Today I am starting by hiking the last eight miles in Maryland, as I mentioned in my last post. A hiker friend and I stop at this rock, High Rock, that has been covered with graffiti by the local teens. Charles and I argue about it being vandalism or a form of art. I can definitely see the artistic side, but my friend? Not so much.
It is always a good way of starting a new state by seeing a frog! Maybe Pennsylvania won’t be so bad after all… I am sad I started with a prejudice against this state. I have hiked in rocks before, it was not that bad… The landscape is looking more and more like my country every day.
I am going up to Annapolis rock. It is the first view I get of the world down there in Pennsylvania… It is kind of sad since I drove a lot through this state, and was hoping to recognize some landscape from the top of the mountains. With the trees in full greenery, there are not so so many views up here during the summer. There aren’t many high peaks either, but Mother Nature compensates with demanding attention to every step on the way, hopping and climbing nonstop in the rocks.
After a 1/4 mile rock hopping, I find a fresh deer leg, yes, just a leg, surrounded by numerous flies… The rest is probably getting eaten uphill…. Wild country.
And then half an hour later, I hear a lawnmower! This is a very perturbed landscape.
For once, lemongrass oil seems to be working! Bugs left me alone today. When lying to bed tonight, I realize that I already covered six states !!! This looks like a good omen.
The next day, I am having a rough start. I feel dizzy. I have to carry three liters since the water source at mile 6 is not guaranteed and it is supposed to get hot. The first climb of the day is very steep.
A small thing finally gets me in a better mood: I find a rock from Rocky Mountain, PA, that I want transformed into AT jewelry. Pendant of bracelet? It is not clear in my mind yet.
At the end of the day, I take a break at a park near a beautiful river where people are bathing, while I am eating some peanuts. Of course, when I arrive to the shelter, people tell me they were worried about me. I am getting so fed up with people, normally men older than me, who worry about me. I made it so far, didn’t I?
I have a final good climb to the charming Quarry gap shelter. There are flowers over the picnic table, a garden gnome, a double rocker, and games for rainy nights.
The next morning starts with a happy note: a trail angel brought us some donuts! A fellow hiker, Mikey Mike, shows me a rattlesnake curled up near his tent site. I start my day walking very carefully and certain thing, in the beginning of the afternoon I find another rattler, this one well spread on a rock digesting something…
Then as the day gets older, as I step off trail to avoid (another) mud puddle, I almost step on a third rattler, well awake and hunting. This one is not happy with my invasion of his hunting land and he lets me know about it.
To get to the next shelter, I have to wade for miles in a stream that used to be a trail. The shelter is situated on a sponge. It is not the first time it happens, and will not be the last. Rain is omnipresent, mud is getting on my nerves and my shoes and socks never really dry.
Another day goes by, and I arrive at a road crossing shortly before 5pm. Trail angels has been waiting for me, and were about to leave. Thanks to some fellow hikers for letting them know I was on my way! I normally miss these end of day surprises. One of them talks to me about fishing in La Tuque in June… I feel for him: black flies are a nightmare in Québec at that time of the year. The rain starts at 5pm.
Today I got up late with my decision finally clear: I am going to take the 1/2 gallon ice cream challenge. I will skip my oatmeal breakfast…
But first I have to mud-slide, river walk the four miles to Pine Grove Furnace State Park.
The Ice cream challenge is even more impressive than I thought: I have to eat one of what used to be an actual 1/2 gallon, but now it’s shrunk, so they add a pint!!! Chocolate and Dulce de Leche will be my choice.
I make it in about an hour. I get some encouragement and mental help from Dee, a lady who was waiting for her friends of the Photographs Club. I really think I would not have made it without her presence, her interest in my hike and her many questions that made me pace my ice cream intake and mainly forget a little what I am doing.
Afterward, stomach unstable, I slowly crawl to the AT museum , where I see the equipment of some of the trail pioneers. As long as I would have liked to walk the trail at that time period, I appreciate my light backpack and accessories… I get myself a shirt covered with red efts, who are omnipresent on the trail just before rain.
I then decide that I need to put a little food in my belly other than ice cream, so I get a piece of pizza and a lemonade at the concession stand. At the moment I had decided to try to swim in the lake, a storm rolls in, so I opt to take a shower instead. Seven more miles, and barely any rain, complete my unusual hiking day.
