Days 70 to 79 of my 2023 AT Nobo Thru-Hike

As a foreword, I wrote all of these journal entries at the time they took place on trail, but I fell behind on keeping up with the blog. The date listed at the top of this page is the publishing date and does not correspond to my current location on trail. I’ll be upping the number of days listed as well to better catch up.

Day 70

Our ATC Yearbook Picture!

It would appear we have skipped spring and jumped straight into summer, as last night was quite warm and sticky! With a high in the mid-80s forecasted for later in the day, we said goodbye to the caretakers of Blackburn Cabin and headed out early to get to Harpers Ferry before it heated up. The trail section was pretty flat, with only one or two annoyingly rocky patches. After only a couple of hours of hiking, we were greeted by gorgeous views of the Shenandoah River flowing in front of the town. From there, it wasn’t too long until we were taking in the views of the historic buildings in town on our way to the ATC headquarters. Once we arrived, we took our time reading the information posted on the walls and looked through this year’s hiker yearbook. Once we had topped off on snacks and water, we posed as a group for our official hiker yearbook photo! After we wrapped up there, we took a stroll down to the historic part of town, had some lunch, and ice cream, and relaxed for a bit. We wanted to take the day as easy as possible because Masochist and Instigator are planning to do the 4 state challenge tomorrow. I haven’t decided if I’ll be attempting it or not. I feel strong enough, but between still having an ear infection and the threat of IT band inflammation, it just seems too foolhardy. Because I’m sharing a tent with Instigator, I had to backtrack the 3.5mi back uphill to the WV sign, so I’m already sort of set up for it. It doesn’t help that we’re supposed to have thunderstorms tomorrow as well, but who knows? I’m planning to at least get some decent mileage in early and make a call from there. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be writing about how they successfully made it!

Day 71

Masochist sets his watch as starts out on his 4 State Challenge run

Due to the closeness of the air and nocturnal wildlife activity, I didn’t end up sleeping much, unfortunately. When we woke up at 2:00 am for our 4-state attempt, I was already mentally dead. When we started at 2:40 am, Masochist launched off and we didn’t see him again all day. Instigator and I walked together across the bridge into Harpers Ferry, and then again across the other bridge which crossed the Potomac into Maryland. From there we enjoyed the quiet sounds of the water rushing, and a nearby train as we strolled down the causeway. Once we reached the climb, I quickly lost sight of her as I was struggling. I then continued in this sort of fugue state, listening to the audiobook of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, until I reached the first shelter, where I stopped by and consumed some much-needed calories in front of some freshly awoken shelter sleepers. Feeling invigorated by the little bit of food, I rushed to Gathland State Park to have breakfast with Instigator. I was dragging due to my lack of sleep, but she was flying! So from here on, she went ahead with the plan to see what happened and to stay in touch. The day then proceeded onward with the weather turning first to a comfortable, gentle mist, and then to a total downpour. Due to the fog that came with the rain, and my increasing brain fog, I hardly processed the various Civil War historical sites that I shambled past. At some point, I was drenched and my headphones were dying, so I stopped at Pine Knob shelter to recharge myself and my electronics. I was considering just stopping there, but I was soaked and I didn’t want a long day of catching up the next day. So when Instigator texted me to say that she was stopping at the next shelter, Ensign Cowall Shelter, I decided to trudge on, now with my rain jacket and pants on, in the hopes that I could warm up a bit. I selfishly wanted to catch up to her to steal some of her body heat as well. That stretch seemed to drag on for hours as the trail first turned into slick granite boulders, and then into a river of flowing mud. The wonderful British voice of Simon Prebble continued to narrate my book and describe a strange magical world, as I became less and less aware of the foggy world I was falling asleep in. Blissfully, I eventually rolled up to the shelter, and the rain finally broke. I had a fairly modest meal, before cuddling up next to Instigator. Before I went to sleep, I turned my reception back on and received the news that Masochist had completed the challenge in under 15 hours, despite the horrific rain! A massive achievement for him! I’m confident that had I slept the night before, I could have completed it. But in light of my persistent IT band issues, and just recovering from illness, I am incredibly hesitant to push myself too hard. I might come back and attempt it again, but right now my thru-hike comes first. All of that being said, Instigator and I still crushed a massive 34-mile day in horrific conditions!

