Date: 2014-06-27
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel
Miles today: 42.4

Wow, the last few days have been something else. You just can't make this stuff up.6/26/14 Raven Rock Shelter to Quarry Gap Shelter 25.4 miles. This will be my longest day so far. I had not planned to hike but 20 miles but my plans where changed at the end of my day. The morning started out great. When I arrived at Pen Mar County Park, a great place historically for Yogi'ing, there was no one there, so I was totally bummed. I had been planning my approach all morning. Bummer! So I stopped in at Deer Lick Shelter for lunch and some water from the spring, then moved on. I rolled into Rocky Mountain Shelter at about 5:30 and I was exhausted.There was one guy there at the shelter. There are two shelters at this location so he was in one and I chose the other one and set up for the night. I was cooking dinner, and the other hiker came over and started talking. Nothing he said made any sense. His entire story made no sense at all. My red flags were going off inside my head, and the more he talked the more I became aware that I didn't need to be there. So as quietly as possible I packed up and just got up and walked out of the shelter. I didn't look back for about a hundred yards, then every couple hundred yards after that I did a "Crazy Ivan", that's where you stop and look back behind you. Hikers do this when that get the Heebeejeebees! This is the only time so far that someone gave me the feeling that I wasn't safe, and I'm glad I packed up and walked out.By the time I left it was 6:30, and it was 5 miles to the next shelter. I made it to Caledonia State park around 7:30, and I was so tired that I looked for a tent site there but the office was closed and the actual camping area was another mile or so up the road. As much as I didn't want to I knew I'd have to hike on out to the next shelter, another 1.2 miles straight up hill. It got dark before I reached the shelter and I had to walk the last half mile or so with my headlamp. I arrived at Quarry Gap Shelter at 9:10, and I was so happy to find about 8 hikers there. It was a great relief to be with other hikers. I didn't sleep well, but later in the night I did get some good shuteye. When creepy things happen, and the radar is lighting up, then you need to trust your gut and move on. A friend of mine, Jerry (Mountain Goat), told me one time that crazy people will not work that hard to get'cha, but this Dude was a long way from the road. I guess there is an exception to every rule.6/27/14 Quarry Gap Shelter to Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel 16.9 miles. After yesterday I was still quite tired. 25 miles really took it out of me, but I knew there was town food, a shower, and a mail drop waiting on me at the Hostel. It was an easy 17 miles with most of the trail on old logging roads. Not to many rocks, and very few hills. A nice day really. I rolled into the Hostel at 3pm and headed for the General Store. The Hostel didn't open till 5 pm, so I needed some place to hang out. This is also the place where the "Half Gallon Challenge" happens for Thru-Hikers. You "try" to eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting. Try? Please!!! It only took the Sleeper 20 minutes to knock this out. Then I went inside and ordered 2 hot dogs, fries, and 2 20oz Cokes. Yes, I ate it all. Then later at the Hostel I ate half a pizza and drank another 20 oz soda. Town food is so cool. I now have in my possession the famed "wooden ice cream spoon" that reads "I survived the Half Gallon Challenge". A real badge of honor for any self respecting Thru-Hiker. So now I am showered, well feed, and resupplied for the next few days. It was good to enter Pennsylvania yesterday, and today I passed the "real" halfway point. As soon as I can I will load some pictures from the last two days. No data here for the smart phone.Despite the crazy, I'm still having the time of my life out here on the Trail. We should all decide what is really important to us and go after it. It may not be the Trail, but we all have something we would wait a lifetime to do. I say don't wait. Chase you dreams while you can!!!