Daily Miles: 6.6, Total Miles: 1,220.2 Another damn Whip-poor-will was circling my campsite between 2am and 3am this morning demanding an answer to his incessant call. I always seem to wake up early on a town day and this morning was no exception. As usual, a lot of rocks and a steep downhill to the pretty Schuylkill River and Port Clinton. I had arranged for a shuttle to the nearby Microtel in Hamburg PA. Early check-in was questionable so I…
Daily Miles: 19.1, Total Miles: 1,213.6 Last night was the warmest so far. The clear skies last night made for good stargazing. Not a lot of elevation gain today but tough going. I would guess 80 degrees with no wind, sunny skies and +80% humidity. Most of the day was spent awkwardly hopping from rock to rock down the trail or finding the best path through the ankle busting boulders and rocks. So happy there were a few good springs…
Daily Miles: 23.4, Total Miles: 1,194.5 Chilly with a light rain most of the night leaving everything damp. Just after starting out this morning, I saw a bobcat up a side trail. He or she didn’t stick around long – I don’t know who was more surprised! Heavy mist most of the morning but by early afternoon, clear, sunny and warming up fast. Started high on a ridge before dropping down at Rausch Creek. I carefully crossed an old, flooded…
Daily Miles: 21.5, Total Miles: 1, 171.1 Although I enjoyed my stay, the first hurdle this morning was finding my way out of the Doyle Hotel. The door at the bottom of the stairs to the first floor and exit was locked from the other side. I went back to the second floor, out to the balcony and found exterior stairs off the back end of the hotel. Glad there wasn’t a fire last night. On a cool and cloudy…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 1,149.6 A relaxing zero day in Duncannon PA. The hardest thing I did was walk up a few flights of stairs to my room. I did manage to repair a gaping hole in the bottom of my Zpacks backpack. I’m blaming the tear on sharp PA rocks but it could have been the tumble I took a few days ago. In any case, I found some Tenacious Tape at Kind of Outdoorsy, the local outfitter/hostel….
Daily Miles: 3.6, Total Miles: 1,149.6 Just after midnight last night I was awoken by a new bird, an Eastern Whip-poor-will. At first, a cute, very distinctive call. An hour later, it was downright annoying. Back on the trail this morning, I stopped at Hawk Rock with fine views of Duncannon PA along the Susquehanna River. I picked my way down the rocks into town and straight to breakfast. I am now a fan of Philly sausage with my eggs…
Daily Miles: 13.6, Total Miles: 119.5 I slept well on a comfortable bed in Carlisle PA. After the mediocre hotel breakfast, got away about 9:30am and returned to the Harrisburg Pike overpass and climbed back up to the trail. Continued down/up the Cumberland Valley Crossing soon joining, then following Conodoguinet Creek, more like a river, for about two miles. Blue flowers were erupting along the trail and riverbanks. I left the valley, climbed up to Cove Mountain and followed the…
Daily Miles: 22.8, Total Miles: 1,132.4 Big day on the trail started with long stretches of “rocky ridge” walking leading me to Boiling Springs PA. A nice little town with a river running through it and a trout-filled small lake with lots of fishermen. Not to mention a hot springs. Got no further than Cafe 101, where I enjoyed a huge quesadilla with chicken, rested my weary legs and chatted with folks at nearly outdoor tables. The server even filled…
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…
Daily Miles: 22.1, Total Miles: 1,089.6 The bed felt pretty good last night. I got a ride back to the trail from Soggy. High cloudiness and cooler today which makes for good hiking. The fairly gentle gradient was also a big plus. Despite that, I had my first fall about six miles in. I caught one foot on an upturned rock and went down hard and fast. I was able to turn a bit to avoid landing face first on…
