Make it count: Day #82

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!