Day 72

The two “international fugitives” smoking cigarettes in handcuffs

Although I was dead tired, I was awoken twice last night, once due to some sort of nearby air raid siren (which woke the whole shelter), and once by some kids howling down by the nearby road… Needless to say, Instigator and I were both dead the next day when the first air mattress was deflated in the shelter. We ended up lying around until about 10 am when we finally began to mosey on towards Pen-Mar Park to meet up with Masochist. Other than a short climb and a small rocky section, the remaining miles were fairly easy, and the weather was perfect. Upon arriving, I noticed that Masochist was talking to Soggy and his girlfriend, whom I had not seen since Hot Springs! After a quick catch-up, he kindly offered us a ride into town to resupply and to get some coveted town food. Because my food bag was mostly empty, I was running on fumes when we were dropped off at Walmart. I ended up scarfing down a pretzel dog and a pretzel from Auntie Anne’s inside, but that wasn’t enough. I still ended up buying significantly more food than I needed haha. As usual, grocery shopping while hungry proved to be quite dangerous… We then walked over to the brewery for a proper meal before beginning our walk back to the park. Along the way, a random passerby offered us a ride, saving us the 1.8-mile trek. Back at the park, we decided to just stay there for the night as it was already pretty late in the day. I found a lovely bench overlooking the setting sun, and I called my Mom for Mother’s Day and to catch up. While on the phone, I was shocked to see officers creep past me with guns drawn to arrest two people at a nearby bench. Two wanted international fugitives who we had heard about, were hanging out at the park as well! Once that settled down and my call ended, we set up at a stealth site, and then went to use the park bathrooms, which were already locked… We then took advantage of the empty playground, before crashing for a much-needed rest.

Day 73

Quarry Gap Shelter

We slept in a bit at our stealth site in hopes that the bathrooms would be unlocked early, and they were! We were able to wash up a bit and finish some camp laundry before striking out for the day. Unfortunately, my knee/IT band was once again giving me trouble, so we decided on a relatively short 20-mile day with little to no elevation. This worked out perfectly as well, as it put us not too far from the state park where the half-gallon challenge takes place. Throughout the day, we enjoyed the gorgeous weather, and the wonderfully whimsical shelters that the PATC maintains in the Pennsylvania section. All of them have two smaller shelters, and one of them had one side labeled snoring and the other non-snoring! We also passed some high schoolers doing fieldwork for an environmental science course and two gorgeous state parks. Eventually, we made it to Quarry Gap Shelters, which was set up to look like an adorable little cottage, complete with fresh flowers and landscaping! As we settled in for dinner, we started to notice little “easter eggs” scattered about, like garden gnomes, turtle statues, and even some board games! If the rest of Pennsylvania is like this, we will be spoiled. Hopefully, my stomach feels perfect tomorrow, as I’m excited to attempt the half-gallon challenge!

Day 74

We slept quite well in our cozy corner of the shelter, which meant we were able to hit the trail early today! Unfortunately, my knee was giving me a bit of trouble and Instigator’s blisters from the wet 34mi day were paining her, so our pace was a bit slower. But the trail was quite easy and relatively soft as a good chunk of it passed through a dense pine forest. We stopped off at Toms Run Shelter for a light lunch, before wrapping up the last few miles to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Once we arrived, Masochist and I immediately jumped into the half-gallon challenge, along with Ozoner, whom we had just met along the way from lunch. He very kindly purchased our 1.5qt tubs as trail magic! Off the bat, Masochist and I started strong, but towards the bottom, I started to not feel well. Exercising restraint, due to my bad stomach, I threw in the towel early at around 30min. Masochist continued and finished his 1/2 gallon a bit after 30 minutes, and Ozoner finished shortly afterward. Ozoner decided to hike on, and the three of us went and hung out next to the gorgeous lake at the park. Unfortunately, the showers were still off for the season, but we still had a wonderful afternoon hanging out by the water. Because we were all a bit beat, we called it an early day, and set up camp in a stealth spot just outside of the state park. All in all, an excellent day! I’m a bit disappointed I couldn’t kill the half gallon, despite having inadvertently done it a few weeks ago, but it’s all good. I still enjoyed my ice cream and the experience!

Day 75

Miles and miles of farmland

Amazingly, neither Masochist nor I had any stomach issues from the copious amounts of ice cream we consumed yesterday. My knee was feeling a bit better from the easy day, and we were once again able to leave camp at a good time. Because of camping restrictions in the Cumberland Valley Crossing, our choice today was to either go 18 miles or over 30 miles… Because my injury had just stopped hurting, and because Instigator’s blisters were killing her, we happily opted for the shorter day. The first half of the day was pretty easy, with a quick walk to a local convenience store/restaurant called the Green Mountain General Store. We stopped in for a fresh, hot lunch (truly a luxury) before completing the second half of our hike. Because water in the Cumberland Valley is sparse, we had to haul extra liters with us the last few miles. Thankfully, the hiking turned out to be nice and easy through a few gently rolling pastures. The “backpacker camp” which was our only option, is in a little clump of trees at the back of a farm field, right next to a train track. Fingers crossed we don’t get too many trains tonight!

