Date: 2023-06-29
From: Rocky Mountain Shelter

To: Stealth Site at Mile 1205.3
Miles today: 123.1

Google Photos Photo AlbumDay 15Rocky Mountain Shelter to Birch Run ShelterAT miles 13.0Miles hiked 15.2Karma. Just after 7:00 AM some tree cutters fired up their chainsaws. Hope that woke that noisy bunch of kids. This was a kind of lazy day. Feeling low on energy, the plan was to hike to Caledonia State Park, use the facilities, borrow some electricity, and either update my journal or rest as well as pay a visit to the 65 South BBQ restaurant.My hike to Caledonia was pretty nice and I found some nice rocks on the trail. Once in the park I visited the restroom then went over to the swimming pool house and plugged in my charging block and phone. I spent some time updating my phone as well as taking a short nap. The park was pretty busy with morning runners all over the place. Eventually a couple of school groups showed up. Around 11 I headed back out of the park and down the highway for lunch. When I arrived several hikers were already there including Forrest and Tuna Shorts. This is where I met Proof, a hiker from NC. He could eat more than any 2 people I know. I was hoping for some fries but the fryer was down so I settled for potato salad instead. The food was great and we definitely got our money's worth.  As we headed back to the trail we could feel all that food jostling around in our stomachs. Forrest was taking a slack day as he would soon be flying home to interview for a new job. Tuna and I pushed on as we had 10 more miles to our stop for the night.About 3 miles up the trail was an oasis in the middle of the forest. Quarry Gap shelter. The caretakers for this shelter went out of their ways to make this seem like a home away from home. Including air freshener in the privy. It was so nice and peaceful that we put our packs down and stopped for an afternoon siesta. Tuna Shorts at Quarry Gap ShelterRefreshed, we were back on the trail making great time when we came upon a PATC cabin where former thru hikers set up a multi day trail angel station. I had an apple and piece of apple pie. We sat around listening to some of their hiking stories from the 90s then it was time to go. They gave us an apple for later and we were gone. It seemed like we reached camp in no time at all. Still full from lunch and the trail magic, we ate a snack while talking to another hiker who had arrived before us, hung our food bags, and turned in for the night.The whippoorwills were so loud it was hard to sleep.Day 16Birch Run Shelter to Alec Kennedy ShelterAT miles 25.1Miles hiked 26.2Today Tuna and I quickly got on the trail to make it to Pine Grove Furnace in time for breakfast. Pine Grove Furnace is the home of the AT Museum and the Pine Grove General Store, home of the half gallon challenge. The store is located just past the physical midpoint of the trail so somebody came up with the idea of celebrating by eating a half gallon of ice cream in a single setting. The current record is just under 5 minutes. Much as I like ice cream I decided to pass in favor of eating real food.. I've had a serious craving for French fries and Tuna has been craving bacon and eggs.  On the way to Pine Grove furnace we passed multiple ¢monuments¢ marking the halfway point of the trail depending on what year the halfway point was marked. We stopped for pics and signed the log then got back to the business of getting a good breakfast.One of the AT Halfway MarkersWe made great time and arrived while they were still serving breakfast. The sandwiches were like homemade. There were a lot of hikers already there when we showed up and the whole time we were there there was a steady flow of hikers. Roadrunner, Coyote, Banana, Proof, and High Speed all showed up and they all ate the ice cream. And they all had stomach aches afterwards.I was hoping to buy a new headlamp at the store since mine had stopped working a couple of days ago. No such luck. However, one of the hikers had an extra headlamp and graciously offered it to me. I tried to refuse not wanting to take her spare lamp but she insisted.After breakfast I toured the AT Museum while waiting for them to switch over to lunch so I could get some fries. A small fry is 2 pounds of hand cut french fries and they were amazing.AT Museum at Pine Grove FurnaceAfter eating I had to wait for my telemed appt. My doctor renewed my prescription, told me to enjoy the trail, and call when I finished. That was good news. Tuna left before me saying I'd catch him up the trail. He had about an hour head start. I left the store at 2:38 and beat feet down the trail. The trail was very nice and hiker friendly so I was averaging over 3 miles an hour trying to make the shelter before dark. I couldn¢t believe that I hadn¢t caught up to Tuna yet. At 12 miles I ran into a hill so steep it may as well have been a wall of rocks. It turns out it was a very steep set of stone steps. My legs were jelly by the time