Days 86-96: Mason Dixon Line-Blue Mtn Lakes Rd., NJ

Before we dive into this next installment of the blog, a quick note from Hero and BAM!:

Hello wonderful readers! You may have noticed that we have fallen behind on the blog as of late. We wanted to take a moment to let y’all know what’s going on with that and reassure you that we will still be writing entries for the blog- they’ll just be published much later than they have been in the past.

One of the great things about the days lengthening as summer draws nearer is that we’re able to hike for longer hours during the day and cover more mileage. The downside to this is that we have less “tent time” in the evening, which is when we typically write up our notes for the day and do our journaling. We’ve also been hard at work trying to build up our social media presence, especially on Instagram. BAM! is also hard at work launching our YouTube page- stay tuned for deets! Feel free to look up Hiking for Hunger on YouTube and follow us there as we work to get some more timely videos up on our channel. Both of these things, the longer days of hiking and an extra focus on our online presence, have contributed to getting behind on the blog. We have also been taking time to enjoy the community out here on the trail, swapping stories with other hikers and building relationships this has also cut into our writing time but is something we both have been craving especially after this past year we have all experienced. 

Again, while we fully intend to continue to publish these journal entries chronicling our adventure, they will be delayed. We really appreciate y’all’s patience with us on this, and we truly can’t thank y’all enough for following along with us on this journey. Now, without further ado, we present to you “The Pennsylvania Push.”

Day 86 (Monday, May 10th, 2021)

AT Miles: 9.6

Mason Dixon Line > Chimney Rocks

1076.5 Miles Down, 1116.6 To Go

We woke up in our not so super hotel room and, remarkably, we both had slept really well. We finished our leftover Indian food for breakfast, packed up, and hit the road. We drove nearly the whole way back to Dulles then found a place to get a car wash. The car was covered in dirt and pollen, so we were worried they might take it out of our deposit if we returned it looking so dirty. After the car was squeaky clean, we got some smoothies and continued on to the car rental place. We pulled in to the parking lot to return the car. Someone came up to the driver’s side window and asked for our information. Then they said, “you’re all set just leave the keys on the dash.” We didn’t realize the process would be so quick. We hurried up and grabbed all of our stuff out of the car, trying to make sure we didn’t forget anything.

As soon as we grabbed our packs, we saw Hero’s dad (Tim) pull in – perfect timing! We threw our packs in the back and we were off. He drove us back to Waynesboro, PA where we decided to have lunch before getting back on the trail. We found a cool little spot resembling an old timey diner called Waynesbuger, and they happened to have Vegan Burgers! We were pretty excited and ordered those with some fries and a soda. We had a wonderful lunch with Tim and were so grateful that he drove us back to the trailhead and we’re just glad we had more time together.

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After lunch, we drove back over to Pen-Mar Park and Tim hiked back to the Mason-Dixon line with us. We snapped a few photos together and marveled at the soggy teddy bear next to the sign – its fur looked like melting chocolate, but did not seem anywhere near as appetizing. We all stalled there and talked for a while more, not really wanting to leave each other again. Eventually, we said our “so long for nows” and started hiking down the trail. It was so hard to leave family and friends and come back to the trail after this extended break. We really miss our community of people. That being said, we were also glad to be back on trail and picking up where we left off. We have so much more beautiful trail ahead of us.

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We didn’t actually start hiking until 1:30 PM, but that was ok with us- we were only planning to do about 10 miles anyways. We took our time and tried to take in being back on trail – it was beautiful! We pushed past some very well maintained shelters, some of the best we’ve seen, because we heard there were stealth campsites near Chimney Rocks, and we really wanted to catch the sunrise for our first morning back on trail. Right before we got to Chimney Rocks, I spotted a small patch of Pink Lady’s Slipper, the first ones we’d seen this year.

We pushed up to the side trail leading to the view and there are plenty of beautiful tent spots. Hero scouted out the nicest one and we put our packs down. We decided to run up the rocks and see what this view is like before getting set up – it was nice! We came back down and Hero built the tent while I made our signature first meal of the ration: vegan mac ‘n cheese. Another couple of hikers came in while we were cooking. They were so quiet we didn’t notice them at first, but then we waved and said “hi” and exchanged greetings- they seemed really nice, and the guy, we found out, helps maintain this section of trail. We were pretty tired after our long day traveling, so we crashed right after dinner.

-BAM!

