Appalachian Trail – PA 944 to PenMar Park, PA – October 8-12, 2016 – 69.4 miles

Beautiful PA countryside — now THIS is the kind of PA I’m liking on the AT!

Taking a quick break to just smile about our good fortune that our shuttle driver Robert Freeman suggested we leave our packs at Cafe 101 in Boiling Springs and pick them up on our way passing through!

We started at PA 944 and for the first 12 miles we slackpacked it to Boiling Springs — what a TREAT that was!! It was a bit rainy but nothing hindering and the temps were fairly mild for October.

PA farm land.

Some more FLAT, almost rockless, PA trail! Love the southern end of PA!

An old rural cemetary — it’s always humblimg to think of those who treaded on this land long before the AT was even thought of and it’s existence still remains long after these folks are gone.

Check out those dates!

Fall farm land…. ahhh, the change of seasons — just like life.

This was one BIG mushroom!

AT Regional Headquarters in Boiling Springs, PA

Great restaurant in Boiling Springs. We ate a REAL lunch, had a bunch of coffee and hot chocolate, picked up our packs and hiked on the last 4.2 miles to Alec Kennedy Shelter for the night.

Some more PA farm land — have I said that I LOVE hiking through farms and fields?!!

This was the original 1/2 way point on the AT, otherwise known as Center Point Knob.

End of day 1 – 16.2 mles — Alec Kennedy Shelter.

This looked like a nest of some kind but wasn’t sure what? An osprey, an eagle?

And let the PA rocks begin — again.

We went through several state parks this time which is always nice — the Trail is MUCH smoother when there is more than us Hiker Trash walking on them!

Little lake in the park

We paused for a peaceful rest before hiking the last 1/2 mile to our anticipated destination for the night…

Happy Campers

And here it is: Ironmasters Mansion Hostel — sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? This place was AWESOME!!

But first, we had to stop at the infamous Pine Grove General Store where it is known for hikers attempting the “Half Gallon Challenge” — since this is close to the 1/2 way point (or beyond if you were through hiking north), hikers take on the challenge of eating a whole 1/2 gallon of ice cream! No, none of us attempted this but a little female through hiker did! However, I believe I got the last scoop of ice cream for the season. We got there just before closing and that was their last day for the season — we lucked out!

View of the Hostel from the front.

The dining room of the Mansion/Hostel.

This was a hidden door where the runaway slaves used to use — the Underground Railroad went right under this building — really pretty amazing to see. I simply couldn’t imagine living a life like that.

The women’s bunk was upstairs — I thought this was a cool view from the 3rd floor looking down! There were only 5 of us in the entire hostel that night — the thru-hiker that ate the 1/2 gallon of ice cream and I shared the women’s bunk — we each had our own bathroom! Now THAT is some AT luxury!

This was the basement of the Mansion.

This was the room where the slaves hid out (minus the piping) — I can’t even imagine.

This was our host, Jeff I believe his name is — he fixed us pizza for dinner and waffles for breakfast — these accommodations, dinner, breakfast AND laundry all for $33!! Only wish we could have stayed longer! End of Day 2 – 15.8 miles

Charlie and “Bunchee” the thru-hiker — sweet young lady.

Charlie and “Bunchee” the thru-hiker — sweet young lady.

This is now the 1/2 way point on the Appalachian Trail — pretty cool! I actually have a bit more than 1/2 way done since I hiked 45 miles in northern PA plus the miles we did the first 2 days north of here — we were hiking north to south this trip.

Pretty elaborate Trail sign!

okay…?? This was beside the 1/2 way sign but for what?? There was no physical property to receive mail!! Maybe for a Trail register?

Or… maybe for … Nate!

Ahh, THIS is what fall hikes are made for! To enjoy God’s Artistic talents!

Some more flat and smooth part of the PA Trail!

I was just strolling with Jesus through this part of the Trail!

Singing to my heart’s content!

Stopped here for lunch — a really nice shelter – Birch Run Shelter.

Some more singing and praying and praising…!

Pine needles on the Trail just always seem so magical!

I love how the underbrush is all cleared out!

“And the trees clap their hands…!”

Now THIS was the most awesome shelter site that I have stayed at! Man, talk about groomed and maintained! Check this out…

Actually a double shelter with a covered picnic area in between.

a pretty fancy fire ring…

Shelter sign with “innkeepers” name — thank you Jim Stauch!

…And check THIS out a — porch swing!!! And even REAL flowers decorating the place!! And surprisingly and fortunately the hikers seemed to have respected this shelter far more than most! No trash in the fire pit, no graffiti on the walls, no junk left behind — this place was IMPECCABLE!! End of Day 3 – 17 miles. Life is GOOD!

O.k., back to reality and PA — here comes the rocks… but still not as bad as the northern part of the state!

“Ain’t nothin’ but a thang” — especially after climbing up Lehigh Gap earlier this summer!

flat is nice but the trade off is very few views — this was really the only one we had I believe.

Last night and dinner on the Trail — Deer Lick Shelters — looks like a trio of unquestionable!!. End of Day 4 – 15.8 miles.

We wrapped up this hike several hours into Day 5 back at the PA/MD line where we finished our winter hike back in February. We then ended our journey with our traditional stop for a big juicy burger – or something similar! This time it was at the Bull & Bear in Hagerstown, MD. So all in all this hiking season was another success — actually probably more successful than the past 2 years as I didn’t break a leg or end up with any shiners! So I backpacked a total of 231.4 miles this year on the AT — a little less than past years since my driving time is longer now to get to the Trail — so I didn’t go out as frequently. I also have a total of 1,188.8 of the AT finished. What will next year bring?! Until then… “Kool 91”

The last backpacking outing for the season and one last and final stop at PenMar Park.

I hiked with my friends Charlie, Jonathan and his cousin Nate. We hiked 69.4 miles in 4.5 days. This was the southern end of PA on the AT — MUCH smoother than the northern end!

So now I have to go back and finish the middle part of PA and the remaining 1/2 of the state. I have a grand total of 1,188.8 miles completed on the AT — a little more than half the Trail done — still a LONG way to go! Thanks for allowing me to continue to share my journey with you.