Date: 2013-07-11
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: overcast clouds

day 111The trail traveled through some pretty spruce tree areas with some spots of nice soft pine needles covering the trail. I passed the campsite where I wanted to stay and there were 2 people taking down camp so i wouldn't have been alone. I crossed a bridge that was a huge tree with 1 or 2 steps up. I was so excited that I got to cross a stream on a tree. The climb up was tough and so at one point I groaned out loud. Groundhog was taking a bread right there and asked what was wrong. I didn't know he was there! so I was a little embarrassed. The next several miles were fairly flat but the trail was so severely poorly maintained. Poison ivy and blackberries were completely grown over the trail. I got really scratched up trying to make my way through. The plants hindered my progress enough to make it seem like I wasn't on a flat level ridge. I stopped at willian penn shelter for a break and figured I had 2 hours(4miles) left to go. The terrain got rockier but I was set on getting to the 501 shelter and going to town to get Dairy Queen and resupply. My guidebook also said you could order pizza delivered to the shelter. I finally made it to the shelter at 3:30 and realized it would be a hard hitch into town because it was on 3 roads. I called a shuttle which was $15 which was more than I wanted to pay but I wanted to get DQ. My parents were coming late in the evening the next day so I just wanted 1 or 2 days resupply. I tried to shop at Dollar General but all I could find was candy bars and chips. I didn't want to buy a 5 pack of granola bars and carry extra weight or waste money by giving what I didn't need away. I bough enough pop tarts chips and candy bars to last me a day and a half. My shuttle then took me to the Pilot truck stop which had Subway and DQ. I got a turkey and ham and a midnight truffle blizzard. They put a travel lid on my blizzard so when it started melting in the car I couldn't get into it. I struggled to get the lid off without spilling it in the car. Success tasted good as I quickly ate a few bites so it wouldn't melt and overflow. I showed up back at the 501 shelter and people starred at my blizzard so it tasted even better than normal because I was eating it in a shelter. Several more people showed up among them Arrow (who groundhog ws waiting for) an the couple that drank and smoked a lot. It was a little to late to keep going 4 more miles to the next shelter so I had to stay. Luckily they tented 100 feet from the shelter so I wouldn't have to hear their shenanigans. They were going to drink and smoke even though there were signs stating no drugs and no alcohol. I was planning on doing 23miles the next day to Port Clinton. My parents were coming to visit me where ever I was to slack pack me and give me my new boots! (Note from transcriber She got new boots a week ago in real time and has already wore through them, got another pair that the bottom split and now is on the 3rd pair!!) There was only one small road 10 miles from here so I decided to do my longest day ever of 23 miles. (there was a shelter at 15 in case I felt like I could not make it.) Groundhog and Arrow were both planning on 23 miles as well but they've done that kind of mileage before so it'd be a fairly normal day for them. I got up early at 5:15 had pop tarts and got going by 6:30. Groundhog and Arrow were up and getting ready so I was sure they'd catch me soon enough. I just hoped they would not leave me in the dust all day.