Day 87 (Tuesday, May 11th, 2021)

AT Miles: 28.1

Chimney Rocks > Pine Grove Furnace State Park

1104.6 Miles Down, 1088.5 To Go

It’s 5:30 am. We have to readjust to waking up early, but today we are motivated by the promise of a beautiful sunrise at Chimney Rocks where we camped out for the night. We get ourselves out of the tent and up the rocks and indeed it is breathtaking! We have our pop tart breakfast up there with us and take it all in. Phase Two and Shebeast (the couple that camped near us last night) have also woken up for sunrise, so we chat with them for a bit as the sun pops up above the horizon line. It turns out that they are both avid section hikers and Phase Two is one of the trail maintainers for this section, so we talk about the trail and BAM! and I thank Phase Two for all he does to look after this section.

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Soon after the sun has fully emerged over the horizon, we all head back to our respective camps to finish packing up. Both BAM! and I need to dig some cat holes, so it takes us a bit longer to get out of camp. Phase Two and Shebeast wave goodbye and say good luck to us as they head out and turn left to go southbound on the trail. We do a final sweep of camp, throw our packs on our backs, and take the right turn back out on the trail to head north.

It really is such a beautiful morning as we get going. We’re both still feeling fresh from our recent time off and excited to be back on the trail. It’s a good thing- we’ve got a lofty mileage goal for the day ahead of us. We’re going to try and make it to Pine Grove Furnace State Park if we can. We know it’ll be a push- 28.1 Miles if we can swing it- but we want to take advantage of some of the relatively flat and gradual Pennsylvania terrain while we have it.

We are walking along when we encounter a day hiker coming from the other direction. We all stop and chat for a bit and he lets on that he’s done some moderate section hiking over the years. His tone starts to shift and we notice that he’s beginning to give us some unsolicited advice regarding the Hundred Mile Wilderness up in Maine. He goes on like this, and at one point when he’s taking it upon himself to determine how fast we can make it through the Hundred Mile Wilderness, he looks me up and down. He points his trekking pole at me and says “If she’s up for it, you might be able to do it in four days. Maybe.” If she’s up for it. Not if we’re up for it- if she’s up for it. Me. He is, without a doubt, calling into question my ability based on the fact that I am a woman. He knows nothing else about me other than I look and sound like the mainstream notion of what constitutes a woman. I shake my head and give him a look while BAM! immediately jumps in and starts talking about how I am actually the faster and stronger hiker of the two of us- the guy cuts him off and continues to repeat his refrain. I know it’s kinda useless, but I’m grateful to BAM! for trying to bring some kind of awareness into the picture. Unfortunately, this guy doesn’t seem open to what BAM! is saying- he keeps interrupting him. I’m starting to move away from the guy, my body no longer facing towards him but facing northward on the trail- I’m ready to be out of this space, and I can tell BAM! is, too. I signal to him that it’s just plain time to go, and we start walking away. We get a good bit away before we start talking about what happened. We’re both upset but try to figure out how to respond when someone else further up the trail inevitably says something akin to what that guy said to me. But we’ve talked about this before, because it’s happened before, more times than I can count on both of my hands now. We brainstorm while also holding space for the fact that confrontation is not something that either of us are inclined towards. I’d like to say we figured out a solution, but you can’t know exactly how you’re going to react in the moment when these situations arise. Every time I think I will call out the sexism the next time it happens, I just would prefer to walk away and keep hiking. Time will tell, but for now I’m choosing to be kind to myself and not berate myself for just wanting to get away from the situation. I shift my focus to our goal of getting to Pine Grove Furnace State Park, where we hoped to partake in the Half Gallon Challenge.

We make good time getting to Caledonia State Park, where we fill up on water before moving on. While we are there, we call ahead to Pine Grove Furnace SP General Store to check in about ice cream. We had called them about a week prior during our time off to see if they’d be able to get some non-dairy ice cream in. It seemed at the time like it wouldn’t be a problem. Today, we called and heard a different story. Apparently, the guy we talked to last week had just gotten back from vacation and the freezer was empty- no ice cream whatsoever. When we called, he was in the middle of figuring out if he’d be getting ice cream in at all today. We expressed sympathy for the situation he was in and told him, too, that we were going to try and get to Pine Grove Furnace by 6/6:30 pm before he closed at 7 pm- if he happened to have vegan ice cream, we’d be excited to buy it. Regardless, we were excited to visit the store. He said okay and the call ended. We kept pushing on, still intent on making it all the way to Pine Grove Furnace despite the ice cream uncertainty.

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We push the miles, the really nice terrain of Southern Pennsylvania working in our favor. We meet a pair of SOBOs (Bugs and Bambi) and a section hiker (Showtime) at the nicest shelter I’ve ever laid eyes on. Not only was it nice and clean, but it featured skylights, a bench swing, an immaculate spring, a sundial, and even more homey touches- so fancy! As we get close to PGF, we reach the AT Halfway Mark and soon thereafter pass 1100 Miles! We pass by another section hiker named Rambler and push on past the shelter where we initially thought we’d be staying before the call of ice cream had its hold on us.