It rains during the night and I start my day with another mud sledding, followed by a rock scramble enhanced with cicada songs. I encounter sometrail magic: my friend Fuji’s parents offer burgers, energy drinks, muffin and cookies, chips and beer to go. What a feast! I get early to the shelter after only eight miles
Incredibly, I am hungry again at 7:30pm!!!!
The next day, I hike to the outfitter in Boiling Springs to exchange my Darn Tough socks and resupply in already-made dehydrated meals: I use the aluminum-lined bags of these meals, that I can’t afford to eat regularly, to re-hydrate my own meals. The trail is very muddy, as usual. My husband Michael takes me off trail in Carlisle for a four-day family visit and a quick beach run.
I am back on the trail around noon four days later. It is sunny and hot and the 13.5 miles to the shelter are quite painful. I sleep in what looks like an old coal pit, all included with gnats and mosquitoes. Sometimes I wonder why I come back after family visits…
The next day is sunny and hot. I literally suffer from a mosquito attack on the way to Duncannon. Since I have covered all my body with bug repellent except my face, I must have had a hundred mosquitoes jumping at my face at the same time. I seriously think of leaving the trail at that point. Instead, I grab my mosquito net and get to town.
In Duncannon, there is the AT festival so I stay for a while, visiting the different booths. My friend Penguin is selling her AT jewelry here so I grab the opportunity to buy a pair of stud earrings from her. I also get a cute little nice scrubby from another booth, and talk with people who take care of some of the trail shelters about bear boxes, and they reassure me that there is going to be some in the next places I plan to stay. Bear boxes and other stuff are so useful; I wish we could count on them being present at all shelters so we could skip the bear barrels and hike lightly.
On another hot and sticky day, that started with a long and steep excursion to the water spring, I meet Marc-Antoine from Ste-Foy, where I was born! We try to find a connection but find none. Delicious trail magic food from friendly ladies delay my afternoon climb. No regrets! Later, I pass a gorgeous river but don’t stop to refill, which I greatly resent later when I arrive to my camping spot for the night, called “Yellow Springs”, and the river bed is totally dry… I have to re-think my dinner to use the least amount of water, hoping I will cross a stream early tomorrow!
The day after, I start at 6:30am to avoid the heat. I meet a hiker coming from the north and ask him the water situation up there and he smiles and said I would have no problems. I realize why pretty soon since I am back into mud sledding and stream crossing. I stop after about 5 miles, at Rausch Gap shelter, to avoid the sun, until 1:30pm. This shelter is really unique as it is kind of underground, and has a beautiful spring with a basin just at the door! Only negative point: there is no signal if you are using AT&T. There are resident frogs and efts. I have dinner for lunch and continue later on to go cross a beaver dam.
During the day, in my vacuum, I think about why it is sometimes sad to be School Bus: I am so slow that everybody before me scared away all the critters. The berries are all picked when I arrive. I have to cross the beaver dam by myself. OK, pity party is over! That night I stop at hostel Stay AT Swatara for shower and ice cream ( and laundry, why not?). And guess who’s there?
Yogi!
I met Yogi at the Green Dragon when I was waiting for my shin splints to heal, down in Hiawassee, GA. He is now himself recovering from a wound and intends to be back on trail next year. For now he manages this hostel for the season. We both are very happy to catch up with our stories.
This is St-Jean-Baptiste’s eve, Québec Day, and fireflies make nice fireworks for me!
On St-Jean-Baptiste, there is a heat advisory. For those who don’t know me: I hate heat! And after a hard day, cooking a healthy meal is the last of my priorities. So be it! From now on and until nice weather comes back, I will eat dinner at 11:30am and lunch when I stop for the night.
Is it because it’s Québec Day? I finally got a handful of blackberries! Blueberries would be more appropriate (Québec crop) but still very appreciated in that heat.
I have a new game to propose for Pennsylvania: Serpents and Boulders.
Next shelter, called Shelter 501, looks terrible from outside, but is the most practical one I’ve seen: solar shower, tap water, plugging station, tons of trail magic including first aid and fresh fruit…. and it’s due for demolition next year !!!! This is really sad and unnecessary.
