July 11, 2015 by Kylena

Morning Stroll at Antietam Battlefield

I understand, I think, why the battlefields are made for auto traffic…but to really get a sense of what a Civil War soldier might have felt you might want to get out of the car and walk. I only say “get a sense” because there is no way for me (with no battle experience) to really understand on any level what a soldier, who is carrying all his stuff, wearing a wool uniform, eating whatever is in the ration can, and who might be miles away from home, is going to feel lugging himself through some muggy, hot farm field in Maryland to fight in a war he may or may not understand.

When I began my walk this morning on Rodman Avenue (just off Route 34 east of Sharpsburg, MD), it was a pleasant 75 degrees. Probably about the same temperature on September 17, 1862, the bloodiest one day battle in American history. 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing at Antietam…wrap your head around that number.

Walking down Rodman Avenue

Along the road, are monuments, similar to Gettysburg. If in a car, there is no place to park along Rodman Avenue or even pull over in order to get out and read the about the monument…of course this is why they have a podcast…so one will NEVER, EVER, have to get out of the car. Great for those who truly need it, but come on America, many of us are able to get out and walk!! Um…okay, I’ll stop now.

Colonel Benjamin C. Christ – Monument to the 50th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (1st Brigade, 1st Division, 9th Corps)

It is beautiful walking up the road. To the left are views of the mountains and Sherrick Farm and to the right are meadows blooming with wildflowers. It is an easy road walk and this morning it was pretty quiet. The birds chattered and flitted from the field to the meadow and back again, sometimes resting on the fence line before taking off again. There was a nice breeze, but I could feel the humidity bullying its way in and knew in a few hours this walk would be unbearable.

Good Morning Mountains!

Bucolic Sherrick Farm

The fields were already heating up so I decided to hike those first, then dip down towards Antietam Creek. At the end of Rodman Avenue, turn left and continue to Burnside Bridge.

Burnside Bridge

I passed the bridge and continued to the “Final Attack Trail” as this traversed through many open, sunny fields.

Along the “Final Attack Trail”…I love those fences…

Leaving the ridge on the “Final Attack Trail”

However, there are spots of shade to find respite! Sidekick Pauli and I found a wonderful tree under which to take a little break before heading back out into the field.

Then we were blessed with a longer walk through the woods. Nice and cool!

Sidekick Pauli’s Saturday Smile!

We stayed in the woods for much of the time as we wound our way down to the “Snavely Ford Trail”. Turn to the right at this trail junction in order to walk along Antietam Creek. Sidekick Pauli very much wanted to go to the creek as it meant she would be able to get in and cool off!!

Where are my hedge clippers when I need them?

The trail is a bit overgrown at the moment and I sort of wished I had on long pants. That thought only lasted for a moment though as I was soon hot, hot, hot, climbing back up the hill to reconnect with the trail to Burnside Bridge.

We crossed the bridge and rounded out our hike by meeting up with the “Sherrick Farm Trail”. This trail is quite nice and passes a genuine swimming hole complete with a swinging rope!

Sidekick Pauli crosses Burnside Bridge

Beginning of Sherrick Farm Trail

After the swimming hole, the trail goes uphill to meet the Burnside Bridge road. Take a left, cross the bridge, then take a right and continue on the trail. At this point, “Sherrick Farm Trail” starts to resemble a real, meaning more rugged, hiking trail and may not be for everyone…it is not bad, just a little slanty with roots and a few rocks.

It doesn’t last long! Sidekick Pauli and I were back at the car in no time!

This hike was about 4.5 miles long and included road walking, easy trail walking through rolling cornfields and along Antietam Creek. It is a beautiful way to spend an early summer morning.

So get out of the car and Hike On! 🙂

July 6, 2015 by Kylena

A Shorter Loop at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland

Rain, muggy, then rain again! My last week before returning to teach summer classes was less than ideal. While I got out for a few spins around downtown Frederick, I was missing the woods. Sunday came with the gift of opportunity! I chose to go to Sugarloaf Mountain!

