Hiking the Good Hike

  For most thru hikers, injury, money, and time are the three top reasons for not completing the trail. From day one, Chris and I had decided that for us the only factor that could take us off the trail was injury. We've worked to save money specifically for this trip and managed to get time off from work so as to not have a pressing deadline. That being said, the fourth and sometimes forgotten factor is mental, be it low morale, motivation, depression, etc.

  When researching the AT, we'd read about hikers getting the Virginia Blues and dropping off the trail. During a thru hike, over 600+ miles are spent in Virginia making it difficult to check that particular state, out of fourteen states, off the list as done. For whatever reason, though, Virginia really didn't bother us; in fact, we kind of liked Virginia. Hiking with a collective, diverse group of ten probably didn't hurt. Sometimes we would all spread out and have solo time for a while. Other times we would all hike in a line like a big train going up the trail, talking about everything from upcoming food selections to human nature/responses under stress to making up six word stories. The pop tart grab bag was invented in Virginia and at night we had story time where Long Spoon would read The Princess Bride to us as we fell asleep. I can honestly say that I never once took ill with the Virginia Blues.

  Pennsylvania, however, has been a whole different story. Don't worry, we've never once considered getting off trail, even on our worst day. We're going to have a bad day every once in a while; we're still living--it's the AT, not Heaven. That being said, morale has been running a little low lately. We made it half way, we have a thousand miles under our belt, we should be happy, right? Well yeah, but now we've been hiking for a thousand miles and have to wake up every day, put our boots on, and hike some more. Hiking has kind of become our job; we're quite good at it, we now have the legs and the experience for it, so we're highly qualified. We also have no one to blame but ourselves if we're tired or sore or unhappy because this hike is completely self induced. No one is making us hike or stay out here; we can quit and go back to our old lives at any time, but we're not.

  Another big issue for us has been the weather. While in the beginning we dealt with a lot of snow and cold, now we deal with cold and rain, which can get a little depressing. Seriously, it rains like five out of every seven days out here. You've got to admit, that's a little excessive. Our friend Long Spoon says that happiness is solar powered and I must say, there is some truth to that statement. Speaking of our trail friends, Chris and I have had to adjust to hiking by ourselves again for the most part. Compared to our crazy group of ten, I'm much less entertaining, I assure you, so Chris has really had to settle. Actually though, it's been kind of nice with just the two of us again. Hitch hiking is easier with just two people, decisions are less complicated, and eating out is all around quicker. Don't get us wrong, we still miss our friends but now that we're over half way finished, those with deadlines have to speed up, there's new places to visit, family and friends to see and it's around this time that everyone has to start doing what's best for them--hike your own hike.

  Previous thru hikers have passed down their advise on the matter of the blues and quitting, 1) never quit on a rainy day 2) never quit on a bad day 3) hike five days and if you're still unhappy, then you can quit and 4) take some time off then try it again. There's probably more but that's all I can think of right now. As for Chris and I, we've turned over a new leaf. We've decided that it doesn't really matter how many miles we hike in a day or what our average mileage is or whether someone passes us--who cares. If we're not having fun then we shouldn't be out here. If it's pouring the rain and it's cold and nasty out, then let's take a day off, go into town, and order a pizza. This is our hike and we want to enjoy it, not be miserable or wish it away. Plus, we've never been this far north and we may never have this opportunity again so we've decided to make the most of it. For those that know me, I'm not spontaneous; I'm a planner, I'm frugal, and I'm indecisive. My time on the AT, though, is teaching me to live simply, to take life as it comes, to be prepared for the worst, to enjoy life at it's best, to graciously accept a gift when given, and above all, to remember that in all things, God is good. In the words of a fellow thru hiker, Freeman, written similarly in most registers, "Life is good, enjoy the jerny". And that's exactly what we plan to do :-)

Love and prayers always,

Wide Load

"Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink the wild air."  Emerson

"Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10

5/18 Day 76 Duncannon to Peters Mountain Shelter - 11.3 miles

     Vicki at the Doyle warned us that the record for maximum pancake consumption at Goodies diner was a measly three, we should have heeded her warning. We each ordered "Special #3" which is kind of our typical diner breakfast on town days: two pancakes, two eggs, bacon, and toast. When we were brought the pancakes we quickly recognized our error. The pancakes were so big they extended past the plate and thick. Neither of us could finish two pancakes. I was embarrassed to call myself a thru hiker at that moment. 

