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Laid Back Sue and I spent the afternoon waiting out the heat, and swam for a few hours at the Caledonia State Park pool. In the late afternoon we hiked eight miles to the Milesburn Cabin and camped in the area for the night. The bugs were pretty aggressive so we had a rare summer campfire this evening with an overnight hiker named Tim.
During the hitch with Stanley, we missed about 14 miles of trail between PA 16 and Caledonia State Park. I returned to this area in the Summer of 1996 to finish these miles.
Thursday, July 14, 1994 (IronMaster’s Mansion) – Left Milesburn Cabin for a 12.4 mile hike to Pine Grove Furnace State Park Made it to the park by 3:30pm and planned to swim in the lake, but a second thunderstorm pelted us – and hard. Waited it out under the eve of a concession stand and had a late lunch while we were there. The IronMaster’s hotel was near the park, so we walked over and stayed for the night. Hit the jacuzzi for 30 minutes and enjoyed the reading room which had a plenty of Backpacker magazines and other outdoor books. There were only three other thru-hikers in the hostel this evening, but there were lots of Girl Scouts (and a few other random park guests). The place reminded me of Elmer’s in some ways and was $10 for the night.
Friday, July 15, 1994 (Moyer’s Mountain Retreat) – Sue and I hiked 8.6 miles today and most of the time were with Daredevil David who also stayed in the hostel last night. Got a late start out of the Ironmaster’s Mansion since my pack frame snapped and many of the hostel patrons were busy trying to assist. Tom, the hostel manager, was the most helpful of the bunch and did his best to make it trail worthy. I talked Daredevil David in to a game of life-size chess before we left the hostel, then Laid Back Sue joined us for the short walk back to Pine Grove Furnance State Park. We hit the lake at 12:15pm and swam in the former quarry for an hour. A piece of heavy machinery hit an underground spring many years ago which caused the the lake to flood and the land is now a State Park.
Just north of the park is the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail. It is marked by a large sign that was planted smack in the middle of the forest. Took some photos, then spent the next hour contemplating all the experiences that I’d had over the last three months and the many to come. By late afternoon, Laid Back Sue and I reached a road where we met a 1992 thru-hiker that was just finishing a mountain bike ride. He offered to take us to Moyer Mountain Retreat where we pitched tents at the somewhat run-down and dumpy campground. A major thunderstorm hit us at 5:30pm this evening, so Sue and I sat it out on a cluttered stage near our campsite. It had a black and white TV on it – but we were unable to get it to work. Daredevil David never showed tonight, but it was kind of cool sitting out the rain undercover.
(There was a young guy working the counter when we checked in at the campground – and there was a freezer with assorted ice cream in it. I noticed a Scooter Crunch which is one of my favorites – and despite his condemnation – I ate it. (I think his exact word were “”I wouldn’t eat that if I were you!”) It clearly had melted at some point and had re-frozen – but was surprisingly good. And thru-hikers don’t turn down treats, unless the circumstances are extreme. Yet I survived with no issues.)
Saturday, July 16, 1994 (Boiling Springs B&B) – Laid Back Sue and I left Moyer’s at 6:15am to hike 11.4 miles and arrive in Boiling Springs before the Post Office closed at noon. We made it by 10:30am which gave us plenty of time to repackage our bounce boxes and mail some things ahead. Went to lunch with Alpo and Quilter who are a middle-aged couple that are getting off the trail this weekend. They are nice people, but they have had enough of thru-hiking. Bid them farewell, then hung around the ATC headquarters for most of the afternoon. Saw Chet Shaspri’s journal entry from last year. He is a WFU Sigma Chi that hiked southbound in 1993. In the evening, Sue and I walked over to a local Bed & Breakfast and pitched our tents in their back lawn for $1/night. It’s a really nice place – especially at this rate – and it is much more convenient to town than the designated area just south on the A.T. Went to the Tavern for some beers this evening and had a great time. This is a very quaint town that has a New England feel to it. The Mojo is back – I’m really enjoying the trail these days.
Sunday, July 17, 1994 (Conodogvinet Creek NPS House) – Spoke with Mom from a pay phone this morning, but missed Dad who was on Had lunch with the ATC rep and his wife then hit the trail with Laid Back Sue in the early afternoon to hike 11.4 miles. We arrived at the National Park Service building by 7pm and made a side trip to a nearby grocery. Normally the NPS building is off-limits to hikers, but the caretaker gave us the blessing to stay for the night and by 8pm we were joined by Squeeze Box and Mad Markum – about when the the rain came down. Met Lighting Rod from 1991 this evening who was in the How To Hike The Appalachian Trail video that I watched this winter in preparation for the hike.
