Friends and Halfway

Day 96 – Harpers Ferry to Dahlgren Backpack Campground: mile 1026.3 to mile 1043.6

I had a nice breakfast cooked for me by my wonderful sister. After getting all my stuff packed up, Becky took me to the trail in Harpers Ferry to resume my hike. It was hard to say goodbye, we had such a great time during our short visit.

The first 3 miles of the hike were flat as the trail followed the C & O Canal bike trail. Eventually the trail branched off the bike path and started to climb South Mountain. At this point I was within a mile as the crow flies of the house we rented. Once I reached the top of the mountain most of my big climbing for the day was over.

I soon came across a hiker helping another hiker so I asked if everything was OK. The hiker being helped said he was blind and the other hiker was just helping a blind hiker. He was doing a section north of Harpers Ferry.

I hiked through Gathland State Park, where there were several placards and memorials to Civil War activities in the area.

The hike was pretty uneventful after that. I did come across a group of hikers that were just starting a flip-flop, heading north out of Harpers Ferry. They’ll return to Harpers Ferry after they summit Katahdin and begin heading south.

The campground I stayed at tonight was one of the best on the trail so far. Each tentsite had its own picnic table and a tent pad surrounded by wood. There was also a bath house with hot showers free to use. So I obviously took a shower and had a good night sleep.

Day 97 – Dahlgren Backpack Campground to Raven Rock Shelter: mile 1043.6 to mile 1062.5

Within the first few miles of this morning‘s hike, I came across the original Washington Monument. I spent a few minutes checking the place out and even climbed up inside to check out the view. The road leading to the monument was lined with signs documenting the highlights of our first president‘s life.

I crossed over the Dwight D Eisenhower highway and walked along a side path to check out the view at Annapolis rock. I was in a bit of a hurry so that I could meet my friends, Mark and Sandy, as early as possible. They were going to take me off trail for dinner and return me back to the trail to finish my day. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of daylight to hike the remaining mile to where I planned to spend the night.

I was able to meet them at the designated pick up spot by 3 o’clock. They took me to Emmitsburg for an early dinner and a wonderful visit. It’s such a treat to have the opportunity to meet up with friends while doing the hike.

Day 98 – Raven Rock Shelter to Caledonia State Park: mile 1062.5 to mile 1086.0

I had a big day planned for today. I had to hike 23.5 miles to Caledonia State Park, where I would meet up with my friends, Jim and Corinne. You can imagine my disappointment when I found myself off trail and had to backtrack about a third of a mile. My long day was already getting longer. The silver lining in this was I met Craig as I was returning to the point where I went off trail. Craig is a LASHer (long ass section hiker) and he and I would hike together the next several days.

Shortly before going off trail and meeting Craig, I crossed into Pennsylvania and over the Mason Dixon line.  I am now in my seventh state of the hike.

After crossing a stream using some brand new bridges we thought it was time for lunch. Lucky for us there was TrailMagic just beyond the new bridges.

The promised rain held off long enough for us to get over most of the rocky sections of today’s hike. It did begin pouring about 2 miles prior to our destination. This seems to happen to me quite frequently. I finally made it to the state park and Jim in Corinne’s RV. It was great to be welcomed into a warm and dry environment.

Day 99 – Caledonia State Park to Pine Grove Furnace: mile 1086.0 to mile 1105.1

Thanks to Jim and Corinne, I will be slack packing the next two days of hiking. Instead of carrying 35 or so pounds I will be carrying around 12. This should make the hiking significantly easier and allow us to get our miles done quicker. Once again, I hiked with my new friend Craig. Hiking with a companion can really make the time go by faster as we get to know each other.

We soon found ourselves crossing the halfway point of the hike. The local volunteer group has placed a 2022 halfway point sign. As the Trail changes its length from year to year, it was refreshing to see a halfway point indicator specific to this year‘s distance.