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We are dead on our feet by the time we see the first sign for PGF, but we’re still in good spirits- it’s only 5:45 pm, so we made it there faster than planned! We round the corner and know that the stone building just up ahead of us must be the Pine Grove General Store. My heart sinks and my jet-speed pace starts to falter- they are not open. We’re stunned- we had just talked to the guy who works here earlier that day. How are they not open? I approach the door and a small sign on the door indicates that current hours Mon-Fri are 11 am-5 pm. Crestfallen doesn’t even begin to cover it- we are beyond bummed. We unstrap our packs and throw them down next to a table while we decide what to do. Mercifully, there is a soda machine on the patio, so at least we can have a little something sugary and bad for us after our long day. I plop down in a chair and sip while I simmer and attempt to reel in my disappointment. I let go of my hopes of doing the Half Gallon Challenge here at PGF and focus my attention on the more pressing matter of where to stay the night. We’re trying to save some money, so we pass on the hostel in the creepy yet fascinating old mansion next door (we also missed the cutoff time for check-in, so that helps with the decision making process). The campground is not free, and it’s a fair walk down the road- ugh. We’d rather keep moving on and find camping further up the trail, but we would have to walk quite a ways to get off of the State Park property- no camping allowed anywhere but at the official campground. After some discussion, we decide on the PGF campground and start making our way down the road. The road walk hurts our already sore and achey feet, and as it takes longer than we initially thought it would, we start to wonder if we’ve made the right choice. But we get there, select a tent pad with a picnic table, and get to work on our camp chores.

While eating dinner, we face the next challenge head on: where are we going tomorrow? We look at both the AT guide and Guthooks and realize that there is a stretch of trail coming up where there is no camping allowed for about 18 miles, with the exception of a site around the town of Boiling Springs. Because of where we are tonight, we’d have to push waaaaaaay past a 30 mile day to make it to the other side of that 18 mile stretch- we know already that we are not going to feel up for that, and yet we need to make some bigger miles to keep on track with getting to the Delaware Water Gap in time for our second COVID shot. The only other option to get us the kind of mileage we’re hoping for is to stop in Carlisle. We look at the lodging options there and, having just stayed at the sketchiest Super 8 ever, we’re a bit tentative. We don’t want another experience like that, but we also can’t spend a lot on a room. We remember that one of our friends is from Carlisle- maybe she can tell us where we could stay that would be good but also reasonably priced. BAM! shoots her a text. Minutes later, a response: her parents would be happy to host us for the night. It’s unexpected and completely serendipitous, and we are immediately filled with gratitude and a huge sense of relief! Our friend sends BAM! her mom’s contact info and we start making plans.

Light starts to fade from the sky. I go to the bathroom (flush toilets and sinks, y’all!) a hundred yards from our campsite one last time before bed. I climb in the tent once I get back and start to bundle up- it’s already getting chilly. BAM! joins me after finishing up with getting tomorrow plans ironed out with our friend’s mom. We snuggle up and drift off to sleep, which comes easily now that the stress that once surrounded tomorrow has lifted.

-Hero

Day 88 (Wednesday, May 12th, 2021)

AT Miles: 27.3

Pine Grove Furnace State Park > US 11 (Carlisle, PA)

1131.9 Miles Down, 1061.2 To Go

We left the State Park early, making one last stop at the bathrooms on our way out. We were still feeling a little bummed that we didn’t get to try the Half Gallon Challenge at the iconic spot, but we’re still planning to do it later. We were also a bit sad that we didn’t get a chance to check out the AT Museum- maybe next time.

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We decided to make a stop at Green Mountain General Mercantile for an early lunch. We were craving snack foods, especially since we weren’t able to purchase anything from the Pine Grove Furnace store. We ordered some curly fries from the grill and got some chips and Stewart’s Orange Cream Soda. We went out to a picnic table and enjoyed our lunch in the sun. We tried not to linger since we had our friend’s parents picking us up in Carlisle tonight and we didn’t want to get in too late.

We pushed through what we dubbed the “mini coaster” since it was a series of short climbs and descents. On the top of some of those climbs, there were large rocks that we had to navigate through like a maze. The white blazes literally took us around, up, and through the large boulders on a seemingly pointless route. In our guide, this section is labeled “The Rock Maze,” and there were two of them in this section. I guess the trail maintainers thought we needed an extra challenge! We met a nice couple at the Old Center Point of the trail. We chatted with them a while and listened to some of their stories from the trail. They were really nice and they told us their trail names: Cigar Lady and Old Tools. We said farewell to them and continued down to the pastures.

