June 27, 2016 Today is my nine-year anniversay of my first summit of Mt Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, in Maine! What a day that was! I was astounded at the arduous terrain of the mountain, surprised at the boulder climbing and the 10-hour trek to get up – and down! Now …
Monthly Archives: June 2016
501 Shelter
June 28, 2016 “We haven’t stayed at a trail shelter yet on this walk, but this would be a good one,” I said to John, as we heard the approaching thunder. We had been waiting at the fancy-dancy 501 Shelter at the junction of the AT and PA 501 for the last few hours, heeding …
Nine Year Avocado
June 28, 2016 “We brought those avocados,” Holly says, as she drives to the Red Lion for a reunion lunch in Pine Grove, PA. “It only took nine years to deliver!” We all laugh. In 2007, when John and I were doing our thruhike of the Appalachian Trail, my friend, Diane, from Atlanta, had said, …
Rocks Reprise
June 28, 2016 I said I’d keep you posted about the rocks. Yes. There are rocks here in Pennsylvania on the Appalachian Trail. Ok. Enough said? So, I’ve been thinking a lot about the rocks, both when they are here and when they are not. Rocks on the trail is one of those topics and …
Mary Says
June 28, 2016 “A mutual friend demanded that I get to know Regina when I was attempting to train my uncooperative body to go on a hiking trip in Scotland with my son. My friend could see that Regina had the skills to assist me on preparing my body for the trail. She could also see …
Trail Magic
June 25, 2016 Most hikers mean “Food” when they talk about Trail Magic, the term for happy surprises on the trail. My favorite Trail Magic is trail maintenance, and extraordinary care like the Duncannon Appalachian Trail Club folks – and day hikers who happened to be hiking up to Hawk Rock – who were removing …
Back to the Mountains
June 24, 2016 (Reading in email? Click “read in browser to see pictures!) Noon. After a night in the Super8 Motel, we walked back to the trail, 1/4 mile away to the pedestrian overpass on US Rt 11, a 1,185-mile long highway from Canada to New Orleans. The AT crosses it down in Daleville, VA …
Mildred Norman Ryder
June 22, 2016 A big question arose from my visit to the Appalachian Trail Museum in Pine Grove Furnace. Where is Mildred Norman Ryder, the first woman to walk the entire Appalachian Trail? Yep. Another woman did it before the famous Grandma Gatewood. When I first learned of Mildred, it was while reading Peace Pilgrim, …
PA Rocks
June 22, 2016 So, we’re walking in Pennsylvania, on the Appalachian Trail, right? 230 miles of woods, ridges, rivers….and popularly known for its rocks. And you know me, right? If I’m supposed to be experiencing rocks, rocks, and more rocks, I will notice the preponderance of smooth, soil padded rocks, right? Right! Here you go! …
Nineteen
June 21, 2016 It’s a landmark day! It’s our 19th day on the trail, halfway through our days in this section. And, we passed our half way mark in mileage too! That happened at mile 1077.5 from Springer Mtn, GA, 215.5 miles for us from Rockfish Gap where we started on June 3. A fledgling …