     We went back to our room at the Doyle to pack our bags but we were in no particular hurry to get going. As we were leaving we saw Blue Moon's pack outside of the diner so we went back in to say hello. His son and daughter in law who we had met long ago in North Carolina were with him and would be hiking with him for another day. We were finally on our way out of town. As we left town, we crossed the Susquehanna River. On the bridge, I noticed a flyer encouraging hikers to be on the look out for peregrine falcons. There were photos of the bird along with a number to call to report the siting. I was excited at the possibility of seeing the falcon and even more excited when I spotted it ahead perched on a lamp post but my excitement quickly wavered when the  overly aggressive bird of prey left her perch in pursuit of my head. Over and over again she came at me missing my head by what seemed like only inches. I walked quickly with my trekking poles extended above my head for protection. This moment was without a doubt my most frightening wildlife encounter on trail. 

     We decided as we walked we would likely stop at Peters Mountain Shelter due to the spacing of shelters, scarcity of water, and threat of rain. As we approached the shelter we heard yelling and screaming reminiscent of elementary school recess. We counted twelve tents surrounding the shelter. It was a large group from what will remain an unnamed organization out for the weekend. We chose to sleep in the shelter and we were told all of the kids would be tenting. As we cooked our dinner, another group of young boys arrived making the total count no less than 30. The second group moved into the shelter as if they owned it. We began to regret our decision to stay here as the boys continued to run rampant through the  area seemingly absent of any supervision. We watched as left over food was dumped on the ground surrounding the shelter. We saw, at a distance, Blue Moon and his family had camped. Perhaps we should have reconsidered. I'm all about giving kids experiences like these but if the kids just want to play tag and make noise perhaps the AT isn't the place. The rain began again just before going to bed. 

5/19 Day 77 Peters Mountain Shelter to Rausch Gap Shelter - 18 miles

    Much to our surprise, the shelter was quiet last night. The rain lasted all night and through the morning. We hiked all day in the on and off rain. Before arriving at the shelter we decided we would call it a day at that point. We arrived at 2:00 and relaxed the rest of the afternoon watching the rain. Later in the evening, Blue Moon arrived followed by a section hiker. 

     Just after dark, as we all began to wind down for the evening, we heard voices approaching. Eventually we began to see the flash of headlamps and as it came nearer we recognized the voice of our good buddy Witchdoctor. He and Brightside had hiked 29 miles from Duncannon. We were happy to see Witchdoctor but catching up will have to wait until morning.

5/20 Day 78 Rausch Gap Shelter to Hertline Campsite - 23.1 miles

     Our guide book indicated we would be able to order pizza at the 501 shelter. We hiked much of the day with pizza as our motivation. We arrived mid afternoon. The 501 was a nice shelter. It was fully enclosed with bunks, running water, and even a solar shower. We found the menu to the pizza shop and made our decision. Wideload made the call to place the order and we learned the shop is closed on Mondays and today was, you guessed it, Monday. Completely disappointed I collapsed on one of the bunks falling asleep for about an hour before finally gathering enough motivation to hike the remaining miles to our chosen campsite. 

     This was a tough day for me mentally. I'm not sure if it was a touch of homesickness, missing our friends, or just growing tired of the state of Pennsylvania but I felt down today. I never have even begun to consider leaving the trail but today was not my best day. After setting up camp and eating dinner I turned on my phone and learned our good friends from home, Jared and Kyle wanted to come visit this weekend. I also learned Nomad would be in Port Clinton tomorrow to hang out with us. These messages made my day. 

