Day #85 - AT Hike

Friday, June 5th - Day #85 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 12.8
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1149.2/2,193 (52.40%)

Carlisle (1136.4) to Duncannon (1149.2) - Doyle Hotel in Duncannon

Total ascent - 2,191’
Total descent - 2,258’

Total States Completed - 6/14

**Rain Day - rained lightly in the morning. Storms (with hail) expected tonight

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Coming to you live from the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon, PA. The Doyle is a legendary hotel along the AT route. So much history here. Originally, a 3-story, wooden hotel built in the 1770’s. It burned to the ground in 1803, and then was replaced by the current brick building.  Current time - the hotel is certainly showing its age. Rooms are only $25. No air conditioning and bathrooms are shared on each floor. It’s not glamorous- but it gets the job done.

Today we hiked 12.8 miles into Duncannon. We were originally planning to hike another 4.7 miles today - but bad weather is expected later tonight with potential for a huge hail storm. We chose to stay here tonight to have a roof over our head.

I’m glad we’re staying actually. If I was hiking solo (without Caruso and Sherpa Mike) - I almost certainly would have continued on. My body has been pretty run down the past couple days. I think the heat and humidity is taking its toll on me.  My shirt is drenched with sweat most of the day. It’s so soupy and muggy out right now. I’m trying to stay as hydrated as possible - but it’s difficult.

It’s been a nice few days hiking with people. In addition to Caruso and Sherpa Mike - we’ve run into a little bubble. We’ve made friends with Spice, Colby, and Painted Sticks. Jenna and Mike (I had met a week back) are also really close to us.

With the shorter hiking day, we made it into town around 2pm. We checked into the hotel. I then grabbed a shower and just rested an hour. The town is still pretty locked down - so we all went our separate ways to grab takeout dinner. I did a medium pizza. We then sat on the 2nd story balcony of the hotel and chilled/talked a couple hours.  Spice, Colby, and Painted Sticks joined us. It’s really interesting to meet so many unique people.

I’m still dead tired - so I told everybody I was calling it an early night a little after 7pm. Party animal - right?  That’s ok - I didn’t get much sleep last night - and I need to recover. It’s 7:45pm now - wrapping up the blog. Hoping to be sleeping by 8:30-9pm.   We’re hoping to put a nice effort in tomorrow- possibly going over 20 miles. We’ll see how it goes.

The really bad rocks could start anytime. Hopefully we still have a couple days of OK terrain - but then the ankle twisting begins. Update on shoes - I still have both the Altras and Hokas — but the Hokas have been performing nicely the past 2 days. I put Dr Scholl’s inserts into them to avoid my ankle bone from getting bruised by the constant friction created by the side of the shoe hitting the ankle bone. This alteration has saved the day. The Hokas have significantly helped with the bruising and pounding my feet have been taking. The true-true test is coming up shortly

Goodnight from an AT iconic location!  Charles Dickens stayed here - as well as other famous people. Here’s to cool weather and an injury-free day tomorrow!

Took our picture with gentleman from Nepal - Colby & Spice as well 

Open field trails

Tall grass through the fields 

Great views

Nice view - still a little cloudy

Nice

Mural in Duncannon 

The Doyle Hotel

More fields

Painted mural

Doyle Hotel

Day #84 - AT Hike

Thursday, June 4th - Day #84 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 12.4
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1136.4/2,193 (51.82%)

Boiling Springs (Lisa’s Hostal) to Carlisle (Red Roof Inn). Hotel at Red Roof Inn

Total ascent - 814’
Total descent - 796’

Total States Completed - 6/14

**Rain Day - heavy rains and storms in the afternoon and evening. No rain during hike - just hot and muggy

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Coming to you live from the Red Roof Inn. It’s late here - about 11pm.  So - I’m going to make this a quick one

Today was a really good day. It was very busy with lots of stuff happening. I’m purposefully trying to be more social - to mix up the days a bit. I honestly feel like this is critical for me to complete this journey - I can’t solely be focused on “hiking “x” amount of miles each day”.  I have to distract myself from the day to day grind for more enjoyment - and ultimately - with luck and good health - it will bring me rewards down the road.