Oh surprise: next day is hot and sunny… I am leaving about same time as two friendly guys who are walking at my speed. To my surprise, I pass them. Tease them. A little later at the water hole, I learn the reason they are slow today: cancer meds. I feel sorry, guilty, happy to be healthy.
Today I meet the 1200 mark! This is 2K kilometers. Hey, Google takes pictures. I stop at a stream for lunch at the heat of the day.
I find a berry patch and eat blueberries for almost an hour… I stop when it gets dark to avoid the storm, but still arrive to Eagles Nest on time. All in all there is barely any rain. I like that shelter: It feels so remote.
Today, I leave the shelter a little later, at 7:30am. Once again, I start the day with a good steep climb .
I meet my friends Hot Sauce and Penguin on a forest road crossing the AT and decide to walk some with them. It is flatter terrain, but I am baking in the sun! As soon as I can, I get back on the AT. On the way back on the official trail, we meet a guy who lives in the wood , talking to himself and avoiding us.
The last mile to Port Clinton is a very steep descent. Steep is also my deception when I realize that the only resupply here is the candy store. I get myself some honey-roasted peanuts and dried apricots.
I have late lunch with Hot Sauce, Penguin and Hey Google at the Port Clinton hotel. The beer is good but it doesn’t make coming back to trail easy!
The trail meets me with another tough climb, then comes a big storm. I arrive at the Windsor Furnace shelter completely soaked, not even tempted to eat.
My friend Gatorade saw Bear Mom and three cubs two miles from here: people will hang their food tonight!
It rained last night and it is cloudy now. My clothes are wet and it’s 60 degrees… Do I regret the windbreaker I returned home?
I attack the long climb to Pulpit rock.
I encounter some Trail Magic : how much choice is too much? I want to try everything, but it will leave not much for the following hikers. Men and women are very nice and brave the rain all day to accommodate my following colleagues.
I am so done with rocks.
I arrive soaked, again, to the Allentown Hiking Club shelter.
Today I would have walked only a mile and taken a picture of everything glowing around me after the rain.
But reality hits fast enough: Serrated Knife and Baker Knob almost kill me.
I meet Rain Dancer and her mother. That inspires me to ask my own daughter if she’s ready for a few days adventure with her old mother.
I also meet Patty, trail angel from Maryland who brought Charles and I to Walmart for resupply. She asks me if I need something and I tell her about my shoes that are falling apart. She would have exchanged shoes with me if they had been the right size. What a woman!
I sleep under tent to avoid a weekend hiker who is a little too talkative.
Two juvenile bears within a mile of shelter Overbridge. People are super careful with their food and smellies tonight.
The next morning, I break my shoe sole going down to Palmerton bridge.
I miraculously summon an Uber driver to go buy shoes at Dicks in Allentown and resupply at a real grocery store at the same time. I am back in Palmerton at noon and have lunch at Bert’s. I decide to call it a day and rent a bunk from Tracey behind Bert. I make the mistake to resupply more even if my bag is already full… I have a pleasant night by myself at the hostel.
The day after, I start at 6:30 since I want to cover 17 miles. I go out of town, up the hill via blue trail then hit the AT.
Rain starts around 4pm. I sleep at shelter Leroy Smith. Neighbors arrive after I went to sleep.
The following day is a disaster. My bag is way too heavy so I stop at Wind Gap and get rid of 6 #4oz of food and clothes . I have the good idea to fill up water bottles 3/4 at gas station, thankfully! I run out of water anyway since the spring midway is dry. I scramble the top of the mountain, as it often happens, in the storm. I drink 3 cups of rain water running from a boulder. I am scared for my life with the lightning, the rain and the not-so-grippy new Hoka shoes.I spend the night at Kirkridge shelter with Raindancer and her mom and a guy I know but whose name I can’t figure presently.
In conclusion, Pennsylvania was not my favorite state. Solitude, heat, rain and mosquitoes didn’t help, but rocks were definitely a factor. Slippery shoes brought me to many falls, mostly protected by the backpack. Nature was beautiful but views were not abundant. I am definitely happy to be out of here. I hope future states will make me appreciate the trail again.