Sugarloaf is a classic place to go hiking…translation…it can be super crowded and the port-a-potties always smell…

However, there are times when introverts like me can actually enjoy the mountain. Go early and preferably on a weekday, although super early usually does the trick. Park behind the mountain on Mt. Ephraim road and head up the Blue or Yellow trails. It is a gravel road, but well packed down. In addition, improvements have been made so the creek now flows underneath the road bed!

I was out the door with Sidekick Pauli at 6:30 AM, and after a few stops, was on the trail at 7:20 AM. There was not a soul around!!! Yessssss!!!!

Mt. Ephraim Road

I parked at the usual spot on Mt. Ephraim road and headed up the Blue trail to White Rocks. The whole area was fogged in leaving the woods with mist hovering in the branches of trees and spider webs glistening with water droplets. Very moody, like something out of a BBC period production. Too bad it doesn’t come out well in the photos because it was pretty outstanding!

Starting the Blue Trail just off Mt. Ephraim Road

It was also incredibly humid. Cool, but humid! Sidekick Pauli was delighted to find a spring dumping out directly onto the trail. I was delighted to find a few stepping stones so I could hop over said spring!

Arriving at White Rocks, we found we were still fogged in. We sat for a few minutes becoming part of the quietness that surrounded us. When we got going again the birds were beginning to chatter to each other. Ahhh, can’t beat being out here in the early morning!

No view at White Rock so Sidekick Pauli is searching for…?

Foggy Woods

The Blue trail winds down, then up to one of the lesser summits at 1015 feet (Mt. Ephraim road is at 500 feet). The summit is marked by a big rock pile. I added a rock to the pile and kept on.

Sidekick Pauli at the Lesser Summit of 1015 feet

Coming down the mountain, it looked as if the trail has been rerouted to accommodate new switchbacks! Nice! Soon after the switchback I spotted a dog barreling down the trail. “I have a dog.” I called out in a stage voice that hasn’t gotten much use since high school. The owners, thankfully, were able to call back their dog and get him on a leash. Sidekick Pauli is not fond of people or animals that intrude into her personal space without invitation! Crisis was averted and we continued down the trail once the dog and its owners passed by.

Having limited time and I chose to take the yellow trail back down to Mt. Ephraim Road. A new trail to explore, a welcome change! A nice trail too! Even though this is the “Horse Trail” it was wide and easy to walk.

Great Trail! Just for horses? Looks like cars too.

No obvious pock marks, not a lot of horse poo, but occasionally there was a disgusting, muddy puddle of water. This was not unexpected after the rain in the area this week!

Yuck, Yuck, Yuck! Sidekick Pauli…DON’T even THINK about it!

The complete loop, Blue from Mt. Ephraim road to White Rocks, then to the Yellow trail back to Mt Ephraim road, was about four miles. Long enough to get your mind in the right place, but short enough to not wear you out (just in case you have to go home and help with housework…)!

Grab the dog in your life and hike on! 🙂

July 6, 2015 by Kylena

Shenandoah NP – Snead Farm Trail

The day after I got back home from my section hike in Pennsylvania, I honestly felt like sleeping all day. A late to bed on Friday night after hiking 18 miles, then early rise to drive four hours in the rain back home left me a bit ragged out!

However, Little Caesar (my partner, not the pizza), did not have to do much convincing to get me in the car for a trip to Shenandoah NP. We had no intention of doing any serious hiking, but we have an annual pass and felt even a short visit would be a nice way to reconnect after my week away. Well, I thought that…it’s totally possible that she just wanted to get out of town and away from our pack of animals for a few hours. 🙂

After reaching the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center in the north district, we walked across Skyline Drive to pick up the Dickey Ridge trail to Snead Farm.

Oh, were my feet happy! I deserved this soft, soft, cushy, like a dream, trail after my week of communing with those rock strewn pathways of Pennsylvania! Beautiful, woodsy trail until you reach the fire road.

We swung left on the fire road to continue to Snead Farm. Wildflowers lined both sides of the road making our stroll more pleasant.

This is a short three mile hike and seemed to be popular with families. I love seeing Mom’s and Dad’s sharing and teaching their kids about the outdoors. 🙂 Takes me back to when I took my son out on hikes. 🙂 🙂
Anyway, a very adorable family came down the road as we returned.

