, sweat, and frozen body parts into hiking a 1,000 miles from Springer Mountain, GA, and she wasn¢t ready to give it up. You have to have a lot of grit and determination to finish an A.T. Hike, but you also need a good bit of luck. There are so many things that are completely out of a hiker¢s control that can pull you off the trail. That said, WW is still resolved to finish this, just not the way she envisioned. Here¢s the plan, she will be flying home on Thursday and will follow the doctors orders for the next several weeks. Then, if she is fully recovered, she will rejoin me on the trail for the last five states¢Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. We will return another time to knock out the missing states/sections. This is in her gut now and she wants to see it through. As we sat on the rock shedding tears about the setback, we agreed that this has been the best 1,000 miles of our marriage. And we have had a lot of good miles. But, our journey is not over yet. Just a slight detour for WW as I continue to carry the banner forward. Just about a mile north of Shippensburg Road, I passed the halfway point on the trail (1,095.45 miles). A sign to mark the occasion would come a little further along. On the way, I passed by the Toms Run Shelter. Just past the shelter was a teenage girl who was down in the mud on her hands and knees planting carrots. She and the boy she was with were graduating from high school this year. She said she was planning to put a note in the shelter journal to let hikers know about the carrot patch and that they would be ready for harvest in August. When I asked the young lady what inspired her to do this, she replied, ¢I just wanted to plant some carrots.¢ I thought it was a nice little reminder that whatever dream or passion a person may have, it is just a dream until you put some action behind it. Plant the seed and let it grow. The hike ended at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, the home of A.T. Half Gallon Challenge. In order to be a member of the half gallon club, a hiker must eat that amount of ice cream in one sitting. Which Way was waiting for me at the Pine Grove General Store. I went in the store and picked my poison, 1.5 quarts of Cookies and Cream, followed by a pint chaser of Chocolate. It took me 36 minutes to eat the whole thing. Sadly, I didn¢t have any problems putting that much ice cream in my stomach. The hardest part was that my mouth was frozen after about 20 minutes of dishing in the frozen delight. Three other hikers¢Mr. Bean, Doc and Chief¢showed up as I was starting the challenge and joined in on the fun. I was the first hiker of the day to enter my name into the Half Gallon Club.With that silliness behind me, we made our way back to Carlisle. Our friends, the Coyles, took us in again. I was eating tasty tacos before I knew it. Yes, I had some cookies and milk for dessert.Please pray for WW to have safe travels and complete healing of her back. I will dearly miss my hiking partner and best friend, but know that she will hike on with me in spirit.Peace & Blessings!Next StepI¢ve been thinking all morning of how to put into words all that I¢m feeling right now. I¢ve decided it¢s just not possible. I have had so many experiences and have learned so much about myself. Next Step and I have been bonded even stronger than before. I have seen his unconditional love played out over and over again. It has been a most humbling experience and an absolutely beautiful experience. Back when we first started this journey and I was getting my knees conditioned for the daily abuse they were taking, I would watch him, completely exhausted, take weight out of my pack and put in his own. Or he would rush ahead of me to try and find a ride to a hostel so I didn¢t have to walk the extra .6 miles down the road. He¢s wrapped me in an emergency blanket to warm me up only to take it off and tell me we have to keep moving. We hiked two days through a snow storm, but I could follow in his tracks. I¢ve seen how proud he is of me when we¢ve already hiked 20 miles but we have to go just a little bit farther to find a place to set up camp, even though I felt like my legs couldn¢t move another step. Or watching me (a clean freak) slop through days of mud, knowing I¢m so far out of my element I might never find my way back. And there is just so much more, way too much to write. But what¢s most important is that we¢ve had this incredible opportunity to share all of this TOGETHER. And that¢s why I¢m only saying ¢See you later¢ for now. I will do everything in my power to let my back heal, so that I can be there to summit Mt. Katahdin with the love of my life, Next Step. I covet your prayers for him. He tends not to be very cautious when I¢m not around. It¢s so hard to leave him. To EVERYONE that has either literally crossed our path or been a part of our trail journal, I want to say how much I thank you from the bottom of my heart for already making this the Grandest Adventure of a Lifetime! HugsWhich WayElevation Data: Ascent - 2,630Descent - 2,700Grade - 5.1Weather:Day - 69 / Partly SunnyNight - 56 / ClearOver the Horizon: Duncannon, PA