Date: 2015-06-30
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: Applebee Campsite
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Just as I was starting to put away my sleeping bag this morning, I heard rain drops hit the tent. What the what now (as my co-worker Richard says)?!Fortunately it seemed to be only a trial run and lasted mere seconds, and I didn't have to pack up in the rain.It was late enough (6:20) that it should be fully light out, but the clouds and tree cover made it seem like it was only just dawn. It didn't rain though. Shortly after my first road crossing, I came to a patch of ripe blackberries. There were so many ripe ones, I could even be picky (heh) about which ones to pick. Sure beats pop tarts for breakfast.The other remarkable plant I saw was cimicifuga, or snake room (I'm going by memory on the names so might be slightly off). It's funny to see here in the woods, because my local garden center carries it. I noticed today it has a funky smell, like an unaired old person's home. Maybe it's reminiscent of mothballs, I'm not sure, but you would definitely not plant these for their fragrance!I had two climbs today, and the second kind of kicked my ass . I just checked my guide and it was 900 feet and it seemed steep to me, but it was a bit disconcerting that it was as hard as it was. This climb was right after we passed under I-81, crossing it for the third time that I can remember.Just before I got to William Penn shelter, someone had created a marker with rocks next to the trail. It had an arrow pointing north and said 1000 to 90. I could not figure out what it was supposed to mean, you realized it read '1000 to go'! Duh. And yay!The rocks were rumored to start after the 501 shelter at the end of my day, but I like to think we got a bit of a preview in the stretch before. If it was, it's probably going to be slow going for the rest of Pennsylvania. And yes, I am very happy I have new shoes!I had put my rain jacket on three times today and every time the rain only lasted a few minutes. So when I was on my way to the spring at the end of the day and it started sprinkling, I didn't bother. You see where this is going, I'm sure. I got pretty wet but not drenched on my way to and from the spring, then quickly put my jacket on when I got back to where I'd left my pack. Only to get completely soaked when the skies opened up for about 5 minutes. And all this happened right where I was going to camp. If I hadn't stopped to talk to a couple of hikers I hadn't seen since Daleville, I would have had my tent up and stayed dry. So, the moral of the story is: don't stop to chat with anybody, you might get rained on! I kind of regret not going to the next camp site, or stealth camp in between. When the downpour started I figured I should just camp here. But I can hear road noise and the mosquitoes are more awful than anywhere I have camped so far. Thank god I have a tent and not just a tarp (this is not coincidence!). I even ate in my tent and I've only done that once before, when it was raining.Arionis asked in the comments about my trail name. It was inspired by a conversation I had with Gary last year, shortly after I had decided to hike this year. I asked if he would come to visit me when I was in Virginia. His answer was that I would have to be decontaminated in an airlock before I'd be allowed back in his vehicle. You see, the year before we had vacationed near Monson, Maine and we had given a ride to a hiker. I rolled down my window as we came to a stop to pick him up, but Gary did not and was too polite to do so once the kid was in the car. I have yet to meet anyone on this hike who approaches the level of hiker stink this guy emanated, and Gary apparently remembered it vividly when I asked him about visiting. So, I decided Airlock would be a good trail name, certainly not one you see all the time!And I am happy to report I did not go through any decontamination process when he first picked me up near Waynesboro VA. He said that we (Gunner and I) didn't smell that bad. He may even have meant it! Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?