I reached to the top. It was also starting to rain and getting dark and I was out of gas. With still more than 2 miles to go I had no choice but to push on. Then the fun really began. The trail designers created an obstacle course through the rocks at the top of the mountain that seemingly took forever to negotiate and navigate. Admittedly, early in the day, in nice weather, that section of trail would have been very fun. Under these circumstances it was kind of frustrating. Once I was through that I had right at 2 miles to go. It got dark well before I reached camp. Thankfully I had a working headlamp. At one point I thought I had arrived when I saw a campfire. It turned out to be a dad and his son camping. Camper dad gave me directions for a shortcut to the shelter area. I wasted quite a bit of time crashing through thick brush on what used to be a trail. Backtracking to the AT I took the long way which, of course, was shorter than the shortcut. There was a steep climb up to the shelter and aided by the light of a full moon I hiked up with my headlamp off. Being after 9:30 I didn¢t want to wake anybody with my headlamp.Just before the top a voice quietly calls out in the dark: ¢Hiker or bear?¢Say what? I should have growled. Instead, I said, ¢hiker.¢  I half expected him to say, ¢Advance to be recognized.¢ Instead I heard him say, ¢It¢s OK, you can go back to sleep.¢ Turns out it was a husband and wife from New Jersey hiking the trail. There were 4 campers there all sound asleep in the shelter and somebody hammocking.  No dinner tonight. I found a place to pitch my tent and was buttoned up inside in no time.Somehow I missed Tuna on the trail. Not sure where I passed him.Day 17Kennedy Shelter to Darlington ShelterAT miles 18.2Miles hiked 18.8The sounds of other hikers packing up woke me at about 6:00. There were four others camped there and they were all gone before I even had my tent down. Plan was to hike into Boiling Springs and get a good breakfast. I fixed breakfast and took my time getting started as I was still tired from the fast 25 miles of hiking from yesterday.After finally getting started I was making pretty good time (I thought) and enjoying the day when I heard voices behind me. I stepped off the trail and it was an Indian family (Indian, like actually from India) out on a morning hike. The dad hung back and started talking about hiking. Seems he had hiked all of Pennsylvania last year and as soon as his youngest daughter is in college he's heading out to hike the AT. He was a very friendly guy and we had a great conversation for the hour we hiked together. He recommended Cafe 101 for breakfast and it was fantastic. The Spanish omelet took over half the plate and the home fries the other half and then some.Hiking into Boiling SpringsBoiling Springs is a really nice, outdoorsy type of town. In the short while I was there I saw cyclists, road runners, trail runners, hikers, and people fly fishing. The ATC has an office there and I briefly chatted with the volunteer staffer about his thru hike in the 80s.Boiling Springs, PAThe hike this day had a different feel than any other day so far as the trail mostly went through fields, meadows and pastures. I was really enjoying Pennsylvania so far.My hike ended soon enough at Darlington shelter where some hikers I'd not seen before (Hang Time, James, James¢ girlfriend, and Chad) were staying. I found a nice tent site away from the shelter and fixed dinner. Shortly after, Coyote, Road Runner and Banana showed up. We talked while they ate. Just as it was getting dark we smelled rain in the air and it was time to get in the tent. It poured all night but luckily I stayed pretty dry.Day 18Darlington Shelter to Kind of Outdoorsy Hostel, Duncannon, PAAT miles 10.9Miles hiked 11.5Today was Duncannon day. On paper and the Far Out App it looked like an easy hike. My feet begged to differ. Maybe if it hadn't been raining it would have been smoother hiking but dealing with rocky stretches of trail with slick rocks and roots and dealing with vegetation overhanging the trail made for some relatively slow hiking.There was an amazing view with about 2 miles to go and sort of listening to the day hikers at the view I understood the trail was likely steep. Yep. Steep. With irregularly spaced rock steps going down about a mile was like doing deep, single leg squats for 20 to 35 minutes. I couldn't contain my shout of joy as I took that last step onto the road into Duncannon.I caught up with a hiker named Jose Frio, a member of the Warrior Expedition. He was experiencing foot and shoe problems and looked to be in quite a bit of pain. We walked into town together and hit it off pretty good. We stopped at the 7-11 for a celebratory extra large soda as we made our way to Kind of Outdoorsy. Kind of Outdoorsy caters to hikers with showers, loaner clothes, resupply needs, some gear, bunks, and a hiker lounge. I can't describe how good that shower felt. Kind