Not surprisingly, I wake pretty frequently starting at 2 am. I had some really crazy dreams involving driving in circles inside a shopping mall that took up most of the trail estate in DC, and trying to get out so I could get home. Very weird. Anyway, I get up at 4:15 a.m. for the day.
It's not raining, but I know I'm going to be brushing against a lot of wet foliage, plus I'm not sure of what the weather is going to do, so I don my rain gear before slipping into my delightfully wet and cold socks and shoes.
I hike immediately up a hill, gaining about 600 feet of elevation, which makes me nice and toasty warm. I have great cell phone reception so I call home to say good morning to my husband. The sun rises to my right, but the trees occlude any good view of it. The song "Good Morning Starshine" pops into my head, as it always does when I see a sunrise.
The hike is relatively easy and I feel like I'm cruising down the trail. Little red-spotted salamanders are loving the rain and like to hang out in the middle of the trail. The occasional frog hops in front of me. Before long I am at Birch Run Shelter, almost eight miles from Quarry Gap. I feel really good today. I've been eating frequently this morning and drinking a lot of water.
I pass the empty shelter, closed because of a recent bat infestation which then produced a bat bug infestation. Apparently, they are very similar to bed bugs. If you want to clear out a shelter really quickly, just say bed bugs! I don't even go near the shelter, despite the rain.
A short way past the shelter I go to check on one of my favorite little hidden campsites along the trail. I'm walking down the side trail when I trip on something and go flying forward. My phone flies out of my hand, as do my hiking poles. Thankfully I braced my fall with my left arm and I don't think I'm really hurt, but I am definitely shaken.
My watch starts this terrible noise. It says it detected a fall and it's going to trigger a call. I'm scrambling to figure out how to stop the noise while I'm trying to get my breath.
I figure out how to silence the alarm. That would not be good if my family got a message that I fell while I'm out of cell phone service. My mother would have a great attack. I carefully evaluate the damage. I landed on something sharp on my left butt cheek. The skin wasn't punctured, but I'm going to have one hell of a bruise. My left elbow is really sore. I think I hyperflexed it. Ugh, that's going to ache tomorrow.
The hidden campsite was definitely not worth the fall. It's not at all like it used to be; with chairs of cut logs and tables made from logs and branches. I back out of the clearing and head up the trail period disappointed in myself for falling like that.
A short time later I cross Dead Woman's Hollow Road, which earned the name when a woman was bitten by a rattlesnake and died. No one knows who the woman was, but the name stuck.
This is also the site of a tragedy when, in 1988, a young mountain man shot two young women camping in the woods. One of the young women hiked four miles to get help, miraculous because she was shot five times. Unfortunately her friend was dead by the time the police arrived. How sad.
I see a man in coveralls taking down the "Campfire Prohibited" signs. He looks at me sheepishly and says "You know it's been a little wet?"
I reply that I think I'm going to end up with trench foot, it's been quite wet. When he says "Well, at least it's only on Wednesdays."
And I say "Yeah, but isn't it going to rain this weekend, too?"
He shrugs and says "Yeah, but at least you can have fires now!" And I'm thinking if I could ever find any dry firewood maybe...
A short time later I look at the time to see how I'm coming and I realize I have done almost nine miles and it's only 9 30 a.m.!!
I've always wanted to do 10 by 10! I Turn on the gas because this is a goal that's in my reach.
By 9:50 I hit the ten mile mark! I did it! I made 10 by 10. Now I need to try not to let the rest of my day fall to pieces because I hiked too fast this morning, haha.
The remainder of the day is non-eventful. The gradients on these hills are really easy. By the time I hit the 10 miles, I only made little over 1,000 feet of elevation gain. With the rest of the little hills, I only have an additional thousand feet to get to Pine Grove Furnace State Park, which is super easy by AT standards.
The trail meanders over the ridge and crosses many of the dirt and gravel roads that service the state forest. The area surrounding the trail has been burned, and what isn't burned is diseased and dying. Even with the burned and dying trees, the trail is unbelievably pretty. The understory is extremely thick on both sides of the trail. Lots and lots of the most beautiful pink mountain laurel crowd the trail, and blueberry bushes are blooming prolifically, promising a bounty of tasty berries later in the summer.