One of the younger children had a camera and I asked of what he had been taking a picture. He replied with all the seriousness of a professional, “I am capturing the wilderness. ” 🙂

Keep clicking Kiddo and Hike On!

July 2, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Wind Gap to Delaware Water Gap (then to parking in NJ) ~18 miles

Day 7: June 26, 2015 Last day!

Snuggled in my sleeping bag in Stempa’s garage I said out loud, “I just had a sadistic thought.” Of course, Google and CanDo insisted I share. “Well, if it is going to rain on Saturday, then why don’t we just hike through to Delaware Water Gap tomorrow? It’s only 16 miles.” Google had been thinking the same thing and soon CanDo was in agreement.

So off we went to Wind Gap, again slack packing…Delaware Water Gap or Bust!

Of course, there was a climb coming out of Wind Gap and it seemed to go on for a long time! As usual, once on top it was the usual rocky and we were able to move pretty quickly along the ridge.

We DID NOT bypass the rocks! It was such a gorgeous day to be on the trail and we wanted to go up and see the view!

Our first landmark was Wolf Rocks about seven miles north of Wind Gap. So glad we did not take the bypass as the weather was great, the sky was blue and the Rhododendron was in bloom. Just gorgeous!

Up on Wolf Rocks

Rhododendron!!

Google wondered if we would have thought these rocks were as easy if we would have had to climb over them on day one or two. Regardless, they were flat and didn’t tip over! Beautiful walking across them!

CanDo in the thicket…or the thick of it!

Beautiful Day for a long hike!

One rock at a time! Google and BoobOnARock coming down from Wolf Rocks.

Coming down off the rocks was slow-ish…but still not too daunting. So off to Kirkridge we went!

Woohoo! Props to us, we made Kirkridge by 12:30 pm!

This was a personal challenge day for me and I felt good about progress so far and that my body actually felt good. My face showed my determination to finish this off.

Determined!

Why I wanted to get done, I am not sure. Maybe because seeing that little Bongo on the trail the day before made me miss my own Sidekick Pauli and the rest of the pack. Whatever, I was on my way and not going to be denied Delaware Water Gap today. 🙂

A few more rocks, a fire road walk that seemed to go on forever, then the descent into the Gap was all that was left.

Regular Rocky Trail

Google

A lot of Fire Road Walking prior to Mount Mimsi

A lot of Fire Road Walking prior to Mount Minsi

The best…like a serpent coming up out of the ground! Across the Gap.

Of course we got ice cream! How do you think we made it 18 miles? 🙂

It was a great week of challenges met!!

I wish I could say I was finished with the AT in PA, but I need about ten measly, little miles between Swatara Gap and 501. No problem…I will be back PA when my ankles are again their normal size! 🙂

Enjoy the Flipogram and Hike on!!!!

July 2, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Smith Gap to Wind Gap ~8 miles

Day 6: June 25, 2015 My Dad’s Birthday

We hiked this section starting at Wind Gap and hiking south to Smith Gap. There were more thunderstorms in the forecast, so we agreed to another night in Stempa’s garage.

I thought about my Dad today as I hiked backwards to Smith Gap. He has Alzheimer’s and his mind is not what it used to be. My moving south, instead of north, confused me at times and I wondered if my Dad could relate. We ran into hikers that had passed us yesterday. My Dad runs into thoughts daily that have passed him over the years. Is it now, or is it then? Have the years passed since meeting you, or am I meeting you for the first time? I hate what is happening to my Dad. I hate what is happening to my Mom as she experiences my Dad’s erratic behavior. I hate that I cannot help my sister and brother who are taking on the brunt of the responsibility for making decisions for my Mom and Dad out there in Hoosierland. I hope someone reminds my Dad that it is his birthday as I hike down this trail backwards.

***************************************************************************************************

The first climb going south out of Wind Gap is a climb, but not one that deserves much attention. Here are a few things that stuck like glue in my memory of our hike from North to South.

