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Harrisburg PA to DWG

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    • Harrisburg PA to DWG

      Between September 23 and October 10, I hiked the Appalachian Trail between the Cove Mountain and Kirkridge shelters in Pennsylvania. My longest day was 13 miles. I did two 13 mile days back to back, and two 12 mile days back to back, but mostly slept in late and shelter hopped, with a couple of zeros thrown in. If I had to do it over, I would carry my Katadyn water filter, more stove fuel, more hot chocolate, less oatmeal, and less Crystal light. My Big Agnes 15F sleeping bag was much warmer than needed. I used it with a CCF pad. The CCF pad rolls up and hangs from the bottom of my Osprey Exos 58 pack. I broke the strap on my pack cover, but had no problem with rain. I did not hike in rain, except for a few drops shortly before reaching Eckville shelter. I stuffed the sleeping bag and a wind shirt, wind pants, spare socks, and a balaclava in a Sea to Summit Nano sack, wrapped a garbage bag around the sack, and packed it horizontally at the bottom of the pack. My Granite Gear Haven bug tent, 8 x 10 Etowah Gear silnylon tarp, and Vargo Titanium tent pegs went in another stuff sack. I packed my food bag and shelter sack side by side vertically in my pack. Two zippered fleece jackets took up the remaining space. My all aluminum adjustable alcohol burner, pot stand, and spoon fit inside my Halulite minimalist pot. My windscreen slipped over the pot, lid, and cozy. These were stored in a stuff sack inside the pack "brain", along with hand wipes, toilet paper, Aqua Mira, Zipka headlamp, spare batteries, knife, compass, white tape, and two 1 liter Platypus folding water containers. The stretch pouch opposite the pack frame held two 1 liter plastic water bottles, and a 4 ounce bottle and an 8 ounce bottle of denatured alcohol. I never used the knife or compass, but they do not weigh much, and I consider them important enough to carry.

      I wore polyester dress pants, REI boxers, two pairs of synthetic no-show socks, one pair of longer nylon socks, breathable Montrail shoes, a long sleeved knit synthetic shirt, and a blaze orange bandana. I tied two adjacent corners of the bandana together, and tied knots in the other two corners. The first knot rested on my forehead, and the other two knots hung below my ears. One hiker said he liked my "turban".

      To be continued ...
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • WanderingStovie wrote:



      I wore polyester dress pants, REI boxers, two pairs of synthetic no-show socks, one pair of longer nylon socks, breathable Montrail shoes, a long sleeved knit synthetic shirt, and a blaze orange bandana. I tied two adjacent corners of the bandana together, and tied knots in the other two corners. The first knot rested on my forehead, and the other two knots hung below my ears. One hiker said he liked my "turban".

      To be continued ...


      I really want to see a picture...the mental one probably does not do this outfit the justice it deserves :D .
      Lost in the right direction.

    • Here is what I pieced together from text messages stored in my phone.

      Sep. 24 Spent night at Cove Mountain Shelter

      Sep. 25 Saw light rain in morning, met trail angel, zeroed around campfire

      Sep. 26 7:30 Left Cove Mountain Shelter, tripped in rocks, cut forehead,
      got picked up at Duncannon truck stop, ate in restaurant, spent night at Peters Mountain Shelter

      Sep. 27 Got picked up at 325, drove from 225 to 325, got dropped off near 501 shelter

      Sep. 28 Spent night at William Penn Shelter

      Sep. 29 Spent night at Rausch Gap Shelter

      Sep. 30 5:37 In car in parking lot at 325
      Sep. 30 6:47 Parked near 501 Shelter

      Oct. 1 Parked at 183, got dropped off near Kirkridge

      Oct. 2 7:01 Left Kirkridge Shelter
      Oct. 2 7:56 Saw porcupine at Wolf Rocks
      Oct. 2 11:51 Ate lunch at Wind Gap
      Oct. 2 4:25 Arrived at Leroy Smith Shelter

      Oct. 3 12:57 Left Leroy Smith Shelter
      Oct. 3 2:54 Stopped at Smith Gap Road
      Oct. 3 6:48 Camped south of Little Gap Road

      Oct. 4 7:28 Waiting for drizzle to stop
      Oct. 4 10:00 Left camp
      Oct. 4 12:24 Reached North end of superfund detour
      Oct. 4 2:08 Ate lunch at south end of superfund detour
      Oct. 4 3:44 Crossed bridge
      Oct. 4 4:53 Arrived at George Outerbridge Shelter

      Oct. 5 9:45 Left George Outerbridge shelter
      Oct. 5 1:39 Stopped at Bake Oven Knob Shelter
      Oct. 5 5:48 Headed down to New Tripoli Campsite