The day started at Lisa’s Hostal. We got a 7:30am pickup by our shuttle driver. He took us out to the AT. Caruso, Sherpa Mike, and myself were joined today by JD. JD is a friend of Sherpa Mike who hiked with him back in 2014. JD lives in Carlisle and has completed the AT back in 2014.

We hiked 12.4 miles on very flat terrain. It was one of the easier days you’ll find on the AT. As I mentioned yesterday - we had lighter packs today - as we had dropped off some of our gear at the Red Roof Inn this morning. We got started around 8:30am and completed the hike a little before 1pm

JD had parked his car at the finish line. So - once we completed the hike and got a couple snacks and a Gatorade from the gas station, JD brought us back to the hotel. Then - a quick shower, laundry, and 1-2 hours of rest. We then went to the grocery store for our resupply.

Finally, JD has a friend that owns a local microbrew in Carlisle- a really nice place in the middle of town. We were the only ones in the place - with Covid-19 restrictions. We had a really fun evening - ordered some Chinese food from a local place, played corn hole, and drank a few microbrews while listening to music. JD is a really impressive person - he’s travelled and hiked all over the world. He has a number of his pictures in the bar (where people often buy them).

We only got back to the hotel around 9:30pm. I soaked my legs/feet in an Epsom Salt bath and then packed up all my gear.  Tomorrow starts a long trek to the Delaware Water Gap - at Mile 1296. This is about 160 tough miles away. Caruso and Sherpa Tom are cool dudes - I’m going to try and hang with these guys for a little while. They’re both impressive people - Caruso is a highly decorated Air Force vet and Sherpa Tom has done really well in corporate finance. Both have travelled and done a ton of impressive things - very interesting.

Here’s to getting it rolling again tomorrow!  Goodnight from Pennsylvania!

We crossed many roads today 

Tried a few different microbrews

Lake at the finish

Lots of cows

An AT building along the trek today

Day #83 - AT Hike

Wednesday, June 3rd - Day #83 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 15.7
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1124/2,193 (51.25%)

Tentsite (108.3) to Boiling Springs (1124) - Lisa’s Hostal in Boiling Springs

Total ascent - 2,317’
Total descent - 3,208’

Total States Completed - 6/14

**Rain Day - Big thunderstorm mid-day during the hike. It also stormed again late in the evening at the Hostal.

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Coming to you live from Lisa’s Hostal in Boiling Springs, PA. Caruso (49 years old), Sherpa Mike (I had said Sherpa Tom incorrectly yesterday - 58 years old), and myself are staying here tonight in the private cottage/trailer. There’s also a couple other thru-hikers staying in the bunkhouse.

15.7 miles today. It was a roller-coaster course - so lots of short, steep climbing and descending. A big thunderstorm hit in the middle of the day - luckily we were on one of our descents. There was thunder but very distant lighting - so not too bad. The final 2 miles were through some farming fields leading to Boiling Springs.  Caruso, Sherpa Mike and I hiked together all day.

Once into town, we called a shuttle driver to bring us to our destination tonight. I was planning on just staying at the Quality Inn in Carlisle (where my trekking pole inserts were arriving). To help save on expenses - we all decided to go to the Hostal in Boiling Springs instead. I had the shuttle driver swing by the Quality Inn and I picked up my package from Black Diamond (awesome - bendy pole is now fixed). Oh-yeah — By the way - these guys have nicknamed me “Raptor”.  Within 2 hours of us walking together - they couldn’t help but commenting on my trekking pole. They said I looked like some kind of raptor with claws as I climbed the steep hills. So there you go - my trail name - “Raptor”.  Let’s see if that sticks. (They have consistently called me that - they even tell their wives they’re now hiking with a new guy - “Raptor”)

So we were planning to stay at this place for 2 nights - but it’s in pretty bad condition (A/C broken, septic tank full, very small). We have decided to stay at a hotel in Carlisle tomorrow. We got a $53/night rate - so all good. I’ll have my own room tomorrow.

