Date: 2008-05-09
From: quarry gap shelter

To: pine grove furnace state park
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

It rained a lot last night, and was also a little chilly. Short day so we dawdled and got on the trail by 8.It rained the whole walk today, so it was trudging weather. We were booking today. Flat terrain and rain yields 3-4mph speeds. Not much to mention.Stopped at a shelter for an early lunch to pregame the festivities of our dinner tonight. Killed off our lunch food. 3 days for a jar of peanut butter and bag of bagels, plus some granola bars. A section hiker was hiding out from the rain at the shelter and said there was a large group out in front of us so we wanted to hurry and get to the hostel before it filled up.More flat miles after lunch. No views either. Just lots of flat so far in PA.A couple miles before we finished, we passed the half way point of the trail. It is unofficial so there was no nearby marker, so we pretty much blew right by it. Eventually we knew we had to have passed it so we let out a hurrah without stopping in the rain. Boo. Oh well, maybe it will clear up for a shot of the misplaced official sign tomorrow.Got to the hostel, Ironmasters Mansion. It is an old mansion in the state park. Got our spots and exploded our packs to dry out. We had a couple hours before the camp store opened. Showered up and played with our gear.I FINALLY got my summer gear. It arrived in one piece. However, I made some gear decisions and will send some of it right back home. The summer bag I got is heavier and more bulky than my 10 degree winter bag that I have been using, but I will try using it anyways since it will work better in the cooler weather and it is synthetic. Gonna stick with chemicals for treating my water. The filter is heavy, and I don't feel like carrying it and messing with it. Boxed up a few more things I was carrying and prepared to send it back home. My base weight is now pretty phenomenal, and my gear definitely is not ultralight. I'm guestimating my base pack weight around 17 - 20 pounds. Not bad, makes for some easy hiking and more room for food.I also got my new replacement shoes from REI. I've run through two pairs of hiking boots so far. REI replaced my old ones with some runners I picked out that seem to be working for other hikers out here. I also got a half size larger since my feet are now bigger and got non Gore-Tex shoes because it makes more sense for the summer. See how these hold up. Warranty and REI's customer service for the win.Now the camp store was open, and it was time for the challenge. We are at the half way point of the trail, and it is traditional to attempt to eat a half gallon of ice cream to commemorate this. The four in our group plus Strides and Barefodder were attempting the challenge.I chose chocolate because it is good and simple. I grabbed my spoon and dug in. The ice cream was good. It was also cold. It was also cold out. We were also sitting outside in the cold. We were also wearing every piece of warm clothing we were still carrying. We were all still got the shakes as if we had Parkinson's. I was the worst of the group. I even lost my ice cream a couple times because it fell off my spoon.We all tore it up. Some faster than others. In the end, Barefodder the 70 year old destroyed all of us and finished first. Probably a little less than 20 minutes. I came in second at 21 minutes. It was good but cold. I claimed my prize: a small wooden spoon with "member of the half gallon club" printed on it.Everyone ended up finishing without throwing up. The damage: chocolate - 2240 calories and 500 percent of my daily saturated fat. Other flavors had more, BH's was the highest at 3520 calories.But we weren't done. Before I finished Barefodder had ordered a half pound hamburger. I had two half pound hamburgers loaded. Good dinner. Now I was full and had a nice size "town baby" going.Back to the hostel and we hooked onto a tour of the house. They showed us the room they used in the underground railroad. Trap door in a closet to a cellar like room that could fit about 50 people in a pinch.There was a youth group gathering and they offered us food. Strides had 9 more hot dogs. I only had 2 and some chips and 4 pops.Socialized and went to bed a little late. Great day.