Date: 2016-10-02
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 19.6

The hike for the day was just short of 20 miles, but after an initial climb it was mostly level (in AT terms). We were to end the day at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. This is the site of the half-gallon challenge: hikers try to eat a half gallon of ice cream to celebrate reaching the halfway point on the trail. None of us planned to do the challenge, but we were highly motivated to get to the Pine Grove General Store before it closed at 5. It¢s reputed to have excellent burgers and milkshakes. I started off hiking with Bill and Arlene. Both had very sore feet from the day before. Before we reached the top of the initial hill Arlene told us to go ahead. Bill and I continued together. Two miles into the hike we passed Quarry Gap Shelters, right beside the trail. These have a caretaker on site and are decorated with hanging baskets of geraniums. Quite civilized. Half a mile further we came to a 5-way intersection of gravel roads at the top of the hill. Scott was there taking a short break. He planned to speed up so as to get to Pine Grove Furnace in time to eat at the general store. After some discussion I continued with Scott. Bill continued at his slower pace, saying he could hike with Arlene. Scott and I took off at a faster pace. It was not hard on this relatively easy terrain. We spent the rest of the hike talking and getting to know each other. We kept up a good pace and only stopped to take pictures once ¢ at the AT halfway sign. Midday we came to a road crossing where Warren and Cam, a member of our group, were parked. Since Cam wasn¢t hiking he had bought sub sandwiches, juice, and fruit as trail magic. Another meal of real food! So good! We got to Pine Grove Furnace shortly after 3. The burgers, fries, and milkshakes at the general store were every bit as good as their reputation. Rennie and Joe, both ultramarathoners, had had already finished hiking (south), shuttling their cars, and eating. They were sitting outside the general store in the sun. By 5 o¢clock everyone except Bill and Arlene had arrived. We decided to get rooms in the Ironmasters Mansion Hostel. Thirty dollars there gets you a bed, shower, wifi, and breakfast in a refurbished elegant mansion. By 6 o¢clock we had all showered and eaten, but there was still no sign of Bill and Arlene. We tried calling them, but cell coverage was intermittent and we couldn¢t get through. At 7 it started raining really hard. Then it got dark. We began to get worried. At 7:45 Cam and I decided to drive to where the trail meets the road to wait for them. It continued to rain hard. I felt really guilty leaving Bill to hike alone. Finally, about half an hour later we saw headlamps approaching on the trail. Bill and Arlene were hiking together and were in good spirits despite being drenched. We offered them a ride back to the hostel (about half a mile), but they refused. Arlene said, ¢We¢re already totally wet, and if we don¢t hike it tonight we¢ll just have to do it in the morning.¢ When they finally arrived someone in the group had gotten a room for Bill, who hadn¢t been planning to stay there; someone else had gotten them both takeout dinner. I was really heartened to see the cooperative nature of the group. It seems like we¢ll really work together as a team on our thru hike.