CanDo at Hahn’s Lookout

1) There was a negative guy wearing snake guards who I never met but I knew him intimately through the stories of other hikers. My eyes scanned the trail and shelters for this guy all day long…never ran into him! My takeaway…Be positive, Be polite, Be helpful if possible, and for God’s sake, smile at people on the trail…they are spreading stories about you the minute they run into another hiker!

No sign of Snake Guard Guy.

2) A thru-hiker at the shelter carried avocados with him. He put a whole avocado on a bagel, making an impossibly huge, awkward sandwich that I thought he would never be able to fit in his mouth…um, yeah, I was wrong! As impressive as that was though, it was his care in packing out the pitts that stole my heart. ❤ ❤ 🙂 🙂 Well, that, and when his friend got to the shelter, he insisted on the friend relaxing while he went the half mile down to the third spring (the only one with water) to refill all of their water bottles. My takeaway…Good friends are hard to find and once you have them make sure to continue to nurture that relationship.

Breaktime at Leroy Smith Shelter with the Bagel & Avocado eating thru hiker. 🙂

3) There was a trailer park across the road from the Wind Gap parking area, and Stempa was surprised none were trying to help these hikers who were out of water. My takeaway…People may not be able to help a hiker if they are in a position where they are having trouble just keeping their lives together. Or People may just not want to help … or may not know they can help. They may see a hiker and think “Wow! that guy must have a great life if he can just come out here and go for a long hike.”

It’s a great life being able to buzz around on the trail! Water or no Water, part of the fun is figuring it out! 🙂

4) Met another section hiker who, just by coincidence, was waiting at Smith Gap in her car when we arrived. She gave us a ride back to Stempa’s, without a second thought! We exchanged contact info…I plan to help her with the Maryland section, shuttles and such. My takeaway…never shy away from the opportunity to build your network of hiking friends!

An Unexpected Ride to Stempa’s smashed into the back of an SUV. 🙂

5) Met Bongo! A boston terrier hiking the trail with her humans. Adorable! You can follow Bongo’s journey through her human’s journal.

Bongo!!! Human’s admitted that she slackpacks occasionally. Love this little cutie!

It was a fun hike, but lacking the drama of climbing out of Lehigh Gap! But what I know for sure is this: Sometimes the trail itself does not excite, but the people are ALWAYS interesting! 🙂

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike On!

July 1, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Lehigh Gap to Smith Gap ~12 miles

Day 5: June 24, 2015

Okay. Yes. Um. I’m ready? Maybe. Okay. Yeah. Let’s Go!

The most anticipated day on this section. I had Googled it, YouTubed it, and sufficiently freaked myself over it! Then I pronounced we needed to slack pack our way up Lehigh Gap. I got no argument from Google or CanDo. Hmmm. What a surprise. 🙂

I had also found out that the water sources were pretty much nonexistent on the ridge between Lehigh Gap and Kirkridge Shelter (where there is a spigot!). So why not also stash water at Little Gap in CanDo’s car. This would make our packs even lighter! I still carried a liter and a half plus Gatorade…but it felt super light with everything else stashed at Little Gap!

So here we go!

Car is locked, let’s go!

Climbing was steeply uphill through the woods at first. No problem!

When I saw we were coming out of the tunnel of foliage, I knew the hike was about to get real. My heart started fluttering…argh! too many darn YouTube Videos!!

The First Look Down

Not so bad…except the blazes go straight up after this. 🙂

I took a deep breath and just told myself “put one foot in front of the other. This is just another mountain, just another pile of rocks, I got this!” So I climbed along the exposed ledge. No problems. Doing good! Oh FRICK… WHAT THE HELL??? I have to go where???

I had a “come to Jesus” moment when I got to a place that really pulled on everything I got to get up on the next level of rocks!!! It was like this: My feet were teetering on a thin little ledge and my arms were fully extended, fingers curled into notches that were barely more than slight indentations in the rock face. I looked down…oh, absolutely NOT going back down! I looked up and like a mantra repeated the “F” word several times in a row. I told myself there is no room to be self conscious about how I get this done. So I hurled myself up hissing the “F” word, pulled with my arms inhaling the “F” word. I was pushing like crazy with my legs, my feet flailing and scraping the rock face..more “F” word mantra with occasional short grunts. Cripes, it felt like child birth!!! Pain in a different place, but still! But I had that baby, yes, I did!