The next 15 miles consisted of flat fields and towns in what is known as the Cumberland Valley. We got to the first section of pastures and were super conscious about ticks – we checked nearly everytime we got to a clearing or a road crossing. Several of our friends who passed through this area before us said they found ticks after hiking through these fields. We went through the picturesque town of Boiling Springs, PA. We saw the children’s lake with all the ducks waddling about. We found the ATC Regional Headquarters there, and at the back of the building there was a spigot where we filled our water. It would have been a nice spot to hang out and have a snack or something, but we had to keep pushing because we had a warm bed and wonderful people waiting for us in Carlisle.

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We went through lots more fields and crossed over many more roads and did several more tick checks. We finally arrived at the road where we planned to meet Ev and David. We walked over to the Quality Inn and arrived a couple minutes early- David wasn’t there yet. We took off our packs and sat down on a median in the parking lot- our feet were done at this point. Minutes later, David pulled up and greeted us then helped us get our packs in the back of the truck and we hopped in. We were so grateful that they offered to let us stay in their home tonight.

We chatted with David on the ride back, and he is so friendly and makes us feel right at home. When we get to their house, I opened the car door and David says, “you’re about to be attacked”. As soon as I angel myself out the door, an energetic golden retriever is in my lap wiggling excitedly and trying to lick my face. He is so adorable – I love every moment of it. It lasts only a moment because then Hero opens her door and he rushes over to see her. His name is Crosby and he is a two year old bundle of energy and a lover.

Ev comes out to greet us and so does her granddaughter. We grab our packs out of the back and Ev shows us to our room. The house is beautiful! She lets us know that dinner will be ready soon but to take our time and get settled in. We both start with much needed showers and get our stuff organized then head downstairs. We can smell dinner as we come down and it smells delicious. Ev has made sweet potato and black bean tacos with a guacamole sauce. We sit down and Ev offers us a glass of wine. Hero and I look at each other and say, “sure! why not”. David pours us a glass and we take a sip, it’s nice. Everyone sits down and we dig in. The tacos are delicious – Hero and I both have at least three each. It was so sweet that they made a completely vegan meal for us. We talked throughout dinner and really enjoyed the conversation and the company. After dinner, Hero and I went upstairs to work on a few Hiking for Hunger things. When we came back down, Ev and David were watching Mrs. Doubtfire in the living room – one of my favorite movies! We sat down and joined them. Ev offered us sodas and we both had a ginger ale. She also tried to find us ice cream or sherbert that we could eat in their freezer, but no luck. We told her we didn’t need anything else, we were already blown away by their generosity and the way they made us feel so welcome. After a little more Mrs. Doubtfire, our eyes were at half mast and we knew we needed to head to bed. We said thanks again and goodnight, then headed up to our room.

-BAM!

Day 89 (Thursday, May 13th, 2021)

AT Miles: 22.9

US 11 (Carlisle, PA) > Clark’s Ferry Shelter

1153.8 Miles Down, 1039.3 To Go

The faintest of light is just starting to creep into the world. It’s just visible between the yellow drapes that sway ever so slightly in the wind that gently whispers through the open windows. This is our cue to start waking up and get packed up, as much as we’d love to sleep in and enjoy being snuggly in this cozy bed. We do so and then venture downstairs for breakfast. Ev is down there- she’s laid out a whole assortment of breakfast options! It’s not often that we get to have cereal these days, so we take advantage of the opportunity to have that with some almond milk. There are bagels, too, and homemade jam- so heavenly! We enjoy this delicious treat and chat with Ev as we fill our bellies. David joins at one point, too, and Crosby the dog hovers nearby. It’s a great start to the day, and I think both BAM! and I could easily just stay here if that were possible, but we know we’ve got to get back on the trail and keep moving. We do get out a little later than we were planning because we are so enjoying hanging out with Ev and David- we’re so grateful for them and can’t get over how gracious they have been!

Eventually, it’s time to say goodbye to Ev and Crosby. We thank Ev profusely and climb in the truck with David, waving energetically as we pull out of the driveway and back onto the road. We talk with David during the ride back to the trail- like us, he’s done some hiking in Colorado, so that was a point of connection. In no time, we’re back at US 11- David throws on his four ways and pulls to the side of the road so we can safely get our packs out of the bed of the truck. We thank him again and he wishes us good luck on the rest of our journey. Then we turn and face the trail once more.

We spend the next stretch hiking the rest of the field section that doesn’t allow camping, worrying incessantly about ticks and checking ourselves frequently when we go through super tall grass. Despite the tick worry, it’s a pretty section and we are in great spirits as we plug along. We cross a lot of roads, which apparently is the name of the game here in Pennsylvania. We run into a group of Amish women enjoying a backpacking trip- we exchange big smiles and hellos as we pass each other. After some time, we arrive at Hawk Rock, a spot with a view overlooking the town of Duncannon below. We snap a few pictures but move on pretty quickly- we are eager to get into town for food and a quick resupply.