The goal is to hike about 10-11 miles tomorrow and have a shuttle driver take us back to our hotel. My very original intentions were to be camping tonight and only stay in a hotel tomorrow - but it’s planning to storm all night so being under a roof is advantageous. This actually works out great. It’s the very first time on the trip that I will be slack-packing. That means I’ll be hiking with limited gear (a lot less weight) because all my camping stuff and extra clothes will be dropped off at our hotel tomorrow morning. Lots of people use slack packing on occasion to take big loads off their legs on extremely challenging sections. Tomorrow is really expected to be a flat, easy section - but it will be fun to try it out. I’m still hiking the miles - just without so much weight. (No rules on how much weight you must carry)

Ok - it’s about 10pm here. I need to get some sleep tonight. Allergies have been messing with me the last couple nights. I took a Claritin - hoping it helps tonight.

Good night. Hoping to be coming to you live from the Red Roof Inn in Carlisle, PA tomorrow on a Nero. I’m hoping to be in hotel with resupply finished by 2pm. Looking forward to the rest.

The Hostal has chickens 

Early morning water resupply

Center Point Knob plaque 

Walking through the fields

Rural Pennsylvania 

AT welcome sign

Another black snake 

Coming into Boiling Springs

Final 1/2 mile by lake

Pretty afternoon 

Me by the ATC building in Boiling Springs

More open fields

Cool views

Day #82 - AT Hike

Tuesday, June 2 - Day #82 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 20.8
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1108.3/2,193 (50.54%)

Quarry Gap Shelter (1087.5) to Tentsite (1108.3) - camp at stealth site

Total ascent - 2,359’
Total descent - 2,892’

Total States Completed - 6/14

**Rain Day - rained on/off all morning. Sun came out in the afternoon

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So - I didn’t do the 1/2 gallon challenge. I ate a pint of mint chocolate chip - and called it good. You have to eat a pint and a 1.5 quart to complete the challenge. They don’t have 1/2 gallon containers - so you must eat 2 separate  ones (pint & 1.5 quart). I figured I’d eat the pint first and see how I felt. I decided if I ate the full 1/2 gallon - I’d be puking right now.

“If you’re friends jump off a cliff - are you going to do it”. My response:  “How big of a cliff”. I’m willing to adventure and do a lot of stuff - but I take each situation on it’s own merits. Being sick for a day just to eat a lot of ice cream - reward wasn’t worth the risk.

Today’s hike was one of the smoothest I’ve had in a long time. Much of the course was pine needles and dirt. I left the shelter at 6:45am and made it to the General Store in Pine Grove Furnace State Park a little after 2pm. 17.7 miles went fast.

I hadn’t run into anyone all day. I was sitting outside the store eating my ice cream when a couple thru-hikers filtered in. 2 older gentleman- Caruso and Sherpa Tom. We instantly hit it off pretty well. They were going to stay at the campsite in the park like me - they asked if I wanted to share a tent site to split the cost. I agreed and we took out to find the main office to get our spot (this was after getting an awesome hamburger at the general store first - those guys didn’t do the 1/2 gallon challenge either)

We wondered around this huge park but couldn’t find exactly where we needed to go. These guys had already did 20 miles (and I had done 17.7 miles) - none of us were willing to walk too far to figure it out. We flagged down a park ranger and didn’t get any good vibes. There was a Tentsite 2.6 miles ahead on the AT - we all decided to go there.

