It’s Not All Hype

So many things I heard about the Trail turned out to be different than what I experienced. I did not get the “Virginia Blues” and I’ve yet to get a blister. However, they were not kidding about the rocks in Pennsylvania. When we left the coffee shop in Boiling Springs on Monday the Barista apologized for what we were about to experience. Yikes!

I got up with the sun this morning and headed out on our 25 mile hike. As soon as I left the campsite it started to get really rocky and technical. At times, it felt more like bouldering than hiking. The pace was frustrating but I tried my best to just accept it and enjoy the different terrain. I got a break from it as we hiked through the center of Duncannon and I picked up my new shipment of Outdoor Herbivore from the Post Office. Their food is so healthy and good and I was so happy to fill up my pack with it.

I stopped for water at the Peter Mountain Shelter and they had a friendly little sign that said “Spring .2 Miles – 300 Steps”. I headed down to fill up my water bags and quickly realized that they meant 300 stairs – not steps. I may have been cussing a bit by the time I made it back to the top. The last thing you want on a long hike like today is 600 more steps to add to your count. My grand total for today is 64,470 so I didn’t need any extra credit.

Not too many critters today but we do have a very friendly porcupine at our campsite tonight. These guys can be a real pain. They love to nibble on hiker gear for the salt and will show up in your tent if you don’t watch them carefully. There are even signs posted in this part of the Trail to be careful with your stuff or else these little guys will chew right through you pack straps.

We are pushing hard today and tomorrow to get to the next shelter where we can order pizza! It will be another 25 mile day tomorrow and then I hope we can slow down a bit after we get out of Pennsylvania. I like that we are getting closer to the goal but I don’t want this to end too quickly.