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The descent into Duncannon is rocky and steep in sections, but we’re able to navigate it safely and get down alright. Soon, we’re walking on pavement and entering the town proper. Our first stop once we’re in town is Kind of Outdoorsy, the local outfitter which also now boasts a hiker hostel. We’ll stop in here to see what we can get for our small resupply, and anything we can’t find we’ll look for at the Quick Mart around the block. We’re able to find some Knorr Rice Sides and packets of oatmeal- that’ll cover breakfasts and dinners. We don’t really find any good options for vegan friendly snacks, so we resolve to check out the Quick Mart for those. We take our items to the counter and it turns out the lady who works there has been following us on Instagram! Wow! How cool is that?!?! She’s super nice and praises us for what we’re doing and we thank her so much for following along. We’re giddy as we sign their logbook and make our way out of the store.

We exit the store, but I sit on one of the benches outside with our packs while BAM! runs over to the Quick Mart to finish up our resupply. I start searching for food options for us- we’re in town, so we figure we might as well grab an early dinner, which will save us some time later on when we get to camp by not having to cook. There aren’t a whole lot of options for us, but I find out that we can go to the pizza joint across the way and we should be able to get pasta marinara without any cheese or meat- it’ll do! BAM! returns from the Quick Mart with snacks for the trail as well as some yummy things to eat while we’re still in town. As we are getting our food packed up so we can head over to the pizza place, a familiar voice calls our names. We turn to look back towards the front entrance to Kind of Outdoorsy and there’s Lost Bells! It’s great to see her again and catch up on all that she’s experienced since the last time we saw her. After a few minutes of swapping trail stories, we say farewell to her and move on.

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We walk across the street to the pizza place. BAM! isn’t convinced that the pasta alone will be enough, so we order a cheese-less pizza, too. We scarf it all down and savor our last bit of town time before moving on from Duncannon. While walking the town portion of the trail, we discover that the residents are super friendly! Several people smile, wave, and wish us luck on our journey, including a guy who tells us to look out for his house as we walk down the street: “It’s the one with the 8 ft bear in the yard!” Sure enough, we spot it a little ways further, haha! Soon we are crossing over the mighty Susquehanna River. We get to look back at the mountains we came down earlier today and it is both a beautiful and deeply satisfying moment despite our being on a noisy bridge with lots of cars and trucks flying by. After getting across the bridge and crossing a few railroad tracks, we are back in the woods, climbing up Peters Mountain. It’s a steepish climb, but we’re still feeling spry, probably because we took such a nice long break in Duncannon. As we are doing the last few miles to shelter, we start to experience more rockiness- is this the start of how Rocksylvania got its name? Time will tell.

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We make it to the shelter and discover that the only other person there is camping, so we spring for the empty shelter. Because we ate an early dinner in Duncannon, we spend the rest of the evening snacking, stretching, and writing. As light fades from the sky and the sounds of evening start to press in, we cozy on up in our double bag and drift off to sleep.

-Hero

Day 90 (Friday, May 14th, 2021)

AT Miles: 25.3

Clark’s Ferry Shelter > Tent Site Near Rausch Creek

1179.1 Miles Down, 1014 To Go

We struggle to get ourselves out of bed this morning, hitting snooze several times and wishing we could just go back to sleep in our cozy cocoon. We had stayed up later than we intended, working on our writing and other H4H stuff, and then neither of us really slept all that well. Finally, we manage to pull ourselves together and get out of the sleeping bag. While we are eating breakfast and getting organized, the section hiker who tented a few hundred yards from the shelter last night joins us at the picnic table. He introduces himself as Peaceful Turtle, and we all share pleasant conversation over breakfast. We finish up our food, pack up, say farewell and good luck to Peaceful Turtle, and link back up with the trail.

The day starts with a ridge walk. There are little ups and downs, but for the most part this section is pretty level. Every so often we encounter rockier sections that make us wonder if we’re starting to really truly enter the domain of Rocksylvania, as we’d been told it was the northern section of trail in PA that is notorious for its rockiness. But so far it doesn’t seem too crazy. As we hike the ridge, we enjoy beautiful views of the Susquehanna River, and the weather is really quite mild. Despite the good conditions and pretty views every so often, we’re in a bit of a funk this morning, probably because we didn’t sleep all that well. We keep on, though, as we try our hardest to push miles and make our goal for the day.