Right when we were leaving the park, Caruso gets a message that one of his daughters (he has 5 daughters) is in urgent care with acute abdominal pain. Caruso wants to make sure he has cell signal wherever we go so he can monitor what’s happening back home. We all hike the 2.6 miles to the Tentsite - it’s already full (plus not a good signal). There’s another Tentsite 1.6 miles further. OK - I’ve now gone 20+ miles - these guys are cool and all - but I’m not walking all night to find a cell signal. Luckily - about a mile up (even before the 1.6 mile Tentsite) we came upon a nice stealth spot that could fit 2 tents and a hammock. It worked out well. We made camp and then had dinner. These guys both left the trail for quite a while due to Covid-19 and just started again at Harpers Ferry. They are now flip flopping by going to Katahdin first and will circle back to Harpers Ferry and go south. I am hundreds of miles ahead of them —- but, we’re all going to Katahdin now. We’ll see what happens - they’re both family guys and seem to have a lot of similar interests as me. Tomorrow we’re going to the same shelter/town - after that - who knows

Here’s to being officially 1/2 way through my AT journey!  I came upon 3 plaques today commemorating the achievement (The AT is often redirected each year - so the total distance always changes. It usually increases a bit. It’s gotten 13 miles longer in the past 10 years).

Goodnight from southern Pennsylvania!

Wide open course today on pine needles

Sign at General Store

1/2 way home

An alum made this sign

Coming into Park

Another 1/2 way sign - for 2018

This is the 2020 1/2 way sign

General store

More signs

Coming into Pine Grove

Bear on top of 2020 sign

This is the place for the 1/2 gallon challenge 

Took a break here

Early in the morning 

Day #81 - AT Hike

Monday, June 1 - Day #81 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 20.0
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 1087.5/2,193 (49.59%)

Falls Creek Tentsite (1067.5) to Quarry Gap Shelters (1087.5) - tent at Quarry Gap Shelters

Total ascent - 3,477’
Total descent - 3,186’

Total States Completed - 6/14

**No Rain - 3rd perfect weather day in a row coming out of Harpers Ferry

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49.59% complete — tomorrow I go over the 50% complete marker. Another huge milestone.  Small steps. Small steps — keep it going!

Another perfect weather day today. That’s 3 in a row out of Harpers Ferry. I’m really thankful - it’s incredible to have dry shoes/clothes - and a nice course.

A solid 20 miles on the nose today. 3 nice sized climbs. 750’ climb to start the day, 1,000’ in the middle of the day, and another 500’ to end the day.  The course has sections that are really smooth and fast - but there are also sections with rocky, technical terrain.

Every state in the AT has its own legend. The state of Pennsylvania is known for its “rocks”. I’ve heard so much about the “rocks” in fact - I am completely freaked out for the upcoming miles. The really bad sections are supposedly in the northern section of the state - so I should have another 100 miles or so before the worst hits. I’ve been trying the new shoes largely to prepare for the upcoming section

The shoe trial testing is coming along. It’s like a chemistry experiment. Since there’s a lot of different factors and conditions - I’m trying to make sure I accommodate for all of them. I’m trying a few things with my Superfeet inserts and heel lifts in both shoes to get the best mix. I think I’m on to something - but I’m still giving it more time.

So I mentioned how there are little challenges within the AT journey that come up here and there. Tomorrow - I plan to hike 17.7 miles to the Pine Grove Furnace State Park. I’ll stay the night at their campground. What makes Pine Grove Furnace State Park so popular on the AT?  It’s the home of the 1/2 gallon ice cream challenge. At the General Store in the Park - you have to eat a 1/2 gallon of ice cream in 1 hour or less to celebrate being 1/2 way done with the AT journey. This store just opened on May 25th. To be honest - I was hoping it would still be closed so I wouldn’t have to make a decision to do this or not. So - the plan is to hike hard and get into the park by 4pm at the latest - the store closes at 5pm. We’ll see how I feel if I go for the challenge. I might just get a normal ice cream and call it a day. Would you do it???

OK - time for bed. I’ve been so tired - I think the allergies are hitting me hard right now. Hoping to be coming to you live from the home of the 1/2 gallon challenge tomorrow. Will he - OR - will he not participate - inquiring minds want to know!

Caledonia State Park

Where I ate dinner at the shelter

Awesome shelter

Caledonia Stare Park

Lots of folks out

One of many bridges I crossed today

Swing at the shelter - I sat here for a snack after hike

Smooth trail

Great weather day

Cool creek

Hiking through Caledonia State Park

My tent - I’m setup on wooden platform tonight