Day 76

A famous Primanti Bros sandwich

The day started with a nice, easy, 6:30 am rollout and a quick 10 miles through mostly farmland and the town of Boiling Springs. We saw the old foundry, the mostly drained city lake, and miles of pastures. It wasn’t long before we reached US Route 11, where Linda, a local trail angel, picked us up and took us to REI so that I could replace my shoes and buy some permethrin. We didn’t want to impose, but she also offered to drive us on a few of our other errands. She ended up taking us to Primanti Bros, where Masochist and Instigator had their first experience there, and then she took us to Walmart for a resupply! She had water and muffins on hand as well when she picked us up. An absolute gem of a human, and one of the kindest people I’ve met on trail so far. After we were dropped off, we were all feeling fat and happy, so we only hiked a few more miles to the Darlington Shelter. The shelter was packed, but thankfully, there were a ton of excellent nearby campsites. All in all, a wonderful day on the trail, and I’m excited about laundry and a shower tomorrow! We haven’t had either since Front Royal!

Day 77

Overseen in Duncannon

Again, we were able to get a nice early rollout out of the shelter, and we only had 10 easy miles to do before we arrived in Duncannon. Unfortunately, many of the last few miles were incredibly rocky, but it helped that our end goal was in sight. Once we reached the town, we said hi and caught up with Ma who was hanging out in her van. From there, we made a beeline to Kind of Outdoorsy where Instigator and I ponied up $5 each for a shower and loaner clothes. We then went next door to the laundromat and washed all of our clothes with some Tidepods that Ma had kindly gifted us. I don’t think my clothes have smelled that clean all trail! From there, we went to a nearby park and sprayed our clothes down with permethrin, and got some local pizza to chow down on while we waited for it to dry. Masochist decided to stay in town at the local church hostel, and Instigator and I took an Uber to Harrisburg to stay in a hotel as the lodging options in Duncannon were slim to none at that time of year. Once in Harrisburg, we hit up a local diner before enjoying an advertisement-free movie night, compliments of a cheap Chromecast I had picked up in Walmart. All in all, the perfect nero.

Day 78

The baby rabbit in question

In normal nero fashion, Masochist was up early and texting us whilst Instigator and I slept in to take full advantage of the money spent on the hotel room. We had breakfast at the diner again, before heading back to Duncannon to reunite with Masochist around noon. Instigator and I did a quick (and very overpriced) resupply at a local convenience store, due to a lack of options, and then we promptly hit the trail. We pushed our pace a bit faster than normal because we were expecting heavy rain around 5 pm. Thankfully, like most of Pennsylvania so far, the grade of the trail was pretty gentle, only the copious rocks were annoying. We stopped off to admire a few views, had a quick break at a shelter (where I spotted a baby rabbit), and conversed with a few locals, but otherwise had an uneventful hike. The sky started to get increasingly dark, and then sure enough it started to pour just after 5 pm. Thankfully, we were only a little ways out from our endpoint, the Peters Mountain Shelter, so we didn’t get soaked. I was frustrated that we didn’t make it further today, but none of us wanted to deal with setting up tents in the mud. We should have incredibly nice weather in the next week or so, so if we can all stay healthy and not get injured, we should finally be able to ramp our pace back up.

Day 79

Amazingly, our crowded shelter last night wasn’t full of snoring, and I ended up sleeping wonderfully due to the cooler weather. We were able to leave early once again, and we quickly put down just under 10 miles by 10 am. Strangely enough, there was very little water available in this stretch, so we had to take a longer blue blaze to fetch some. Not long after this brunch stop, we encountered our first trail magic of the day, an iced-down cooler full of Gatorade. And it was right before a climb to boot! Thank you so much to the person that left that there. The climb ended up being graded extremely gradually, so it wasn’t much of an issue. From there, we had lunch on some rocks as there were no good stopping places until the next shelter, but we needed to stop to address some blisters from the rocks. Strangely enough, we were buzzed by a low-flying helicopter and we could hear planes doing aerobatics off in the distance, while in this section. It turns out that we were near the Muir Army Airfield! We then stopped at Rausch Gap Shelter (which is a weird-looking shelter) for a quick snack before moving on to the campsite we had selected for the evening. Right before we stopped for the night, we caught some last-minute trail magic in a parking lot from Christina and Eddie, who gave us snacks, good conversation, comfy seats, and ice-cold Sprite! We also managed to do well over 20mi.

Bonus Halfway Pciture!