My “Come to Jesus” Moment

No thinking, Just Climbing! (Thanks Google for the pic!)

Google & BoobOnARock
Making our way UP!

Crawling over the top…Not a pretty picture, but major concentration going on here. Climb up, throw poles, climb to poles, throw them again…

I continued to cleave to that mountain until I crossed over the top of it and had a nice sit down by the FLAG…God Bless Freaking America…where you are free to kill yourself on any mountain you want! Whew!!!

I made it!! Happy Day! This is so cool up here! 🙂 (Thanks CanDo for the pic)

We made it to the top in an hour and a half, unbelievable…we thought it would take much longer. For sure, wanting to get off those crazy rocks is a mighty motivator! 🙂

Once at the top, the walking is easy and the views are absolutely gorgeous. I went between feeling like Maria in Sound of Music, to Heidi in …well, Heidi. Wildflowers, cool temps and great breeze. It almost felt like hiking in New Hampshire. 🙂 🙂

Google on the ridge

Superfund Sign
To find out more about Palmerton & Environmental Travesty caused by Zinc Smelting you can access the Lehigh Gap Nature Center Site
http://lgnc.org/conservation

On the approach to Little Gap, Google stopped to talk to the Ridgerunner about the water situation. We were all mulling over different plans in our heads, but none of us was talking out loud about anything yet…just thinking. The Ridgerunner mentioned John Stempa, who we knew from the FB section hiker page. Google texted a hiker friend for his number…then we packed up our packs, refilled on water, WATER…like I was now carrying my full pack and nearly 5, FIVE, liters of WATER. Camel I am NOT!!

Up we climbed out of Little Gap, slowly. Very slowly up a rock jumble hill. Stepping oh, so carefully, I felt the swing of that water and tried my best to stay ramrod straight!

Arrived at Delps Trail and campsite at 4:30 pm. CanDo headed for the woods, while Google and I dumped our packs and started talking. The water situation. We had enough for tonight, but the spring at Delps was dry, so what about tomorrow?

Taking a break!

Nice Campsite, but no water!

We went back and forth. Google checked her phone and saw that her friend had provided Stempa’s number. She puts in a call, maybe he can give more info on the water situation.

John Stempa did more than that! What a guy! He enticed us to hike another 2.7 miles to Smith Gap by offering us showers, water, dinner and his garage to sleep in! We took the bait and hiked that last 2.7 like a boss (after ditching most of the water we had struggled to carry for the last 5 miles).

Dinner at the Kunkletown Pub with John Stempa. 🙂

If you are ever hiking in the area, look him up…a Trail Legend! $10 to stay at his place, extra for dinner at Kunkletown Pub!

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike On!

June 30, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA New Tripoli Campsite to Lehigh Gap 12 miles

Day 4: June 23, 2015

This day garners a “holy shit” in my book. It began with a 0.2 climb out of the New Tripoli Campsite. That was just the warm up! The star of the hour was Knife Edge…we thought it was going to be the big event of the day…but were properly humbled by several more rock piles of boulders tipped at precarious angles just begging us to slip and fall!

When we got in sight of Knife Edge I thought, “Oh, and here we go.” I don’t know, I may have said it out loud too because just at that moment Google got a look at the Knife Edge and exclaimed, “Oh, I have to pee!”

The Knife Edge

Google showing her fancy footwork on the Knife Edge

Not to go into details, but the only place to go was on the rocks, and so she did. As she was in her compromised position, a man’s voice exclaims loud and clear, “That is quite a sight so early in the morning.” Haha…no room for modesty!! This was our introduction to ISO, a thruhiker, on his way north. You can read his account of that moment in his trail journal!

