Date: 2003-06-02
From: PA Falls Creek Stealth Campsite

To: US 30 Fayetteville PA Rite Spot Motel
Miles today: 17.2

Day 81 Avg Mls/Day 13.2Weather: Beautiful...can't remember last time it was this nice. Sunny, high temp mid 70's with nice breeze.Today's Nature: All the small creatures...no deer or bear. Also, I am surprised I haven't seen any snakes. In the past, I've spotted 2 rattlesnakes in Shenandoah National Park alone.I picked an excellent tent site last night. It was level, soft and by a stream which was all I could hear. After dark some other hikers did show up and tented near by. I slept well...woke up a couple of times but went right back to sleep. Got up a 6; ate a sweet roll and packed up. Started walking at 7:30. It was fun trying to see how much I could remember from last summer's vacation hike through here. The biggest thing I remember was turning the wrong way out of Deer Lick Shelters and having to "backtrack" 2 miles. I swore that would never happen again...and it hasn't yet. I've gotten off on the wrong path for a short distance a couple of times, but not yet gone south. About 4 miles down the Trail I met and talked with the "ridge runner." A ridge runner "works" for the trail club that maintains a section of the AT. They check out the Trail and shelters and do as much as possible to make the Trail a great hiking experience. They are much appreciated. Next, I stopped at Deer Lick Shelters. I say shelters because there are 2 similar buildings side by side. {This is where last year's wrong way adventure began) Someone was still asleep in the shelter so I didn't bother to sign the register.Just 2 miles further was Antietam Shelter. Made a quick entry in the register and went on .1 mile to the Old Forge Picnic Ground. There, I chatted briefly with 3 real nice folks out on a section hike. In fact, they were the ones who tented next to me last night and were ending their hike here at the park. They were kind enough to offer me their excess food, but I was carrying too much already. It was only 10:20 or so, but I decided to eat lunch early...the sub sandwich I bought yesterday morning with Julia. Didn't eat it last night after getting the free hamburgers at Pen Mar park.Hiked on to Tumbling Run Shelters, which was where I tented my first night out last summer. They also are 2 shelters...one marked "snoring" and the other "non-snoring."I skipped dropping in Rocky Mtn Shelters as the sign said they were .3 off the Trail.The only thing I didn't remember from last year was the extent of the rocks. I know it's only a taste of what is yet to come, but there were plenty. To be honest, it is the only part of the hike I don't enjoy. Next week in PA is going to be a long week!One thing kind of neat that I recalled from last year was this lone trail register out in the middle of the woods (about 4 mile south of route 30) in a box mounted on a pole next to the Trail. Of course, I stopped and signed in.I reached US route 30 right at 3 p.m. and started hitching to Fayetteville 3 miles west. Not long thereafter, a nice young man, Shawn, picked me up and took me to the Rite Spot Motel. I lucked out... because of a golf tournament or something, they had one room left.The next 3 nights should be tenting or shelters, reaching Duncannon on Friday. By arriving here today, I am back on my original schedule, even with the unscheduled zeros I've taken. I think that's because I was fairly conservative with my daily mileage estimates.Thought for the Day: Pennsylvania Rocks too!...bad rocks.