Another marathon day today. Today Not Bad and I crossed the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail. A tall sign has been erected, but the trail’s length is always changing, so the official marker doesn’t really mark the middle. This year the trail is 2174.6 miles, but the halfway sign says that Springer and Katahdin […]
30 Mile Day on the Appalachian Trail – AT Thru-Hike Day 106
Location: Unknown Shelter South of Boiling Springs I hiked 30 miles today, my first day in the thirties. When I woke up this morning, I went to the diner and filled up on my usual breakfast choices. I was starving after yesterday’s hangover and I needed an energy boost to hike to Boiling Springs. I […]
Hungover in Duncannon – AT Thru-Hike Day 105
Location: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA I woke up this morning with a mean hangover. No doubt last night’s tequila shots caused my throbbing headache. I started the day with bottles of water, but soon the vomiting commenced. The nauseas feelings that I experienced outside Rutland, VT returned, and I remembered why I decided that I […]
Wasting the Day in Duncannon – AT Thru-Hike Day 104
Location: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA I slept well last night despite sharing the bed with Not Bad. The bed was surprisingly comfortable. I went to the diner across the street and ordered my usual breakfast: French toast, two scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and orange juice. I didn’t get a bagel this morning. Breakfast was good, […]
Arrival at the Storied Doyle Hotel – AT Thru-Hike Day 103
Location: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA I’ve failed to keep up with my journal for the last couple of days. Pennsylvania is a rocky mess, and the vistas are unremarkable. Little to tell really. This morning though, Druid and Not Bad met me at the shelter. Not Bad didn’t make it to the shelter last night. […]
Killing Time in Port Clinton – AT Thru-Hike Day 102
Location: Microtel, Hamburg, PA Druid, Not Bad, Aaron, Moses, and I stayed in the hotel room last night. Somehow I got one of the beds to myself. We watched football and Sportscenter all night and I slept well in a bed without anyone else in it. I think it would be my first bed alone […]
Crashing at Microtel – AT Thru-Hike Day 101
Location: Microtel, Hamburg, PA Katie and I woke up in the cold morning tired after a restless night. If one of us moved in the night it would be impossible to avoid disturbing the other in the small two person tent. The tent may be a two-man tent, but it’s a tight squeeze. It reminds […]
Side Trip on the Appalachian Trail – AT Thru-Hike Day 100
Location: Pocahontas Stream Campground Katie arrived in Palmerton, PA around 11:00pm last night. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her waving to me from the parking lot. I have come so far and finally received a visit from someone from my life before the trail. Katie looked the same, but certainly I look […]
Waiting for Trail Angel at Palmerton City Jail – AT Thru-Hike Day 99
Location: Hampton Inn outside Palmerton, PA Everyone slept late this morning after getting to bed late. Ten o’clock seemed like six o’clock as everyone limped around on sore feet from the rocky walk yesterday into town. Not much went on today. The rain fell until about 4:00pm, so everyone hesitated to return to the trail. […]
A Night in Jail on the Appalchian Trail – AT Thru-Hike Day 98
Location: City Jail, Palmerton, PA At 4:30am, I was rudely woken by cold rain leaking through the roof of my tent. The rain had begun at midnight when I finally fell asleep. A puddle of the cold September rain gathered on my tent fly and grew for hours. Eventually the tent fabric gave way to […]