BoobOnARock on Knife Edge (thanks CanDo for the pic)

After the Knife Edge, we continued to climb up and over the rocks that make up Bake Oven Knob. At one point, during a descent, I stopped, completely puzzled on how I was to get down. I had come upon a sheer drop off of about 5 feet. How to do it? I stood there thinking as Google and CanDo approached from behind. I thought about sitting and sliding, but my legs weren’t long enough to ensure a good landing on the tilted rocks below. I thought about climbing around it and finding another way down, but after looking around and all the other RIDICULOUS options, I decided NO. There had to be a way down! I had been eyeing a tree that had some flexible branches with some interest. “Hey, I remember as a kid getting down from trees by holding onto a branch and letting gravity gently take me down to the ground”, I thought to myself, “Why not? why not do that now?” I did it! I grabbed onto the limb and jumped! It worked! I was down!

I turned to look triumphantly at Google and CanDo…I did it, I did it!…”Oh crap!” My pack was so heavy it began to pull me backwards…I was moving…falling…gently, but definitely headed down! I hung onto that limb as if my life depended on it. Well, my life was depending on it as I slowly bent backwards until, good lord, I was upside down! “If this limb breaks I am dead meat…Well, I am not letting go until I can secure myself.” Google and CanDo were rollling, and I was laughing hysterically. But I had to hold on! I couldn’t stop gravity!! I notched my boots somehow and pulled myself up into a sitting position. Success! I had Tarzanned down!

And while Google and CanDo may have thought me crazy…Google ended up catching that limb down for a ride also. Although, she did it more gracefully than me! Haha!! 🙂 🙂

On another rock jumble, we saw a beautiful rattle snake sunning himself up on the rocks. I didn’t even notice him, and for sure he didn’t see us as a threat! CanDo got a nice shot of him though!

Then the trail got a little nicer and we started making better time. We met three women headed for Knife Edge. They told us there was an approaching storm for later in the afternoon, hail, strong winds, torrential rains…oh joy. We picked up the pace!

In fact the reason I don’t have a lot of pics for this post is because thunder chased us down the trail! We stopped in at Bake Oven Knob shelter as the sky got dark and the winds were picking up. A little rain fell, but then nothing else. So we took off for Outerbridge shelter at a good clip!

Outerbridge Shelter (thanks CanDo for the pic)

When we pulled into Outerbridge, we met up again with ISO. Taking time to rest and have an actual conversation with him was great. He is a good guy and we decided since we were going to stash water for ourselves at Little Gap (on the other side of Lehigh Gap), that we would stash a gallon for him as well! There is no water on the ridge!

Hey! A guy offered us a ride on the bridge! (thanks CanDo for the pic)

We walked the final mile downhill to our car motivated by the fact we would be staying at a hotel in town while it stormed outside!

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike On!

June 29, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Eckville Shelter to New Tripoli Campsite 13.3 miles

Day 3: June 22, 2015

Well, after an evening of thru hiker tales, including one about a hiker who took part in “hike naked” day, I conked out before it got dark in the Eckville Shelter!

Up early, ate my granola bars, and was ready to go! I swore off oatmeal after the last backpack. Why? I mean it is so good for me! It’s gross. It’s mushy. I have never liked oatmeal and do not see any reason I should eat that crap on the trail…unless it is cold out…then I suffer just so I can have something warm to eat. But I am working on an alternative to that also… 🙂

Watched several hikers leave as I sat at the picnic table and waited for Google and CanDo. Wondered for a moment if they would be offended if I just started hiking. But then I decided it was probably better to stick together since I didn’t want to do anything crazy without someone to spot me!

After getting back on the trail it resumed the regular rockiness. After a bridge crossing, the trail ascends steeply to the ridge. Nothing like a climb to get you warmed up in the morning!

Cute little bridge crossing this morning.

After passing the side trail to Hawk Mountain it is just another mile slightly uphill to Dan’s Pulpit. I was looking forward to this as it would give a view back to the Pinnacle…and I love to be able to look back at where I hiked before. It was blessedly sunny today, which allowed for a good view at Dan’s Pulpit.

Dan’s Pulpit looking at the Pinnacle

Pennsylvania raised its rocky head afterwards! Lots of fun rock jumbles meant tedious walking. Nothing like stepping on a rock that decides to dance with you! Add to that rising temperatures…whew. Every once in a while a great breeze would catch me unaware and I would just be like “Yesssssss!” The heat and the rocks had us slowing down a bit and I was happy to pull into the Allentown Shelter for a break and lunch. 🙂

Passed the Tri-County Corner

Yay! the Shelter at 7.4 miles.