of Outdoorsy in Duncannon, PAMy original plan was to resupply then hike out of town a few miles and call it a day. While we were looking around the store and enjoying the country music station playing, the lady running the place told us to look at the weather radar she was looking at. There were tornado warnings for late afternoon and evening. Jose said he was staying in town to rest his foot. I decided I¢d rather be inside than out in a storm. I¢d camped in a tornado before and it was not a fun experience. We had a choice of the hostel or a local church basement. I decided to stay in the hostel but wished I¢d chosen the church after talking to hikers the next day. I weighed myself on the scale there and I've lost almost 9 pounds so far. I figured when I started I would lose 20 to 25 pounds since that's how much weight I've put on the past couple of years.  Jose and I went down the street to do laundry. While doing laundry Tuna showed up. We tried to figure out how we missed each other after Pine Grove Furnace. He said I must have passed him when he went to a shelter to see if I was there.Jose, Tuna, and some other hikers went to the local church that allows hikers to sleep in the church basement. In hindsight that would have been the better play.Tuna and I went to the iconic Doyle Hotel for dinner. But first, I put out my tent and footprint to dry. Tuna ordered a steak that was at least a pound. I had a more "modest" meal of fish and chips. Proof showed up later and after seeing Tuna's steak, he ordered the same.Doyle HotelAfter dinner I came back to the hostel to sort out and repack my pack and update my journal. Roadrunner, Coyote, and Banana were there as well as other hikers I¢d not met yet. The bunkroom was kind of stuffy and Road Runner was trying to find a way to cool the place down. No luck.The plan for tomorrow is to hit the breakfast place across the street on the way out of town and get back on the trail. The famous rocks are coming soon. Hope my feet are ready.Day 19Kind of Outdoorsy to Tentsite near PA 235AT miles 17.6Miles hiked 18.8The hostel was hot like a sauna, so none of us really got great sleep. Coyote, Banana, and a couple of other hikers were going to Hershey Park for the day. Roadrunner said he was hiking instead of going to the amusement park. I had planned on about 18 miles so we hiked together. The miles flew by while we talked about how we each found the trail and comparing Canadian culture to American culture.  The hike started off through Duncannon, crossing the Juniata and Susquehanna rivers.  Soon it was a steep climb out of town on a smooth trail. No sooner than my comment about how nice the trail was came out of my mouth than we were faced with a steep, rocky trail. The rockiness continued for quite awhile but mostly hiking a ridgeline, it wasn¢t too bad. After a couple of hours we took a rest break at a powerline that had an awesome view then hoisted our packs to continue on.Roadrunner at view over Susquehanna River valleyBack on the trail it was more of the same until we stopped for lunch. We were starting to run low on water with a long stretch to the next water source which involved a longish trek down then up a steep trail. And the water availability was questionable. Roadrunner made the comment that it would be nice if there was some trail magic in the form of water at a parking lot that was coming up. Once again, the trail provides. Chained to the gate at the parking lot entrance was a cooler with six gallon jugs of water for thru hikers. Holy water buffalo!While I was getting my water bottles out I noticed my camp shoes were missing. The other day a bunch of us were sitting around talking when the question came up as to what you were willing to go back for. Now I know. I took off back up the mountain to retrieve them. After what seemed like a long time running I passed the New Jersey couple who confirmed they were still back there. Eventually I found my shoes. I was so happy to see them. I grabbed them and took off back down to the parking lot. Roadrunner said it only took 15 minutes. It felt much longer.On the trail again we were cruising along when we came to a view. I dropped my pack, grabbed my camera, and walked off to see what there was to see. Roadrunner almost passed on the view but changed his mind. I was looking out over the valley admiring the scenery when he said something along the lines of OMG. Thinking he was talking about the view I said, "yeah, it's nice isn't it?" He said, "No, look at that snake." OH! A big rattler was napping on the ledge right below us. And close by was a second rattler. We took some pics then left them to their naps.Danger noodleThe rest of the hike was more of the same: real nice, clear trail occasionally interrupted by some rocks.  