Date: 2005-05-28
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park Campground

To: Boiling Springs Backpacker's Campsite
Miles today: 20.7

Miles hiked today : 20.719.0 AT miles + 1.2 miles of side trail + 0.5 roadwalk milesI woke up this morning at 6:00 a.m., walked to the restroom, bought a soda from the vending machine, and read at our picnic table until 7:15 a.m. At that time, I packed up and our group headed to the general store, arriving at 8:00 a.m. We had egg sandwiches for breakfast, then I headed out by myself at 8:50 a.m.Shortly after I left the general store, I passed the actual Pine Grove Furnace, which was enormous, and had once been used to produce iron. Moving on, at 1.0 mile out of the park was a nearly 10 foot tall halfway point marker erected by 1985 thru-hiker Chuck Wood. Although the marker is not technically at the halfway point due to ongoing trail re-routes, it was still cool to see. I waited for Dad's Grin to show up and we snapped pictures of each other with the marker as a backdrop.After a 20 minute break, I left the halfway point marker at 9:45 a.m. and moments later, ran into a group of day hikers with a female teacup Maltese puppy. This was amusing as my Mom likes to joke about her 2 Maltese puppies hiking the AT. I snapped a picture of the puppy and continued on.My next stop was for a 10 minute rest break at 11:55 a.m. at a foot bridge just past the side trail for the James Frye (Tagg Run) Shelter. Dad's Grin and Wingit were there when I arrived and we headed out as a group. We had planned to walk to Green Mountain General Store at PA34, though we accidentally passed it by. We arrived at PA94 at 1:15 p.m. and spent 15 minutes trying to hitch to Mt. Holly Springs for lunch, though our efforts were fruitless.At 1:30 p.m., it began to rain and kept raining until 3:10 p.m. During this time, I reached a formation of tremendously huge rocks that required careful stepping due to the rain. Also necessary was the use of some upper body strength for navigating through narrow crevices and for climbing 2 foot tall steps to reach said crevices. The large rocks lasted no more than 0.25 mile and I made it through without incident. After the rain stopped, the sun peeked out for a bit and I reached the Alec Kennedy Shelter at 3:50 p.m. I stayed for a 50 minute lunch break and then pushed on for the final 4.1 miles to Boiling Springs.Within a mile, I reached Center Point Knob, which marks the end of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is significant as I've been following the Blue Ridge Mountains since my first day on the AT beginning with Springer Mountain. After descending 510 feet from Center Point Knob, I had to walk the border of several corn fields for what seemed an eternity. Hopefully I won't have to walk through many fields in the upcoming days, as today's corn field walk was truly mind numbing. After the corn fields, I arrived in Boiling Springs and reached the Mid-Atlantic ATC Regional Office at 6:05 p.m. The office was closed, though I sat on the porch for a bit before walking to an Italian Ristorante for dinner with Dad's Grin, Doc, and Wingit. I had a calzone, which left me feeling stuffed. Feeling stuffed seems to be a trend lately and I'm planning on cutting down my food intake.We had planned to camp in the back yard of the Garmanhaus B&B for a $1 donation, though when we stopped by before dinner, we found that it was not open. This left us with no option but the Backpacker's Campsite 0.4 miles before town, the only legal place to camp in the 18 miles of trail through the Cumberland Valley. This wasn't exactly appealing, as the site is near a set of railroad tracks. During dinner, our waitress told us that the trains only run through town once or twice a week. While composing this entry, however, 2 trains have already passed by with their horns blaring at ear shattering volume. I'm wagering that it's going to be a long night.Bedtime at 10:20 p.m.