Date: 2018-06-02
From: Pen Mar County Park

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: broken clouds

It was 70 degrees, 99% humidity, and the winds were calm when I picked up the hike at Pen Mar Park. But the sticky weather was not the worst challenge of the day. It wasn¢t the rocks, mud, or climbs either. The toughest part of the hike today was the pesky gnats. Evidently, these little no-see-ems had built up a resistance to Deet. Over a half dozen kamikazes crashed into my eyes. Yeah, it was quite annoying. Back to the hike. About a 1/4 mile outside of Pen Mar the trail crossed the Mason-Dixon Line into Pennsylvania. It took 3 full months to hike through the first four states, but only 2 1/2 days to get through West Virginia and Maryland. Whether it is a state line, a town, a landmark, or a hundred mile marker, achieving these small victories provides huge motivation to continue to the ultimate goal. Just past the Mason-Dixon Line was a sign indicating that I was walking along a path that what was an old trolley line in the 1900's. To think, just off the trail once stood Jim¢s Popcorn Stand...ice cream and more. Other than the weather and gnats, hiking conditions were good today. Not too muddy, not too rocky, and not too hilly. Stretches of the hike were like a walk in the park. Speaking of parks, the trail went by Old Forge Park about 8 miles into my hike. Within ten feet of the trail was a picnic table, fresh water, and two trash cans. I had planned on stopping for lunch a little further along in the hike, but how could I pass up trash cans?I came to the Tumbling Run Shelters a little further along. It was actually a double shelter with a pavilion in the middle. I wondered if one shelter was for snorers and the other for non-snorers. I thought about Which Way¢s annoyance with the loud snorers in the shelters early in our hike. Anyway, this was a very nice shelter among other nice shelters along the trail lately. Trail clubs are responsible for building and maintaining the shelters on the AT. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) is responsible for the shelters scattered all along the trail from Rockfish Gap (Shenandoah South entrance) to Pine Grove Furnace State Park (a day¢s hike north). Being from DC, WW and I consider the PATC our local club and we are card-carrying members. A big shout out for the PATC, it¢s army of volunteers and others who maintained the trail in West Virginia and Maryland. The shelter marked the beginning of the only significant climb of the day, 1,000¢ up to Chimney Rock. Not far into the ascent I ran into two PATC volunteers¢D and Phase II. They were busy clipping overgrown bushes and raking out erosion ditches. We chatted a bit and I thanked them for helping to maintain the trail. As I was about to take off, a young hiker named Odd Jobs came up the trail. I ended up hiking with him the second half of the hike. Unlike yesterday, today the trail was mostly user friendly, allowing us to move at a fast pace. We ended up knocking out the last 9 miles in under 3 hours. The hike ended at Caledonia State Park, where WW was waiting to pick us up. We gave Odd Jobs a ride to the very hiker-friendly Timbers Restaurant, located about a half mile off the trail just outside of Fayetteville, PA. After enjoying a milkshake, we returned Odd Jobs to the park. WW and I then drove about 30 minutes to Chambersburg, PA where we stayed with a former student of mine from National Defense University Eisenhower School. Colonel Ledbetter is now the Commander of the Letterkenny Army Depot. Stephen lives in a beautiful old farm house that is listed in the historical registry. The house, which was built in 1790, is the oldest in Franklin County, PA. It was great catching up with Stephen. He grilled up some delicious steak and chicken kebabs and we even watched a movie. The student and commander-turned-trail-Angel was a great host.It was another adventurous day on the AT.Peace & BlessingsNext StepElevation Data:Ascent - 2,920Descent - 3,220Grade - 6.3Weather:Day - 82 / Mostly CloudyNight - 65 / ShowersOver the Horizon:Pine Grove Furnace State Park