2017 Appalachian Hike

It was a good day that didn’t start so great. I woke up at 5:09am just as it started raining. The radar made it look like it would only be a 30 minute rain. Wrong.  I finally left the shelter at 7:20 in the rain. The temperature dropped to about 50 overnight. I started out… Continue reading William Penn Shelter-Port Clinton, Pennsylvania. 1217.8 done/972.0 to go. May 20, 2017

I was hiking today by 6:25. There was already someone fishing in the stream for trout when I left.  I saw my first rattlesnake today. Engineer has seen several. This one was about three feet long.  It was very hot again today. I went through about 2 gallons of water. We did 24 miles today.… Continue reading Clarks Creek-William Penn Shelter. 1189.6 done/1000.2 to go. May 19, 2017. 

I got kind of a late start today and did 18 miles.  I went to the cafe this morning faround 6:30 for breakfast. I ate an omelette with home fries, bacon and toast. After I ate that I was still hungry and ordered French toast. Twice. Oh, and I drank a LOT of coffee.  I… Continue reading Duncannon Pennsylvania-Clarks Creek PA 325. 1164.9 done/1024.9 to go. May 18, 2017. 

Today was easier than I thought it was going to be. The section described as rocky in the trail guide was much less rocky than many other sections.  I found this as I was rolling up my tent this morning.  Some photos from this morning. Some taken by Timber.  The view from Hawk Rock.  We… Continue reading Darlington Shelby-Duncannon Pennsylvania. 1147.2 done/1042.6 to go. May 17, 2017. 

22 pretty easy miles today. I hiked alone until the town of Boiling Springs Pennsylvania. There was a neat plaque marking the original half way point of the Appalachian Trail on Center Point Knob.  I got to Boiling Springs at 10:00am and went straight to the local cafe for breakfast and coffee. A hiker named… Continue reading Campground-Darlington Shelter. 1135.9 done/1053.9 to go. May 16, 2017. 

Today Is exactly two months of hiking and I just passed the half way point.  So at the rate I’m going it could take around four months instead of the five I originally thought. This is good, because as I mentioned before I miss being home. I miss Amy, my kids, grandkids and friends. I… Continue reading Quarry Gap Shelter-Remote Campsite by a stream. 1113.5 done/1076.3 to go. May 15, 2017. 

Great day today. After breakfast we all combined our laundry into one load. Then it was time to go to Walmart.  Walmart was about four miles away. Engineer and Maple Syrup weren’t quite ready. Plus we agree that all four of us together with our packs are less likely to get a hitch. Most cars… Continue reading Waynesboro Pennsylvania-Quarry Gap Shelter. 1085.1 done/1104.7 to go. May 14, 2017

Good bye Maryland. Hello Pennsylvania.  Yes another state already. West Virginia and Maryland have very few AT miles. Pennsylvania is more than 200 miles, so I’ll be here for several days. I also hear that the last 100 miles or so are very rocky. I have heard and read that Pennsylvania is the least liked… Continue reading Pine Knob Shelter-Waynesboro Pennsylvania. 1066.9 done/1122.9 to go. May 12, 2017. 

Good bye West Virginia. Hello Maryland. Yes, I entered another new state. West Virginia and Maryland are very short. Tomorrow I’ll go into Pennsylvania. I’ll be there for a while. Today I did 23 miles. It ended up being a great day. I waited until 9:00 for the ATC to open and they did have… Continue reading Harpers Ferry Virginia-Pine Knob  Shelter. 1046.6 done/1143.2 to go. May 12, 2017

Good bye Virginia. Hello West Virginia. Today was VERY challenging.  I was the first one up this morning to make pancakes. It was set up self serve. You had to mix your own batter and cook your own. Every thing was provided. The griddle was out and ready.  As I was mixing the batter a… Continue reading Bears Den Hostel-Appalachian Trail Conservancy. 1023.1 done/1166.7 to go. May 11, 2017