We got to camp in a valley at around 6:00. Saucy and a hiker with a dog were already there. The spring was flowing well so we set up our tents, fixed dinner, hung our food bags, and were in our tents before 8:00.As I was falling asleep I could hear fireworks from out across the valley, and another camper arriving.Wow, that last firework sounded loud. And close. Then the unmistakable sound of the patter of raindrops told me it was time to let the tent flaps down. The drizzle became a roar as we had our own fireworks on the mountain in the form of thunder and lightning.Day 20PA 235 to Tentsite at mile 1187.4AT miles 20.1Mils hiked 25.2Independence Day! Despite the rain I slept great with only minimal dampness in my tent. Roadrunner said he didn't get wet. Saucy had to find a way into town to dry her sleeping bag as everything in her tent got soaked. I was moving in slow motion this morning and was still the second person out of camp. Whoever arrived during the night never came out of their tent.  For a change, the trail started out going downhill and it wasn't rocky. Shortly, there was a road crossing with a trail head parking lot at a beautiful stream crossing. The next section of the hike was through a section of mostly pine forest. There was a bit of mist in the air and it gave the forest a kind of mystical feeling.Soon enough it was time to climb. Although not particularly steep, I hiked uphill for well over an hour before the trail settled into a comfortable, rolling track. Along the way was a monument to somebody who created a trail in the area and must have spent a lot of time caring for the trails. The trail started becoming quite muddy in sections. Muddy as in the consistency of a good milkshake. A few places the trail was actually going up a creek.Wet trailTrail or creek?I passed Yellow Springs Village, the site of an abandoned coal town from the mid-1800s. I spent a few minutes there exploring then moved on. The day was really nice with the sun finally made an appearance around 11:00.Sometime later I heard the roar of a mountain stream which paralleled the trail to a gravel road. Here was the site of another abandoned village that once had a population of around 1,000 people. The trail going forward crossed a huge beaver dam or there was a 1.6 mile detour. While debating the merits of each route, Roadrunner caught up. We decided to cross the beaver dam.  The trail to the beaver dam went through the old village and we could see the locations of homesites and foundations. I took a side trip over to the old cemetery then joined Roadrunner at the beaver dam. We videoed each other making the crossing which I'm sure was a lot more exciting then the alternate route.Crossing the beaver damAfter several miles of descending we came to Swatara Gap. As we were hiking down to the gap, Roadrunner said it would be nice to have some trail magic. And just like that, near the bottom of the hill, was a cooler with a couple of Gatorades, freeze dried meals and some oatmeal. We each grabbed a G-ade and headed down to the river to soak our feet and legs. The cool water felt great. We still had a little more than 2 miles to camp but I needed to get to town to pick up enough food for a couple more days.Roadrunner crossing the old bridge over the Swatara RiverI went up to the highway hoping to catch a ride. There wasn't much traffic so the prospects of somebody feeling generous and offering a ride were slim. There is also a 2.5 mile bike path that runs to a KOA campground. I speed walked to the store and found some overpriced things in the camp store that would work. Wendy's was right across the street so, since I was already in town, I stopped in for dinner. As I was leaving a couple started chatting me up about the trail and their son's plans to hike the trail. After about a half hour it was time to get going.  Speed walk back to the gap. I was starting to feel like something was in my left shoe. I stopped to check. Nothing. Shoe back on, continue journey, something is definitely going on here. I finally reached the parking lot at the gap and my foot discomfort was increasing. It was also starting to get dark and it looked like the trail just ¢disappeared.¢ Now I was playing one of my favorite games: "find the trail." The dark made this even more fun. After passing the turn off twice I finally figured it out. Roadrunner texted me the location of the tent site and said the trail starts with a steep climb but I could do it.After 10 or so minutes of climbing a fairly steep hill the trail levels off and I thought, "hmm, not so bad." Then came the steep, very rocky, 1.5 mile climb to the ridgeline. As I was stumbling along the rocky, narrow ridgeline I was trying to envision where they found a place big enough to pitch even one tent, let alone the 3 to 4 claimed by the Far Out app. Finally, just after 10:00, I spotted Roadrunner's tent.  Hiking at nightOn the way up the trail I heard fireworks on both sides of the mountain but couldn't see them. Right as I was setting up my tent they started again and lasted until nearly midnight. After pitching my tent the next order of business was to hang my food bag. I quickly found a tree that would work but there was a problem. Despite having hiked over rocks for the past 2 hours in Rocksylvania, I had the most difficult time finding a rock so I could throw my bear line.  