Both of us start to realize after an hour or so on the trail that we’re going to need to brown blaze into Peter’s Mountain Shelter in a few miles. We get there and meet a thru hiker named Turtle Hawk. I seem to be more desperate for the bathroom than BAM! at this very moment, so I rush over to the privy. When I get back, Turtle Hawk and BAM! are talking about a game, something that sounds a lot to me like Dungeons and Dragons. It turns out that Turtle Hawk is working on creating a game akin to Dungeons and Dragons, but specifically for thru hikers. He asks us if we’d like to join and be characters in this game and we say yes, absolutely. BAM! is filling out his preferred “powers” and then I do, too. Other thru hikers have also filled in their “powers” in Turtle Hawk’s game. As we get ready to move on from the shelter, Turtle Hawk says that he’ll send us an update on the game and we say thank you and wish him luck on the rest of his thru hike. We really enjoy this stuff, the things that other hikers come up with to engage each other and create spontaneous and fun moments on the trail. Admittedly, this section of the trail can feel a lot like a grind, and we as well as other hikers are trying to find ways to keep our spirits high so we can keep going.

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We continue hiking and eventually get to a spring a couple hundred yards off the trail near Clark’s Creek and stop there to fill up on water. We are both feeling tired, and BAM! is having trouble continuing on because of how exhausted he is. He asks me if we can take 20 minutes to power nap before continuing on. I worry about getting into camp late if we take too much more time, but I can also tell BAM! is really tired. Him advocating for a nap over pushing through is an indicator of just how tired he is- he’s usually one to just push through. I nod yes, let’s do it, and he sets an alarm, finds a flat spot, puts his butt pad down, and lays his head and shoulders on it, the rest of his body in the dirt. He slides his hat over his eyes, folds his hands over his stomach, and within 30 seconds I hear him snoring. Wow, he is seriously tired! I decide to lay down for the 20 minutes, too, and although I don’t quite enter a deep sleep like BAM!, I can feel a haziness and restfulness take over. In what feels like no time at all, the alarm is going off, and I’m jolted from that weird half-asleep, half-awake state that I had slipped into. I turn my head to the left and see BAM! stir and start to come to- he tells me that he had dreams during that short 20 minute power nap! He feels a bit better now, and we still have 11 miles to go, so we collect ourselves, make sure our water is all topped off, and get going.

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Pretty soon after we’re back on trail, we throw in our earbuds and start listening to music- it helps us push the rest of our way to our goal camping spot for the night. Originally, we were thinking about staying at the Rausch Gap Shelter, but when we see that it’s a little ways off trail, we opt to get a bit further and camp at some tent sites just off the trail near the creek. The spot turns out to be perfect- it’s nice and open near the tenting area, but still has some tree coverage for privacy from the trail. There are remnants of the old stone buildings that were a part of a coal mining community that was located here but had to be abandoned when the operation wasn’t producing enough to be competitive.

After dinner, we crawl into the tent and look ahead to the next day- there’s a beaver dam just a few hundred yards further down the trail that we’ll be crossing first thing in the morning. What fun that will be! For now, we are so tired and just want to crash out and hopefully make up for some of the lost sleep from last night.

-Hero

Day 91 (Saturday, May 15th, 2021)

AT Miles: 27.5

Tent Site Near Rausch Creek > Tent Site Near Black Swatara Spring

1206.6 Miles Down, 986.6 To Go

After eating breakfast and packing up, we start the day by crossing the beaver dam a couple hundred yards from our campsite. Knowing that we’d be getting our feet wet for this one, we take off our hiking shoes and put on our camp shoes. We start to walk slowly and carefully across the dam, trying to stay on top of it as much as possible. There are a few spots where we have step into knee high water- it’s super mucky and quite cold! But not terrible, and honestly it’s just so neat to be crossing this incredible feat of beaver engineering. BAM! takes the opportunity to film a BAM! of the Day. I keep moving, slowly lifting my feet with each step so that I don’t lose my camp shoes in the muck. Eventually, I get to the other side of the dam and find a stump to sit on so I can wipe off my feet and put my hiking shoes back on. BAM! joins me shortly thereafter, and after our feet are cleaned off and back in our shoes, we start hiking again.

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We’re both feeling sluggish this morning, and we try not to overwhelm ourselves by thinking about the 27.5 miles ahead of us. Instead, we enjoy the early morning hours in which the temperature is perfect and the sun isn’t bearing down on us ruthlessly. BAM! cracks me up at one point when he practically yells a cheerful “hello” to a couple of hunters who are trying to be stealthy. Not long after passing the hunters, we come to a road where a gentleman is offering some trail magic. He gives us each a vitamin water and some Larabars. We talk to him for a bit and find out the his name is BooRay. Really nice guy, and we so appreciate the trail magic he provides as well as information about the trail ahead!