Lunch!

I chugged my Gatorade, took off my shoes and rubbed my feet! These rocks were getting to be serious business. But after the shelter…smooth sailing. We got to Rt. 301 relatively quickly. It was flat fire roads again with beautiful ferns lining the path. Overhead, the blue skies and puffy white clouds went on forever. A gorgeous, hot day!

Nice trail after the shelter!

We found the turn off for New Tripoli Campsite without any drama…but when we started to go down steeply I was momentarily discouraged. Down, down, down. It seemed like forever! It was totally worth it. Great campsite with access to a very nice water source, a stream. How delightful to soak my feet in the stream after a hard day hiking. 🙂

Awwwwwww…..nice and cold!

It was a long day and when I climbed into my bag I fell asleep almost immediately. Tomorrow – the big day, Knife Edge and Bake Oven Knob. *snore* ZZZZzzzzzzz

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike on!

June 29, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Windsor Furnace Shelter to Eckville Shelter 9.1 miles

Day 2: June 21, 2015

When we turned in the night before, everyone camping around the shelter had instructed us to yell if Scott Jurek ended up coming through. The buzz was up and down the trail, all of us wanting to cheer him on when he passed us!

Bag Lady dutifully checked in late … just to see if he was really still in Port Clinton. She had a look of concern on her face…he is on the move! WHAT!!! It is raining, storming, lightning, thunder!! But the tracker was erratic…and by the time we figured out his location he was nearing Eckville Shelter. 😦 So much for technology! He passed us while we were hiding out in the shelter!! Records wait for no storm apparently.

All those who were looking forward to seeing Scott on the trail were just a little bummed out. We had been soooooooo close! Well, we had that I suppose.

Bag Lady was only hiking with us for the first two days and decided she was going to take a blue blazed trail to bypass Pulpit and Pinnacle. We tried to convince her otherwise, but she was ready high tail it out of these wet, wet woods and rocks. So we said our goodbyes, and she headed to the right on Hamburg Road and we headed up the AT to the left.

I never get tired of being in the woods after a good rain.

Headed up!

As we began to climb a rock pile near the Pulpit, we all agreed that Bag Lady would not have approved of this trail! It was not a bad climb, just a lot of rocks. I thought it was fun, but of course, you know…this is only the second day and the excitement of climbing over rock jumbles is still fresh. 🙂

Climbing the Jumble!

This is where we heard the voice from beyond…

As we neared the top of the jumble, we heard a voice from beyond, ” Deeeebbbbbiiiee?”. That is Google’s name, and we looked at each other and busted out laughing…Bag Lady?!!! Bag Lady had gotten turned around and had ended up climbing an even steeper hill only to end up back with us! Oh, the humility! Welcome back, Bag Lady!

We all came together at the view from Pulpit Rock. The rain was gone, but the heat and humidity was back in full force. The sweat was dripping down my back and when I took my pack off, the straps were soaked. But the breeze felt so good as it cooled me off considerably!

View from the Pulpit

Leaving Pulpit Rock we hiked on together and in a few miles we found a nice break spot at the Pinnacle and a found a few of our reptile friends as well!

Rock Pile at the Pinnacle

Climbing over the rocks to get to the Pinnacle Ledge

View from the Pinnacle

Look! Bag Lady is waving!

My Reptile Friend is quite handsome!

Then it was a long descent to the Eckville Shelter. The last part of the hike was a flat fire road which was pleasant but hard on the feet after a while. We had been hiking it for about a half hour when Google stopped and whispered “listen!” Bullfrogs! I found two frogs talking to each other on a log…so cool!

Then we kept walking, dodging puddles, as we made our way down the fire road until Bag Lady left us to get her car in the Gamelands Parking lot near Eckville. She was going to drive around to Eckville Shelter and meet up with us before heading back home.

A long, flat road…not as easy on the feet as you might think!

Arriving at Hawk Mountain Road, we turned right and walked the last o.2 miles to the Eckville Shelter. OH!!! What a lovely place! Hummingbirds, flowers, a barefoot quality lawn! And, and, and … a shower! That’s not all…the caretaker, Mic, gave us popsicles!!!!

