Mostly the hiking through Pennsylvania has become more routine with little drama. As usual the trail is often embedded with rocks, but there have been sections of easy, rockless trail to speed along on. My daily mileage is consistently between 16 and 20. Moreover, my body is becoming more like thru-hiker and capable of hiking more miles per day. This is good because I will need to move south at a faster pace than the first 90 days to ensure I reach Springer Mtn no later than mid-December. I feel confident in my ability to complete this trail! I need to be careful to avoid injuries. Even though I hike solo I meet interesting people and hikers. I am not lonely out here!
Day 88 18-Sep: Milepost: 950.7miles, Daily: 16.6, Ascent: 1795′, Descent: 1380′, Highest: 1590′. Camp: Allentown Shelter, Blue Mtn. 1485′.
Great weather, easy terrain mixed with boulders and a challenging knife edge to make things interesting. It was a short, very boldery ascent to a nice view. I started a long conversation with a man and his daughter which carried over to the trail. After they parted I stopped at a near-trail roadside restaurant, Thunderhead Lodge, where I enjoyed a great salad.
Day 89 19-Sep: Milepost: 967.2miles, Daily: 16.5. Ascent: 1970′, Descent: 2580′, Highest: 1645′. Camp: Windsor Furnace Shelter, near Hamburg, PA, 880′.
This is the drama day. I tripped on a large stick, I guess, fell and snapped one trekking pole and bent the other. I had plans to go to Hamburg to resupply. The Cabellas store will be the place to shop for new poles. At the shelter I had a nice conversation with the Hamburg Chief of Police who was setting up a campfire for a church group.
Day 90, 20-Sep: Milepost: 976.9 miles, Daily: 9.7. Ascent: 2180′, Descent: 1565′, Highest: 1505′. Camp: 3.7 miles south of Port Clinton on Blue Mtn, 1520′.
Resupply in Hamburg was successful. I got water at the barbershop in the tiny town of Port Clinton. The barber is very kind to hikers. I enjoyed the steep climb from Port Clinton with my new poles. I hiked until almost dark to a nice campsite where I used all of the barbershop water.
Day 91, 21-Sep: Milepost: 997 miles, Daily: 20.1, Ascent: 1865′, Descent: 1940′, Highest: 1715′, Camp: 501 Shelter near Hwy 501, 1490′.
Started before sunrise by headlamp but spent 10 minutes in wrong direction. Later in the day I missed a turn and bushwacked for 15 minutes to regain AT. Still hiked 20 miles. I met Into the Wilderness, a local resident who was hiking with two young female hikers. We had good trail talk. When I meet hikers I ask about trail conditions ahead. The 501 Shelter, which is very close to Highway 501, I ordered pizza delivered to the shelter. It was so good! The high calories at this point in the hike are essential to maintain my energy.
Day 92, 22-Sep. Milepost: 1014.7 miles, Daily: 17.7. Ascent: 2420′, Descent: 2685′, Highest: 1540′, Camp: Rausch Gap Shelter 1120′.
Rainy afternoon, kept a steady pace to hike 17 miles by 4:45pm. The trail mostly easy going. I saw the most beautiful turtle on the trail. Once again I ran into the two slackpacking hikers, Splinter and Turtle Power (no relation to the real turtle. I may continue seeing them daily for a while.
Ouch, Bent pole, scraped knee and a hornet bite on my index finger all at the same time? did you fall?
I caught my foot on a stick or something and I fell slowly forward. Not much of a fall. But the weight of the pack makes it difficult to break the fall and I dug the poles into the ground, which at that point accomplishes nothing except to break/bend the poles. Very stupid of me!
That turtle is a terrapin. Very common in Tennessee, I used to play with them when I was a kid.
Just caught up with your recent posts
You are such an accomplished writer; love your vivid descriptions not only of the trail but also of the mental and physical challenges. Very insightful.
Especially enjoyed the 1000 mile stone commemorative artwork!
You are halfway there and I see that many others are cheering you on. Include me in your crowd of admirers…
Boy! No two days seem alike! Trail life is a lot like “everyday life”! Each day brings something new…..
That beaver dam seems to be a permanent feature of the trail now. Sometimes it’s just mud. I ran into people hiking south that had mud up over their knees.
I had hoped that the maintainers had improved that nasty up hill south out of Port Clinton. A few switchbacks would help. It sure was awful going down it.