5/21 Hertline Campsite to Port Clinton, PA - 18.5 miles

     We were up early hoping to get to town early to have some time to hang out with Nomad. The hiking was easy but boring. We were in town by 2:00 where we found Nomad with drinks and snacks. We caught up with Nomad as we waited for Witchdoctor but we got tired of waiting and went on to the pavilion. Port Clinton offers a pavilion for AT hikers. 

     When we arrived we saw a couple we were almost certain were living there. It turns out we were wrong; they had hiked from Delaware Water Gap and say they're going to keep going until they get tired of it. Witchdoctor arrived and we hung out there for a while. It was a pretty laid back day. Later that evening we piled in the Vanimal and went to Cabella's, Red Robin, and finally resupplied. Back to the pavilion for the night; we're very close to the highway and the traffic is loud. 

5/22 Port Clinton, PA to Allentown Hiking Club Shelter 22.2 miles

     Last night was not the most restful night. We had a late start and it was pretty warm already this morning. We took a break at a place called the pinnacle which had a decent view. The next several miles were a walk in the park. We took another break at Eckville shelter. This was another fully enclosed shelter with a solar shower and even a flush toilet. The amenities were nicer than the actual shelter. It was swarmed with bees. We rested there for a while before moving on.

     On we hiked to the next shelter. The shelter was full of section hikers and the tent sites were less than ideal. As we were pitching our tent Passover arrived. She had been hiking with her sister and had gone out to eat with her. She brought back for Witchdoctor, Wideload, and I chocolate milk and their leftovers. Just before bed a severe storm rolled in. It didn't last long but the rain continues.

5/23 Day 81 Allentown Hiking Club Shelter to Palmerton, PA - 18 miles

     Tonight I'm spending my first night in jail. I wish it was as exciting as it sounds. We woke early and the rain had stopped for the time being. We started at a good pace but were slowed by the famous Pennsylvania rocks. The rocks weren't terrible up to this point but they were getting worse. We hiked a section called "Knife's Edge," basically a narrow series of sharply pointed rocks with steep drop offs at either side. We were lucky to hit this section while it was dry.

     After stoping for lunch at the grimy Bake Oven Knob shelter the downpour began. We were headed to town and it was warm so we didn't bother with rain gear. We were soaked in no time. We trudged on eventually making it to the road crossing. Palmerton is only 1.5 miles from the trail but the highway has no shoulder making walking dangerous and practically impossible. The options were to hitchhike or walk a side trail 1.5 miles to town. We tried hitching but we were caked in mud and dripping wet; it was a lost cause. Honestly, I would have felt bad getting into someone's vehicle. So we walked the trail. We finally arrived in town. 

     Palmerton offers hikers free lodging in what they call the "Jailhouse hostel." This is described as a jail built but never used. It was just a basement with bunks. It was free though and it was dry and had prison style showers. Witchdoctor and Passover got a hitch and beat us there. We met another thru hiker named Corona. We showered and then did laundry. We resupplied and ate. We slept. The rain stopped in the  evening but is expected to pick up in the morning. The climb out of this town is known as "Dante's Inferno" and is said to be the most difficult climb south of the White Mountains. 

 

5/15 Day 73 Birch Run Shelter to campsite and mile 1108.8 - 21 miles

     Another cold sleep. Early this morning we passed the official halfway point for this year. Because the halfway point changes each year, it was nothing special. Just trail. A few miles north was an elaborate halfway marker. We were here with Ayce, Giuseppe, Blue Moon, Coups, Dirty Mike, Passover, and Larryboy. We took some photos and Blue Moon made some follow up phone calls regarding the ice cream. It seemed it wasn't going to happen. 

    We hiked to Pine Grove Furnace State Park and, as suspected, the store was closed. Luckily, Blue Moon didn't give up. He headed to the AT museum across the street and talked to a former thru hiker, Yellow Shoes, into driving him to a store to buy ice cream. We wrote down our flavor choices, collected money and away he went. While we waited we went over to check out the AT museum. It was nice and they had some neat items but it was interesting to me that they refused to allow AT thru hikers to use their restroom. 