Hit the ice cream place in town then visited the infamous Doyle Hotel. A southbounder tipped us off that it was a dump and after a closer inspection – we agreed. Laid Back Sue seemed somewhat jazzed to stay, but the rest of us talked her in to a clean and fairly nice motel room at the Duncannon Truck Stop. In defense of the Doyle, many hikers reported the owners were very cool and that they had good times at their bar which is located on the main level of the “Hotel”. Spent most of the evening detaching and reattaching the frame on my pack. Dropped $8 on dinner with Squeeze Box and Laid Back Sue at the truck stop, then hung out in the room for the rest of the night.
Tuesday, July 19, 1994 (Peter’s Mountain Shelter) – Had breakfast with Laid Back Sue at the truck stop, then walked in to
I was very tired when we finally arrived at the Blue Blaze Hostel tonight. I was also sweating profusely. The shower at the hostel was HUGE and there was some quality reading material on site – Backpacker, Outside Magazines, etc. The place kind of reminds me of our cabin in Canada for some reason. So this is a great stop. Unfortunately, the heat and humidity made it a bit stuffy inside, so I opted to pitch the tent tonight. I think it was 90 degrees in my tent – hotter and stuffier than the hostel – so keeping the rainfly on was clearly a mistake. I ended up stripping all my clothes off so I could sleep. At least there was a bright and beautiful moon tonight.
Thursday, July 21, 1994 (501 Shelter/Hostel) – Hiked 14 miles today from the Blue Blaze to the 501 Hostel. We are living
Saturday, July 23, 1994 (Port Clinton Pavilion) – We were up at 5:30am this morning to hike 8.8 miles in to Port Clinton Back at the pavilion, I realized that my shoulder straps were still drying in the Hamburg laundromat. I took them off my pack to wash out the three months of sweat that had accumulated in the padding, and they were still hanging on the open washer door. So I went to Bob’s house (only a few blocks away) and caught another ride in to town. On the walk through Port Clinton, a heavy rain soaked my pants and Bob insisted that his wife use their dryer to air out my hiking clothes. So he suited me up in his vintage 70’s wear, and it was classic to say the least. Bob also gave me a tour of the nearby Port Clinton museum and I’m very grateful for his kindness and generosity.
Sunday, July 24, 1994 (Eckville Shelter/Hostel) – Laid Back Sue and I had an excellent breakfast this morning at the local We reached Hawk Mountain Road and the Eckville Shelter/Hostel in the late afternoon and Lisa arrived as planned. Enjoyed her pizza and some beers provided by Mick, the caretaker. Had a big crowd here tonight which included Laid Back Sue, Squeeze Box, Markum, Harmony of Spheres, Brr, Feather, Molassas Nancy, Flapper, and FES. Major lightening and thunderstorms pounded us this evening, and with a full hostel I ended up tenting in the rain.
Monday, July 25, 1994 (Bake Oven Knob Shelter) – Left the Eckville Shelter at 9am today with Laid Back Sue and hiked ten miles on a blue blazed trail/road then another nine miles on the A.T. for a total of 18.7 miles today. Enjoyed the views from Bear Rocks in the afternoon, and reached Bake Oven Knob Road at 6:30pm to meet Lisa. She had a case of cold beer and more pizzas for us again tonight. Laid Back Sue, Squeeze Box, Markum, Harmony of Spheres, Brr, Feather, Flapper, and FES were also at the shelter again this evening. So we had plenty of help carrying in the supplies. Unfortunately, the shelter was occupied by a youth group, and we had to pitch tents and use a nearby campsite for the night. Tried to get Lisa to camp with us this evening, but she has to work tomorrow and left at dark.
Tuesday, July 26, 1994 (Palmerton “Jailhouse Hostel”) – Laid Back Sue and I left the shelter at 9:30am this morning and
Wednesday, July 27, 1994 (Anchor Inn Bed & Breakfast) – Laid Back Sue’s aunt picked me up at 8am this morning and ran us up the trail 20.6 miles to
Thursday, July 28, 1994 (Church Of The Mountain Hostel) – Sue’s aunt took us back to Wind Gap today but this time we After dinner, walked to a nearby bar with Squeeze Box, Laid Back Sue, Mad Markum, Flapper and the Motor City Ramblers. Had a fun evening and plan to stick around tomorrow until Kara rolls in to town.
(To continue, follow this link to read about BirdShooter’s thru-hike in New Jersey and New York.)
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