On-Trail Update No. 5

Day 98     Miles Done: 1,313.7     Miles Remaining: 867.3

After zeroing in Waynesboro, Virginia on April 27th to avoid a system of tornadoes, I entered Shenandoah National Park accompanied by Face, Ghost, and Face Jacket.  The "Shennies" finally offered what we expected to find upon entering Virginia: easy hiking on well-graded trails.  We covered the 100 miles of trail inside the park in five days, and it almost felt like a vacation compared to the difficult section of central Virginia we had just crossed.  Ghost and Face Jacket went their separate ways on day two in the park, but Face and I continued hiking together as we have since Springer.  We met a fun group of other thru-hikers on our first night in the Shennies (Teddy, Kodiak, D'Artagnan, and The Corsican) and we hiked with them through the whole park.  Highlights in the park included amazing blackberry milkshakes at park waysides and shelter mice that performed amazing feats of acrobatics - including crawling upside down on the ceiling over our heads - in order to get inside our packs which were hung on the walls.  Shenandoah was by far the most crowded section of the trail thus far, as the weather was finally warming up and tourists were out and about.  We crossed several areas full of people "car camping" and we were envious of the luxury they were enjoying.

Shenandoah National Park

The Corsican

Teddy enjoying some dinner

The sixty miles between the northern boundary of the park and the West Virginia border passed quickly.  May 5 was a day of big milestones: we reached our 1,000th mile, and after a month in Virginia, we finally reached West Virginia - our fifth state.  Later that day I hiked into the town of Harper's Ferry, the location of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters, with Stillwater, Kathmandu, and Niners.  At the ATC we signed the thru-hiker's registry and had our pictures taken for their records.  We zeroed in town the next day.

Stillwater, Niners, and Kathmandu

Virginia/West Virginia border

Getting picture taken at ATC headquarters in Harper's Ferry, WV

After resting up in town, Face, Spam, and I hit the trail again and soon crossed into Maryland, state number six.  With only forty trail miles within the state, we figured we would make it into Pennsylvania in two days, but Spam started feeling sick and we ended up doing two short days with him into the Free State Hiker Hostel (going slow in Maryland ended up being rather enjoyable, since there are numerous Civil War historical sites along the trail in the state).  Once at the hostel, Spam visited the doctor and learned he had contracted Lyme Disease from a tick bite he had sustained while in Shenandoah.  Spam spent a day resting before hitting the trail again (he is a tough guy), so Face and I continued on one day ahead of him, entering Pennsylvania (our seventh state) on May 11th.

Original George Washington Monument, Maryland

Face at Maryland/Pennsylvania border

Hikers have given Pennsylvania an affectionate nickname: "Rocksylvania: the place where boots go to die".  Fortunately, the first hundred miles or so of the state are actually pretty enjoyable.  On May 13th Face and I crossed the official halfway point of the trail - 1,090.5 miles - and hiked into Pine Grove Furnace State Park to attempt the legendary half-gallon challenge.  In celebration of reaching their halfway point, thru-hikers stop at the park and attempt to eat a half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting.  I had been pondering my strategy for weeks and decided to attempt using cookies 'n' cream.  Face, Corsican, and The Cops joined me in the challenge, choosing Neapolitan, "Moosetracks", and Mint Chocolate Chip, respectively.  After thirty-two minutes of constant shivering and dairy overload, I completed the challenge and was inducted into the half-gallon club.  My trophy: a tiny wooden spoon - the kind that look more like tongue depressors - with "Half-Gallon Club" printed on the spoon in red ink.  Unexpectedly, I was still hungry after eating all that ice cream, so for "dessert" I had two hot dogs, a grilled ham and cheese, and french fries.  Face and Corsican also completed the challenge, but The Cops eventually had to throw in the towel.  "Mint was a bad choice."

The official halfway point.  Onward!

Face, Sensei (me), Corsican, and The Cops
attempting the Half-Gallon Challenge.

The last bite!

Being knighted/inducted into the Half-Gallon Club.
A proud day.

For the rest of Pennsylvania, we saw nothing but rain.  After the half-gallon challenge, we hiked in the rain for eleven out of the next twelve days.  To make matters worse, we finally started getting into those notorious Pennsylvania rocks.  They weren't quite as bad as I had imagined, but there were still isolated stretches of several hundred yards in which the trail was entirely rocks and no dirt.  Spam finally caught up to us in Port Clinton where we took an unplanned nero.

Rocksylvania: the place where boots go to die.

Despite all the rocks and the rain, Face, Spam, and I were hauling for the last three days in Pennsylvania.  The climb out of Lehigh Gap was a particularly notable event, as it felt more like a rock climbing expedition than a long distance hike.  Also notable was the sudden profusion of ticks along the trail: I found nine on me in thirty-six hours.  I now perform a full-body tick check every night and check my legs about every five minutes while hiking.

Spam during the climb out of Lehigh Gap, Pennsylvania.

Spam on the trail in northern PA.

On May 24th, the three of us reached the Delaware Water Gap on the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  We hiked for a day and a half into New Jersey - all in sunshine - before being picked up in Branchville by Face's parents.  Most of Face's family lives in Long Island, New York, and they invited Spam and me to join them for two zero days during Memorial Day weekend.  So here I am, sitting in a comfy chair and knocking back beers while enjoying my longest break since beginning the trail in February.  We will hit the trail again tomorrow and plan on doing big miles until we reach Vermont.