Date: 2015-09-08
From: Hamburg, PA

To: Carlisle, PA
Miles today: 88.2
Weather: overcast clouds

9/4 day 94 9 miles M980.7My shoes came in late morning today; so, I had lunch on the way out and hiked the two miles back to the AT. After a mile of road walking, I caught the Schuykill River Trail to the AT and a very steep climb out of Port Clinton. The trail flattened a bit but remains rocky. On the morning I left, I met up with a hiking (father-son) team [Dos Equis (XX) and OSHA] whom I'd met earlier in Vermont and hadn't seen in several weeks. We ended up in the Eagles Nest Shelter that night where OSHA played his new mandolin and we did a little catching up.9/5 Day 95 15.1 miles M995.8Labor Day weekend has started. I passed a number of day/weekend hikers heading NOBO. Another tough day over the rocks, but nice water along the way at Hertline Campsite. Good to have picked up Gatorade Powder to mix in my water again. I arrived at the 501 Shelter a little before 4pm and found that my feet were so tired from the rockiness of the trail that I needed a rest. But the days are getting shorter now so I elected after a 1-hour rest to stay here at this shelter. The name 501 comes from the nearby PA road number. I have developed a small blister on my right toe, a problem I've had since I began hiking in 1999. A little 1" adhesive tape keeps it at bay, so I'll be taping it up again for a few days until I re-develop the callus that diminished on my days off. 15 miles of rocky trail is enough for today. A nice shelter, a bit of reading about PA and another good hiking day.9/6 Day 96   22.1 miles M1017.9Every day I wake to breathe another breath is a blessing. Today was especially so as the smell of sweet, ripe muscadines was in the air. I passed under very old, low hanging vines that bore fruit in clusters. They were wonderfully sweet and tart at the same time. I packed out another handful.   Today, I passed the 1000 mile mark! Yea! Still seeing many weekend hikers on this Labor Day weekend. I am surprised anyone hikes this area of the AT for simply the joy of getting out on the weekend. Maryland is not far by car...   PA continues to be a long ridge line walk (75 miles or so) on Blue Mountain punctuated with a few gaps and all very rocky. The size variation, configurations, and constancy of the rocks wear on the lower legs and especially bottoms of the feet. About halfway through the day, I left Blue Mountain, crossed I-81 in Swatara Gap, and up Second Mountain and down the other side. As I came down the other side into Rausch Gap, I pass a group of about 15 young men (ages about 15 to 23 or so) hiking in smaller groups of 2 - 4 people. They were all wearing long street pants, long sleeve button-down shirts (which were all buttoned up to the neck). I figure they might be a group of Quaker or Mennonite or similar folks out for a very long day hike. About 22 miles is a good day here, my feet hurt, though my shoes are doing very well, glad to have these Mammuts. As the day wore on, I passed a 0.3 mile blue blaze trail to a shelter (Rausch Gap) and decided I had time to push on further to the next campsite. Shortly afterward, I passed a spring from which I had intended to pull water but decided against when I saw how red/yellow the soil was in the stream bed. So, I hiked on another few miles, passing more day hikers and pulled water from a lovely spring further up hill. It was nice to be in the tent again, alone in an abandoned Yellow Springs Village that had once been an old coal mining town. I had met a mother and young son team hiking up the hill that confirmed that this site existed. They were going to stay here, but the mother said it looked haunted; so, they moved on to Rausch Gap leaving me with the run of the place and the pick of the best tent pad.9/7 Day 97 20.1 miles M1038.0I'd seen fog over the Susquehanna River for a couple of days, but today I saw the water. The end of the hiking day, I found myself on Peter's Mountain hiking along the ridge line where I could see the Susquehanna River looking down both the east and west sides of the mountain, and after a day of still air, the most delicious breeze came up from the east side leaving me refreshed at the end of a long hike. Amazing to see. I could also see the bridges I would cross tomorrow. After about 14 miles of hiking, I stopped at the Peter's Mountain Shelter to hike down 300 steps to a weak, but piped spring. The water was clear, cold, and delicious. I decided to drink without treating the water (filtering). It is as pure a water source as I'll find anywhere. I hiked on after a short nap to Clark's Ferry Shelter another 6 miles and found it full. Actually, a 4-person shelter had been effectively converted into a 2-person shelter with the installation of bunks. So, I decided to set up my tent, hiked on until I came to a campsite that was created as an Eagle Scout project. Had a nice water source, nice tent pads, and a picnic-type table. What more could I ask for. It was a very secluded and peaceful place, except for the trains that ran all night in the valley.9/8 Day 98 21.9 miles M1059.9The walk across the Clark's Ferry Bridge spanning the Susquehanna River was special. The river is very wide (a mile?) but relatively shallow. I felt I could walk across the river had the bridge not been there. The bridge took me into Duncannon, PA, a 2-mile walk through town and a great veggie omelette at Goodie's. YUM! The climb out of Duncannon and the next 6 miles was a very rocky section, again, and left me quite tired. At about 1pm, I found a log on which I could elevate my feet and take a short nap in the shade. By 1:30, I was laying in full sun, so I hiked on. The trail got considerably better after this... the normal rocky I would expect on the AT, but not the PA rocky. I descended into a valley hiking through fields and crossing roads. Then up and over one more mountain before getting site of the Cumberland Valley, a 17 mile flat stretch from the eastern mountains to a more western ridge that will take me into Maryland and Virginia. The walk in the valley (about 5 miles so far) to Carlisle, PA brought me through dairy cattle grazing fields, corn and soy bean fields, crossing again I-81, and several other roads before reaching town. Very tired after another long hike, I checked in to the Days Inn about .5 miles west of the trail. A shower, a good dinner at the Middlesex Diner (similar to Marietta Diner at home), and clean sheets...an awesome blessing.