      Oct. 6 3:45 Arrived at Allentown Shelter

      Oct. 7 2:33 Arrived at Eckville Shelter

      Oct. 8 9:05 Left Eckville Shelter
      Oct. 8 1:25 Reached Pulpit Rock
      Oct. 8 2:22 Stopped at Windsor Furnace Shelter
      Oct. 8 3:52 Passed Minnehaha Spring (dry)
      Oct. 8 4:39 Passed Pocahontas Spring
      Oct. 8 6:41 Ate dinner at Pocahontas Spring

      Oct. 9 10:10 Reached Port Clinton
      Oct. 9 2:58 Passed Phillips Canyon Spring
      Oct. 9 5:01 Arrived at Eagles Nest Shelter turnoff

      Oct. 10 8:47 Left Eagles Nest Shelter
      Oct. 10 11:49 Arrived at 183
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Wearing polyester dress pants is an excellent idea. That's a great way to save money.

      I did not plan it that way. I showed up at the trailhead wearing those pants and was too lazy to change. They were synthetic and already well worn, so I thought, "Why not?"

      I seem to have lost 5 or 6 pounds hiking Pennsylvania.

      The Pennsylvania rocks can be unpleasant and tiresome. They also get slippery when wet. They did not destroy my shoes. The rocks slowed me down to about 1.5 MPH some days. Other days I managed 2 MPH. The Pennsylvania rocks may have left me scarred for life, but that is my fault for getting an early start instead of getting enough sleep. If I had gotten stitches, I might have avoided the scar I have now. After I fell, I held my hand out and counted five fingers, knew what the date was and who the president was, and kept going. I wiped my forehead with Wet Ones, rolled up some toilet paper for a bandage, and held the paper in place with my blaze orange bandana. I changed the paper a few times that morning, until the bleeding stopped.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Wearing polyester dress pants is an excellent idea. That's a great way to save money.

      I did not plan it that way. I showed up at the trailhead wearing those pants and was too lazy to change. They were synthetic and already well worn, so I thought, "Why not?"

      I seem to have lost 5 or 6 pounds hiking Pennsylvania.

      The Pennsylvania rocks can be unpleasant and tiresome. They also get slippery when wet. They did not destroy my shoes. The rocks slowed me down to about 1.5 MPH some days. Other days I managed 2 MPH. The Pennsylvania rocks may have left me scarred for life, but that is my fault for getting an early start instead of getting enough sleep. If I had gotten stitches, I might have avoided the scar I have now. After I fell, I held my hand out and counted five fingers, knew what the date was and who the president was, and kept going. I wiped my forehead with Wet Ones, rolled up some toilet paper for a bandage, and held the paper in place with my blaze orange bandana. I changed the paper a few times that morning, until the bleeding stopped.


      you can find polyester pants for $5 at Goodwill.

      Head wounds take forever to stop bleeding. Steri strips and benzoin work well
      Lost in the right direction.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      "After I fell, I held my hand out and counted five fingers, knew what the date was and who the president was, and kept going. "

      How do you know you were right?

      I had a cell phone and a good signal. The date was easy to verify. If I had had any doubts about who the president was, I could have called someone and asked. My trail angel told me Bloomberg was president when he heard my story.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      What did you do on your zero days? And where are the photos? I thought you dug your camera out from wherever it was hiding :) .

      At Kirkridge Shelter, I dried out my tarp and bug tent. I talked to a ridge runner and some hikers who stopped for a break.

      At Cove Mountain Shelter, I hung out with my trail angel around the campfire he built. I gathered some kindling, and helped break some of the larger pieces.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Wearing polyester dress pants is an excellent idea. That's a great way to save money.

      I did not plan it that way. I showed up at the trailhead wearing those pants and was too lazy to change. They were synthetic and already well worn, so I thought, "Why not?"

      I seem to have lost 5 or 6 pounds hiking Pennsylvania.

      The Pennsylvania rocks can be unpleasant and tiresome. They also get slippery when wet. They did not destroy my shoes. The rocks slowed me down to about 1.5 MPH some days. Other days I managed 2 MPH. The Pennsylvania rocks may have left me scarred for life, but that is my fault for getting an early start instead of getting enough sleep. If I had gotten stitches, I might have avoided the scar I have now. After I fell, I held my hand out and counted five fingers, knew what the date was and who the president was, and kept going. I wiped my forehead with Wet Ones, rolled up some toilet paper for a bandage, and held the paper in place with my blaze orange bandana. I changed the paper a few times that morning, until the bleeding stopped.