We continue to meet nice people along the trail as we work our way through Swatara State Park. When folks hear that we’ve walked all the way from Georgia and are heading up to Maine, they express excitement and wish us good luck- it feels good and reaffirming every time we hear such positive feedback! We keep plugging along, passing under I-81 and working our way up some switchbacks up onto a ridge. The ridge walk feels endless. For as much as the flat terrain is kinder to our bodies, longer stretches can feel interminable. At some point while up on the ridge, we come to the William Penn Shelter and each take advantage of a much needed privy stop. From there, we press on, and when we finally come to the next road crossing we find TurtleHawk (the thru hiker we met the other day) and his friend set up with some trail magic. They have coolers full of treats and chairs set up so that thru hikers can sit down and relax while they take a break. It’s fun to see TurtleHawk out here, and we think it’s super awesome that he’s using his zero day to pay it forward and show other thru hikers some love. While we’re there, we meet another thru hiker named Teacher. He leaves the trail magic spot around the same time we do, so the three of us hike together for a couple of miles. Eventually, he branches off to check out a shelter a ways off the trail that supposedly has a shower. We continue on, but tell him that we’ll likely see him further up trail.

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After a while, we reach the tree that marks the 1200th mile of our journey- woohoo! We snap a few quick photos and keep walking- we’ve still got a ways to go to make it to our campsite for the night. Not long after, a hiker ahead of us starts to come into view- he’s hiking fast, but we’re gaining on him. I catch glimpses of him from around BAM!, who is walking in front- there’s something familiar about the hiker just ahead of us. We catch up to him and it turns out to be Goldie! This is the first time we are seeing him since we crossed paths at the Nantahala Outdoor Center back in North Carolina! It’s awesome to see him again- we weren’t initially sure if our paths were going to cross again before reaching Maine, but here we all are! We all hike together to the next water source near the Hertline campsite. It’s fun chatting with Goldie, and it really helps pass the time. Before we know it, we’ve arrived at Hertline and we all get to work on water. Not long after we start filtering, Teacher shows up. He’s planning on staying here at Hertline for the night, but BAM! and I and Goldie are all trying to get a little further so that we’re set up to get into Port Clinton on the earlier side tomorrow. Goldie finishes filtering first and heads out- he might be heading to the campsite we’re looking at, but he might try to push further. At some point, the person staying in the tent that was already set up when we got here emerges- she goes by S8parks and we talk with her for the rest of the time that we are filtering. Once we’re all topped off, we say goodbye to Sparks and Teacher and press on.

It’s another 5 miles to our goal campsite and boy is it a trudge. We both throw on music to help us make it these last miles as our bodies start to tell us that they’re running low on gas. It’s a push, but we make it- we are not going any further, though. Goldie isn’t here- he must have decided to push on- but we meet a flip flop thru hiker named Arizona who is set up for the night in his hammock. He’s getting ready for bed when we show up, so it’s a quick “Hi, how are ya” before he’s crashing out. We try to be as quick and as quiet as possible while we get set up and make dinner. Soon enough, we’re heading to bed with the hopes of catching as many Z’s as possible before our early start in the morning- my mom is resupply us in Port Clinton and I can’t wait to see her!

-Hero

Day 92 (Sunday, May 16th, 2021)

AT Miles: 26.4

Tent Site Near Black Swatara Spring > Tent Site Near Panther Creek Spring

1233 Miles Down, 960.1 To Go

I woke up several times before the alarm went off, worrying for some reason I wouldn’t hear it or it wouldn’t go off. I would wake up, check the time on my phone, and then try to go back to sleep. The other thing waking me up was my aching feet. No matter what way I slept and what angle my feet were laying, they hurt. When 5am finally came, I was already awake and knew I wasn’t getting back to sleep. I still hit snooze for 5 minutes, and Hero and I cuddled a bit longer. Then the alarm went off again and I sat up and started getting packed.

I got out of the tent and took the first few steps of the day. It hurts to walk and I am limping around like I’m literally walking on eggshells. The more I walk, though, the more my feet seem to loosen up and hurt a little bit less. We were trying to be very quiet while packing up because Arizona was still sleeping. By the time we finished packing and ate breakfast he was awake. We said goodbye to Arizona and got on the trail.

Within the first few miles, we saw Goldie at the next campsite up trail. He had pushed a few more miles last night. We said good morning and had a quick chat, then said we hoped to see him again soon. We needed to make miles this morning because we were meeting Momma Grant in Port Clinton. As we were hiking, we met a group of four guys hiking and struck up a conversation. They asked some questions about our Thru-hike and the Fundraiser. One of the guys, trail name PIMA which stands for something I can’t say on the blog (Pain In My… you get the picture!), had section hiked nearly the whole trail. He gave us some advice and encouraged us to take our time and eat some berries in Maine. They were a nice crew. We said goodbye and pressed on.

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We were running a little late at this point and the descent into Port Clinton was very steep with nothing even resembling a switchback. We tried to keep up the pace but our knees were screaming at us and my feet were starting to ache again. They seem to get a little better in the mornings as we start hiking, but as the day progresses the pain gets worse again. We walk down to the train tracks as Momma Grant pulls up. She parks and we run over to greet her. It was so good to see her and we were very grateful that she brought us a food resupply.

