Date: 2014-05-22
From: Waynesboro Pennsylvania

To: Quarry Gap Shelters
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: light rain

Well it's so long to Dad today and back to the reality of the trail. Long hikes and lots of sweat. It was nice to do shorter miles and have lots of breaks, but my legs are itchy to hike. Wondering how I'll do after taking a little break. Hopefully it means I'm TOUGH. Slept awesome and had a great breakfast with Dad and another hiker doing a section. The Burgundy Bed and Breakfast was a great place to stay. I highly recommend it. Very very nice hosts, very accommodating and the breakfast was hiker worthy! Liked them a lot. Dad had a good limp this morning so probably a good idea that that was the end of his hike. He's a through hiker too. Or as he called it...through hiking. Our hosts headed out and I was the first dropped off to start back in. Plan is 20 miles today. So far, not a problem. Pretty easy terrain - a little rocky but not bad. Overall a good day to be doing 20 miles! Of course nothing ever stays the same and eventually hit some serious uphill rocks. And now the sweat begins. I had forgotten how uncomfortable it can be - very warm, soupy almost air, and your pack is melted into your back. There seems to be a daily cycle going on around here. Beautiful, cool clear morning with no clouds. Then it warms up, starts to get humid, the clouds build, and the rumbles start. No matter how many times I've hiked in them, thunder storms still make me nervous. This was a weird one - twice it got dark, black almost in one direction - and you heard thunder constantly but it just never got to me. I'm loving how in tune with nature I am right now. I have always been in a book sense, but now, I know things like - when you're out hiking and the birds stop singing, it usually means there's trouble brewing with the weather. And it'll get dark and stormy and maybe even rain and all you really hear is your own hastening footsteps and rumbles - but when they start singing again, it's all over. And you're safe. I have been fooled though by them, so it's not bulletproof but overall seems to work. Passed through Caledonia State Park - really nice, and finally decided it was time to take my pack cover off - and of course, as soon as it's packed up and stowed, I feel the first rain drops. Ugh. So I walked over to the pavilion where I got to meet the Ramen Shamen, Cheezit, Coconut, and Spice Kit - four hikers I've been seeing in the logs for weeks. They had all ordered pizza from an Italian restaurant down the road that delivers (!) but I had eaten so much at breakfast I still wasn't even hungry. Headed out to tackle the last climb of the day to a shelter that was recommended to me - Quarry Gap. Definitely back to climbing - and sweat, but rewarded by seeing rhododendrons again - haven't seen them in some time where they used to be the dominate plant out there. Still no flowers but they made a very cool tunnel to hike through - and at the top? WOW...now THIS is a shelter. You come to a cute little gate with a welcome sign and step out of the tunnel to a double shelter with breezeway, covered picnic table, bench, wooden tent pads, a clothesline, magazine rack, checkers and cards and...hanging baskets of pansies. And all very very clean. Someone really takes pride in this one. Tomorrow, I'm thinking 30!