AT Day 78: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

Daily Miles: 20.0, Total Miles: 1,109.6

Chilly night and morning, close to freezing for sure. I wore my possum gloves for the first time. A pleasant day on the trail hiking through the pine and hardwood forests. The hardwoods are all budding out now.

I’m getting a taste of the infamous Pennsylvania rock but I know it gets worse and more plentiful further north. Passed by some nice streams that I would bet hold trout. I know parts of PA used to be quite the flyfishing destination.

I finally made it to Pine Grove Furnace State Park, thinking of possibly even staying there. One reason was the General Store where they have the half-gallon challenge and good burgers/sandwiches. But it was closed – only open on weekends until later in the season. Also too cold to swim in the pretty lake and the snack bar was also closed.

Still early in the afternoon so trudged on for a few more hours climbing back on a ridge, eventually finding a nice campsite.

Only saw a few day-hikers today and lots of busy squirrels. Besides birds, I would bet the most frequently sighted animal on the AT.

New birds today: Black-capped Chickadee and a Blue Jay.