I don't know if it's the ease of the trail, the beautiful pink dark pink blooms of the mountain laurel, or just the fact that the rain has stopped and the birds are singing, but this is by far one of the nicest days I have hiked in a very very long time. The temperature is moderate, and by noon the sun emerges from the clouds and I stop to take off my long-sleeved shirt.
The trail finally leaves the burned out ridge and descends down for a short time. I am hiking down the hill when a woman comes up behind me, and I am delighted to see Soft Serve. I ask if she liked the hostel and she says it was nice but "interesting," as the service last night was lively with music and singing. One of the hikers, who was covered in bee stings, was asked to stand in front of the congregation who then proceeded to lay hands on him to aid in his healing. Soft Serve said the food was wonderful, as were the accommodations.
We hike together down the hill, Soft Serve in the lead and hiking fast. I ask if she is planning on participating in the Half-Gallon Challenge when she gets to Pine Grove Furnace State Park; a rite of passage on the AT, where participants eat a half gallon of Hershey's Ice cream within a 30 minute period. She says she isn't much into ice cream, but would happily eat something savory.
Then we spend some time talking about nutrition on the trail; a favorite topic of many long distance hikers. We chat about the challenge of getting healthy food and eating enough protein and calories. Neither of us are in to eating a lot of the junk food that makes up a big portion of the mainstream diet out here.
We pass an older couple who are out for a day hike, and we stop to chat with them for a minute. They ask if we would like a snack and give us each a packet of Oreos, which we both happily accept. Even though we are both into healthier eating, we both agree that free food is always welcome!
A very short time later, we come to a stream, and I tell Soft Serve that I am going to stop and filter some water and she continues on the trail, giddy with excitement over getting some food at the state park. I am really thirsty, as I drank the last of my water some time ago.
I chug the cold stream water as I walk through Tom's Run Shelter area. There were two shelters here at one time, but one of the burnt down and was not replaced. The area is beautiful and park-like, with a grassy lawn above the shelter and a tree-covered camping area between the shelter and the stream below.
A young woman sporting a short-sleeved shirt emblazoned with the ridge runner patch on the sleeve approaches me and we chat for a few minutes. She tells me that people will be out working on sawing blowdowns and widow makers later today.
A tenth of a mile further, I reach the tall sign marking the halfway point of the entire trail! The big sign, next to a mailbox with a trail register, proclaims I am 1,090.5 miles from Springer Mountain to the south and Mount Katahdin to the north, although I am really at mile 1,101. I don't have the brain cells to work that out in my head. I take a picture and sign the register. What an accomplishment!
My feet are definitely tired by the time I reach Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The park store and snack bar is next to the Ironmasters Hostel, where I can hear people chatting on the porch of the big, old building. I am not much of either an ice cream or a sweets person, but a soda sure sounds really good right now.
As I'm walking up to the store I see Soft Serve sitting out front at a cafe table. She is digging into a burger and fries and tells me the cowboy burger is outstanding. I wasn't planning on eating here, but a burger sounds amazing and I go inside and order the same.
A short time later, I am enjoying one of the best burgers I've ever had in my life, while Soft Serve tells me about her adventures on the Pacific Crest Trail. I ask how her Appalachian Trail experience differs from her time on the Pacific Crest Trail, and she tells me the AT is more difficult but more social. The wet conditions of the AT are a huge change as well.
A gentleman hiker walks over to introduce himself and says that he and his daughter are thru-hiking the trail. She finished college a semester early to do this with him. I think this so wonderful.
We all say goodbye and I get to my truck and make the 40-minute trip to my mother's cousin's home to spend the night.
They are wonderful hosts, and I get an amazing dinner, fun stories, and a much needed shower and laundry.
Today's Stats: 17.3 miles, 1,985 feet elevation gain, 2,526 feet loss
Trail Stats: 1105 miles, 237K feet gain, 242K feet loss