When you ask a question Mic will ask, “Did you read the map?”

Love the Hummingbirds!

Hikers gather-A bubble of thru hikers came in.

The shelter

Sitting and Chatting with Mic

After Shower and Rinsing out clothes (thanks CanDo for the photo)!

And the final sweet spot…Bag Lady and CanDo went to get us Gatorade, cold Gatorade!!

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike on!

June 29, 2015 by Kylena

AT-PA Port Clinton to Windsor Furnace Shelter 6.1 miles

Day 1: June 20, 2015

Google, Bag Lady, CanDo and I met up at our hotel on Friday, June 19. We cruised by Cabela’s in Port Clinton since CanDo had a last minute gear issue, then had a great dinner before returning to our hotel for the night.

In the morning, it was raining. Pouring actually. Oh, to start a section hike in the pouring rain would be demoralizing, not to mention just plain crappy. We got in our cars and headed up to Lehigh Gap. We were leaving two cars at the east parking lot in the Gap. After getting each car parked and our gear into Google’s car, we headed back down to Port Clinton.

Then, glorious divine intervention! The rain stopped!

Google parked in the lot just south of town on Rt. 61. CanDo decided to hike the Blue Blaze to the AT, while Google, Bag Lady and I took the longer route through town. The barbershop already had a few thru hikers hanging out in front and they called out a friendly hello as we passed by. The barber tried to distract us with cookies, but we were focused, determined, and ready to hike!

Continuing down the street, a cute beagle let us know we were on his territory as we walked by his fenced yard! Turning the corner we were now on the AT and soon saw CanDo waiting for us at the gate.

Google & Bag Lady

We were now officially on our way! The walk along the Schuylkill River is very pleasant, although there were a few muddy spots this morning. We chatted about Scott Jurek. He was currently about 35 miles behind us…Bag Lady had been tracking him all week. We had all been discussing the possibility of seeing him during our trek, and now it looked like he might pass us somewhere on the trail today!!

When we started climbing Blue Mountain out of Port Clinton conversation all but stopped as the terrain became steeper. Google and CanDo pulled ahead, while Bag Lady and I kept a more casual pace (translation: slow as molasses but not as sweet).

Climbing Blue Mountain

Bag Lady & I found Google & CanDo waiting for us at the top!

It was a long climb with a full pack, but eventually the endorphins kicked in leaving me giddy! Suddenly, everything was great…the weather, the view, the trail, being outdoors, life, oh…I thought someone was going to slap me I felt so good! 🙂

The trail from the top of Blue Mountain to the shelter was surprisingly decent. There were some small rocky spots, but plenty of smooth trail too.

Descending around the rocks

Pocahontas Spring sign

Consulting the Map

Not a bad trail!

A little more rocky, but still decent!

Back to sweet trail

Hamburg Road

Windsor Furnace Area

Our packs were covered in case of rain, but we arrived at the shelter high and dry! We set up, ate dinner, and checked in to see where Scott was on the trail. He was approaching Port Clinton! Then the tracker showed he had stopped for a while.

Waiting for Scott

We checked in a while later, Scott was still in Port Clinton…and it had begun to rain. Then it started storming…Scott was still in Port Clinton at 8:30 pm…guess he was spending the night.

One more check in…yep, still in Port Clinton!

Headed to bed, but by all means feel free to hike on!

Girl Gone Hiking

One step, then one step more

Tag Archives: Hiking

Morning Stroll at Antietam Battlefield

A Shorter Loop at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland

Shenandoah NP – Snead Farm Trail

AT – PA Wind Gap to Delaware Water Gap (then to parking in NJ) ~18 miles

AT – PA Smith Gap to Wind Gap ~8 miles

AT – PA Lehigh Gap to Smith Gap ~12 miles

AT – PA New Tripoli Campsite to Lehigh Gap 12 miles

AT – PA Eckville Shelter to New Tripoli Campsite 13.3 miles

AT – PA Windsor Furnace Shelter to Eckville Shelter 9.1 miles

AT-PA Port Clinton to Windsor Furnace Shelter 6.1 miles

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