     Before long, Blue Moon returned with nine half gallons of ice cream. We all dug in to our ice cream as the cold rain began again. Giuseppe was first to finish and I was a close second putting away over 2,500 calories of moose tracks. Everyone was able to finish except Wideload. 

     The rain had stopped before we left but it was still pretty cool. The rest of the day was uneventful. We hiked on passing the next shelter and decided to stealth camp a bit further hoping to get into Boiling Springs by late morning. The rain began again while we were hiking and continues. Hopefully the rain will be over by morning.

5/16 Day 74 campsite to Darlington Shelter - 22.4 miles

     Woken by rain this morning. Not a heavy rain but enough to make us not want to get out of the tent. We packed up and were on our way. The rain stopped soon after we started hiking and the sun came out. We did several miles of walking through corn fields and fields of weeds this morning. We came out of the corn fields and into the town of Boiling Springs. My first thought was that this town must be some fly fishing Mecca. I had never seen so many people fly fishing. We walked on eventually coming to the ATC mid Atlantic regional office which seemed like a nice place to rest. We killed some time there for a while before hitting up the convenient store for some extra snacks. 

     We decided to eat lunch in town before getting back on trail. We ended up at a local pizza shop. Passover and Ayce were with us and Dirty Mike and Coups came in a bit later. The place was nice enough but unfortunately the free drink refills don't apply to hikers. We were told after two drink refills we would have to pay for any additional refills. It didn't seem the locals had the same restriction. We went back to the ATC office to sit on the porch and let our food settle before hiking our remaining fourteen miles. I spoke with my sister's father in law while we were in town. They live nearby and plan to try to visit tomorrow.

     Ayce and I were back on trail by 2:30 with Wideload and Passover about a half hour ahead of us. Most of the remaining miles were through corn fields and pastures. They were easy but boring miles. At the end of the day we had a steep climb back up to a ridge where the shelter was located. We chose to take advantage of the nice night and tent. This would also allow the tent to dry. Tomorrow we'll go through Duncanon, PA and visit the famous Doyle Hotel.

(I stole this picture from PackRat's Facebook page; sorry and thank you!)

5/17 Day 75 Darlington Shelter to Duncannon, PA - 11.3 miles

     We were up and ready to get to town early. We had all planned on hiking in and staying at the Doyle in Duncannon. Wideload left with Passover and I waited for Ayce. We passed the girls and waited for them at the edge of town. Ayce was now thinking of not staying in town because he would be meeting his girlfriend next weekend at a specific location and had some miles to cover. 

     We walked though town arriving at the Doyle just as they were opening for lunch. We met Pat and Vicki, the owners. We sat down in the dining area and Pat came over to go over the menu with us. After giving us a few minutes Vicki came back to take our orders. While waiting for our food my sister's in laws Bruce and Rosie arrived. They live not far from here and wanted to come say hi. We were excited they were willing to take the time to come see us. They say with us for a couple hours listening to our trail stories and asking questions before hitting the road again. 

     At some point during lunch Ayce and Passover had decided that they would definitely be moving on today. Now we were torn between staying and relaxing the afternoon or hiking out with our friends. We finally decided we would stay and catch up later since they both would be taking some time off the trail in the coming week. The local grocery store offers free shuttles from the Doyle and back so we all took advantage of that. After the resupply, Ayce, Passover, Coups, and Dirty Mike were ready to hike out. I walked with them a couple blocks before saying goodbye and parting ways. I was sad to see them all go on as we had been enjoying their company. At the same time, it was nice for us to make the decision to stay even if by ourselves. For much of this trip we've just followed the rest of the group for the sake of keeping the group intact. We'll catch up eventually. 

     After everyone left it was a typical town evening consisting of showers, laundry, and food. It was nice to have the evening to relax. We'll be back on trail tomorrow. 

Thanks for reading, 

Moose