Just a few miles later we hit another milestone as we passed the 1100 mile point. Once again I have gone from one 100 mile marker to the next in six days.

There is a tradition for thru hikers that when they reach the halfway point they partake in the half gallon ice cream challenge. This takes place at the Pine Grove Furnace General store, our ending point for the day. 

I was ready for the challenge and planned to pick an ice cream that wasn’t too rich for my first 3 pints. As we all know, a half gallon of ice cream these days is really only 3 pints. As it turns out they did not have very many choices that were not too rich, so I went with Moose Tracks in honor of my trail name. After finishing that I went with a mint chip for my final pint. 

I did not find the challenge too difficult and felt fine afterwards and through the evening. I’m just sorry that Amy did not get the opportunity to participate in this event. She was so looking forward to it.

Day 100 – Pine Grove Furnace to PA Route 641: mile 1105.1 to mile 1128.5

This will be my second day slack packing and my third day hiking with Craig. The first several miles were fairly flat and the going was quick. We had lots of nice scenery with mountain laurel, a small lake, and even a snake. We crossed a railroad track in the middle of the woods and soon it was time for lunch.

After lunch we started to climb and the terrain got rockier here. At the top of the climb we ended up in a section of large boulders. The trail was so complicated in this area that white blazes were not enough and arrows were drawn on the rocks to lead you in the right direction.  It was tough at times and slowed our pace a bit but it was a lot of fun.

After descending down off the mountain of rocks, we came to a section of pastures and fields. It was neat to walk through the fields of wheat and early corn plants.

As we entered the town of Boiling Springs, we came across another trail magic set up. This one was operated by Oak and his twin brother, Twin Oak. They were really nice guys and fun to chat with as we ate a couple of hot dogs. 

We quickly resumed our hike and had about 3 1/2 to 4 more miles to go before ending for the day. Jim and Corinne we’re at the trail head to pick me up and provided some cold beers for Craig and his support man, Bob. Jim and Corinne had moved the RV to a Harvest Host location, the Appalachian Brewing Company. We had dinner at the brewery with Bob and Craig. It was a great way to end the day‘s hike. This would be my final night with Jim and Corinne as they were returning home in the morning after delivering me to the trail with my full heavy backpack.

Day 101 – PA Route 641 to Duncannon, PA: mile 1128.5 to mile 1149.5

I said goodbye to my gracious hosts, Jim and Corinne, and began my last day of hiking with Craig. We had 21 miles to do today in order to make it to Duncannon for the night. The first 8+ miles were very flat and then we had some 600 or 700 foot hills to climb. All in all it wasn’t too bad.

The early flat section of the hike took us through more farmland and meadows.  The honeysuckle and thistle in the fields were pretty.

Partway up the side of one of the climbs we came across a very old automobile wreck. We pondered how the wreck had gotten there and determined that it must’ve been an old farm truck from when the area was being farmed. It’s always interesting to see something strange and out of place along the trail.

After a few more miles we came across a view looking down on the town of Duncannon. We descended the trail into town and met up with Bob near the Doyle hotel around 4 PM. As I hiked these last few miles, it became evident that the long days were catching up with me and I made the decision to take a zero while in Duncannon at the old Doyle Hotel. 

Bob drove me to the nearby grocery store so that I could do a quick resupply for my next section. I then said goodbye to Bob and Craig with plans to hook up with Craig as he hikes south from Delaware Water Gap back towards me.

The Doyle Hotel is very old and has been recently purchased and the new owners are beginning renovations.  The rooms have all been redone. There is also a new bar and restaurant. They continue to make renovations, working on some common rooms for celebrations and parties. It should be pretty neat when all is done.

Daily Data

Day	Miles	Total Asc	Total Desc	Steps
96	17.3	2841	2112	44700
97	18.9	3799	3139	51442
98	23.5	4104	4730	63832
99	19.1	2614	2654	47607
100	23.4	3432	3812	58227
101	21.0	2555	2719	58279