After a long search I finally found a rock, tied it to my rope and threw a perfect strike over the limb. Don't celebrate too early though. The rock came off the string and sailed off into the valley leaving about 1 foot of rope dangling from the tree branch. I pulled the rope back down and went off in search of another rock. I was amazed, on a mountain so full of rocks, how hard it was to find a rock. After about 25 more minutes my bag was properly dangling from a tree branch and I was in my tent listening to the lullaby of fireworks in the distance.Day 21Tentsite at Mile 1187.4 To Tentsite at Mile 1205.3AT miles 17.9Miles hiked 18.3Home sweet homeWhen I crawled out of my tent Roadrunner was already awake and said he was surprised to see me. I told him the only tent site I saw other than ours on the way up was so close I didn't see the point in stopping. After deciding where we would camp for the night he was quickly packed up and moving down the trail. I finished breakfast and soon enough was on trail myself. About an hour after heading out I heard a tree branch fall and looked to my left to see a bear run off followed by another bear jumping off a tree and running off. Now that makes me wonder about all the other tree branches I've heard fall the past few days.The rocky trail continued, made more challenging by what I determined to be a blister under the callous on the ball of my foot. Here¢s the thing about Pennsylvania and the rocks. The state doesn¢t hold a monopoly on rocky trail. I¢ve been on rockier trails in Virginia. The thing about these rocks is that there are this very sharply pointed rocks just barely sticking up out of the ground. They blend into the ground so that they are hard to find with your eyes but easy to find with your feet. Depending on what part of your foot comes into contact with this little mineralized bungee sticks determines the level of hurt, pain, or agony you experience. Also, they don¢t only stab you in the soles of your feet, there are also rocks that stab you in the sides of your feet and ankles. Alway unexpectedly. I believe even the Pope himself would have some choice words for some of these rocks were he to encounter them on a hike.I stopped for a break and a snack at the William Penn shelter. Glancing inside I saw a rubber snake hanging from one of the pegs in the shelter. Cute. Maybe somebody did that as a mouse deterrent. "Rubber snake" in the William Penn shelterAs I was eating my snack I heard a thud in the shelter. The rubber snake had fallen off the peg and become a real snake that was crawling towards the back of the shelter, eventually climbing the ladder into the loft. And yet another reason to not want to sleep inside a shelter. There are those who say Jake is doing a service by keeping down the mouse population. I wonder what tune they¢d be singing if they woke up with the big guy curled up on their sleeping bag.The trail went back and forth between frustratingly rocky and pretty nice the rest of the day. As I was approaching Hwy 501 there was a sign announcing trail magic. What a spread! Fresh, made to order subs with all the fixings, ice cold sodas, fresh fruit, and homemade brownies. And actual chairs to sit in. The trail angel and his wife decided last year they wanted to do something nice for hikers. It was such a success that they decided to do it again this year. Only it was only trail angel husband this year. No problem. He did a great job boosting our spirits and filling our bellies. I left feeling very satisfied and profusely thanking the gentleman who provided the food.Trail magic at 501Once again it was time to deal with the rocks. Between them and my foot my pace was really slowed a lot.The New Jersey couple, Roadrunner and I had planned to meet at this campsite near a monument. I hiked past the trail to the campsite a little after 9:00 because Far Out showed I wasn't there yet. Then I came to this big, odd looking stone thing. When I shined my light on it I saw that it was a monument. That¢s odd. According to Far Out I¢m actually not here yet. Although I can see that I am there.  After several minutes of frustrated bumbling around in the dark I saw a red light flash in my direction several times. I followed the light and found the campsite. It was the New Jersey couple and Roadrunner.  We planned to make Port Clinton the following day for resupply but it's over 15 miles. Given how painful the blister on my foot is I'm not sure how fast I'll be able to hike or if I'll even make it there. I set up my tent, ate a quick snack, hung my food bag and came back to my tent being swarmed by ants. So I moved my tent and was quickly asleep.Hiking the Dream!Please email comments to:bobshike2023@gmail.com