      In April, I was staying the night in the Eckville camp ground and after a night of heavy rain, instead of waiting for the sun to rise and dry things out a little, I was NOBO by 7:15am the next morning... I slipped and fell, hitting my head on the rocks in a boulder field, and like you, I knew the date, where I was, and that I was headed to the Allentown shelter... My head hurt, but there was no real blood to speak of... When I arrived, it should have been about lunch time, but when I checked my watch, it was 5pm... I used a phone to take a pic of my head, and left straight away for the trail head and road crossing just North of the shelter to get picked up by my brother in law... End result was a 4 hour visit with a very talented Surgeon who put me back together with 17 stitches :thumbsup: Moral of the story, if you hit ur head, check ur ear,too... lol...
      Images

      • GNARLY EAR (2).jpg

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      • P1000009.JPG

        125 kB, 1,280×720, viewed 400 times
      1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish...

    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I'm beginning to think a helmet might be a good idea for the PA rocks.

      Hike your own hike. I did not want to wear a bandana because I was too warm. Maybe a blaze orange ventilated helmet?


      I can relate. Even though I switched to a ventilated ATC hat (cap), during the summer I still do not usually wear it during the middle of the day unless it is raining.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • I left the DWG parking lot at 1:30 PM yesterday and arrived at the Kirkridge Shelter at 5 PM. This morning I left around 8 AM and returned to my car around 11 AM. I took the forest road down instead of following the white blazes.

      I carried my 85L REI pack, stuffed with all sorts of warm clothing. The insulated slippers and mittens were overkill inside my 15F Big Agnes Lost Ranger bag. The water is turned off now at the shelter. I choked down two packs of dry ramen last night. This morning I had four fruit and grain bars and about 3 ounces of Spam. When I got back to my car I ate many tortillas, some with peanut butter and others with cheese goo squirted from a can.

      I gave four ounces of denatured alcohol to a southbound flip flop thru-hiker. He said it was the best trail magic. I hope he was just saying that to be nice.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • At least you didn't do it in the rain.
      What I hated about that section was wearing the poncho, trying to watch my feet on the rocks I couldn't see due to overgrowth, and banging my head on branches hanging about 5 feet 10 inches above the trail. I actually injured my foot quite severely at one point. When we met John Stempa, who is about 5 foot 8 inches and he proudly told us he maintained that section of trail, I wanted to swipe the top of his head with a baseball bat.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • At one stage while walking at thruhike speed, my right foot slipped sideways on an angled piece of rock and the outside of my foot hit hard on another sharp rock, about midfoot less than an inch above the sole. At the least I reckon I bruised the bone. I honestly believe I chipped the bone. Hurt for weeks, took months before it stopped hurting when touched. About an hour later I met Stempa. Not a day I remember with joy.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      WanderingStovie wrote:



      I wore polyester dress pants, REI boxers, two pairs of synthetic no-show socks, one pair of longer nylon socks, breathable Montrail shoes, a long sleeved knit synthetic shirt, and a blaze orange bandana. I tied two adjacent corners of the bandana together, and tied knots in the other two corners. The first knot rested on my forehead, and the other two knots hung below my ears. One hiker said he liked my "turban".

      To be continued ...


      I really want to see a picture...the mental one probably does not do this outfit the justice it deserves :D .

      My "turban"
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      WanderingStovie wrote:



      I wore polyester dress pants, REI boxers, two pairs of synthetic no-show socks, one pair of longer nylon socks, breathable Montrail shoes, a long sleeved knit synthetic shirt, and a blaze orange bandana. I tied two adjacent corners of the bandana together, and tied knots in the other two corners. The first knot rested on my forehead, and the other two knots hung below my ears. One hiker said he liked my "turban".

      To be continued ...


      I really want to see a picture...the mental one probably does not do this outfit the justice it deserves :D .

      My "turban"


      You'll be able to braid that beard pretty soon. :thumbsup:
      Lost in the right direction.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      WanderingStovie wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      WanderingStovie wrote:



      I wore polyester dress pants, REI boxers, two pairs of synthetic no-show socks, one pair of longer nylon socks, breathable Montrail shoes, a long sleeved knit synthetic shirt, and a blaze orange bandana. I tied two adjacent corners of the bandana together, and tied knots in the other two corners. The first knot rested on my forehead, and the other two knots hung below my ears. One hiker said he liked my "turban".

      To be continued ...


      I really want to see a picture...the mental one probably does not do this outfit the justice it deserves :D .

      My "turban"


      You'll be able to braid that beard pretty soon. :thumbsup:

      Not anymore. I cut my nails and my beard after my Harriman, NY to Cornwall Bridge, CT trip.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does