Date: 2016-04-22
From: Wolfsville Road

To: PA 16
Miles today: 12.6

It¢s interesting how often rain is predicted, but doesn¢t really materialize. We expected the trail to be wet when we started today and we were pleasantly surprised to find it dry outside when we woke. And it was in the high 50s as well. Our new temporary abode for 4 nights is the Burgundy Lane B&B in Waynesboro, PA. This B&B is on our short list of favorite places. Margaret and David are very friendly to hikers and very accommodating. They have seven rooms and we found out that each room is decorated differently. Last year we stayed in the Africa Room (pleasant with an outdoor deck where we could dry our shoes each night), but it was taken so we upgraded a bit to the Castle Room. If you appreciate themes, this is damn impressive. The decor includes a suit of armor, an authentic-looking sword mounted on the wall, a mounted crest, a tapestry in the bathroom as well as a clawfoot tub, a gas fireplace in the corner with a helmut and a crown on the mantle, a transom decorated with a castle scene, walls papered with castle stone and painted ivy, and more. The most impressive feature is a massive, fourposter king bed that dominates the space. It¢s really kind of fun and you can let your fantasies roam. So, . . . they will prepare nutritious breakfast whenever you wish (6:00 am for us), and its elegantly served. And David will shuttle hikers to the nearest trailheads - for no added fee, and he¢s reasonable for longer rides. They do your laundry (included), we have a fridge, microwave, TV and WiFI - what more could a hiker ask? And it¢s downtown with restaurants, etc., all nearby. We like it. (I¢ve included a pic here in the TJ Photo gallery.Back to the trail talk. Today was a pretty nice trail for the most part. As I mentioned yesterday, we give really high marks to the Maryland Trail Clubs for their impressive work on the local AT. The blazes keep you on trail, the bushes are cut back (tick season is about here), the shelters look decent (but we have no direct experience here), and the campsites seem good. Today we had some easy flat sections, but we also had some challenging ups and downs. One section that we encountered was particularly challenging. It was a downhill section for us (NoBo) through a rock/boulder jumble. I think it was just past the High Rock Loop trail. We had a hard time following the blazes and they were interspersed with a number of pink flags, suggesting that there is considerable trail work in this area. We saw a number of hikers stopped to rest in this area, some were NoBo and some SoBo. It was definitely the slowest part of our hike today. Late in the hike we passed the Pen Mar Park area. Several of the facilities seems to be refreshed or even renovated from last year, but the park was generally deserted today. We moved on quickly and just after crossing a railroad track we came upon the sign for the Mason-Dixon line, the Maryland/Pennsylvania state line. Several hikers that we have seen before were right behind us, so we stopped to take pictures for them with the sign. I wish I had taken a shot of my own, but I used their cameras. I¢m sure we¢ll see them again in the next several days. We had one steep downhill to Falls Creek, then a longer uphill (I was getting tired) and finally a downhill to PA 16 and our car. (We followed David out to the parking area at PA 16 this AM and then he took us to Wolfsville Road where we started our hike today. So we had an opportunity to hike together today and again tomorrow.) We made it back into Waynesboro by noon and we¢ve been enjoying ourselves since. We plan to watch the Caps tonight and we expect to see them win and advance to the next round of the Stanley Cup.I¢ve added a pic of my nephew, Jared, to the Photo Gallery, from this past Monday (18th) in DC.