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She tells us there is a Burger King down the street so she can just drive us there to get Impossible Whoppers for lunch. That sounds great to us so we throw our packs in the back and hop in. Cushioned seats feel so nice we could easily take a nap in the back seat. We went to a gas station first to use the bathroom and find sour patch kids, then to BK and we got Impossible Whoppers. We each got two whoppers and a side of fries. After scarfing those down, we swung by Walmart to grab a few things.

Momma Grant drove us back to the trail station and parked in the exact same parking spot that we had left from to make sure we didn’t miss any of the trail – HaHa! We packed up the resupply she brought us and said thanks, then came the challenging goodbye. We all hugged and cried a bit. We knew we would see her again soon, though which made it a bit easier. Goldie came by right before she left, and Momma Grant offered some stuff we weren’t taking. We also told him that it looked like someone was set up with trail magic right down the trail a bit.

We started hiking a couple minutes later. We walked past the van offering trail magic and saw Goldie and Arizona there enjoying some food. The trail angels offered us some and we said thanks but we’re full. We had just downed a lot of BK and what they were offering definitely wasn’t vegan friendly. We said thanks and told them we appreciate what they’re doing for hikers, then pushed through Port Clinton.

The rest of the day was a slog. We did another 13.2 miles after picking up the resupply. The day seemed to drag on and my feet were very sore. It felt like my arches were on fire and I had pain with every foot strike. I knew my shoes were near the end of their life, but this seemed like something more. Still, I thought that maybe my feet are just really bruised and beat up from all the pointy rocks. Either way, I was slowing down and we didn’t get into camp until much later than we had hoped. We still made it before sunset, but barely.

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Hero started setting up the tent and I went to get water. As painful as my feet had been hiking, it was so much worse just standing still as I waited for our water bucket to fill up. Now my arches were screaming with pain and I had to lift one foot at a time and walk in place to try and relieve some of the pain. I sat down to cook and this helped relieve the sharpest pains and reduced it to a steady ache. I tried to get up as little as possible for the rest of the evening. After dinner, I took some Tylenol and hoped it would dull the pain enough for me to sleep a little better tonight.

– BAM!

Day 93 (Monday, May 17th, 2021)

AT Miles: 26

Tent Site Near Panther Creek Spring > Tent Site North of George Outerbridge Shelter

1259.1 Miles Down, 934 To Go

It’s about 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning when noises outside of the tent wake me. For a few seconds that feel more like excruciatingly long minutes, I lay there just listening, still only half awake. My heart rate starts to tick up as my deliriousness lessens and I begin to register the sounds. My hand instinctively gravitates towards BAM!’s. I squeeze his hand and he squeezes back- the noise beyond our nylon walls have woken him up, too. We both lay still as the sounds of several somethings walking around draws closer to our tent. At some point, I can hear, very clearly, something sniffing just outside of my side of the tent. Hearing this stirs something in me, and I immediately yell “Hey!” very loudly. The sniffing stops and we hear the somethings that were surrounding the tent retreat- their movements fade away as they run further from our tent. When it has been quiet for a few moments, I let out a sigh of relief: “That got me, I was scared for a minute there,” I say to BAM!, turning to face him. He returns the sentiment, and we both begin to speculate as to what the somethings could have been. “Hunting dogs, possibly,” he says, “We’re on State Game Lands, and it sounded like those animals were wandering around a lot like domestic animals. Wild animals are more efficient with their movements- they don’t wander all about like that because they need to conserve energy.” It makes sense, but we’re still not 100% sure what exactly it was outside of the tent. That is until BAM! gets up to go pee about a half an hour later. He has his red light on and it catches a pair of glinting eyes no more than 20 feet away. It catches him by surprise, so he turns on his bright light so he can see exactly what it is he is having a staring contest with- it’s a doe, who apparently could care less about our presence as she continues to snack in our campsite. So, perhaps it was actually a herd of deer outside of our tent earlier? It seems unlikely now that it would have been hunting dogs, what with the doe that has stubbornly remained at our campsite. BAM! comes back to the tent and we try to get a little more rest before we have to wake up.

We wind up sleeping later than we should given the miles we are trying to do today, but our bodies need the rest badly. We’re still tired after being woken up by what we now think were a bunch of curious deer earlier this morning. It takes some effort, but we get ourselves to start packing up around 6 or 6:30. We eat breakfast, filter water, finishing packing up our packs, and roll out.

Not long after we get going, it hits me: I’ve gotta GOOOO! I hope that I can make it to Eckville Shelter a couple of miles away where there is supposed to be a flush toilet. I’ve gotta make it there, I tell myself. It gets to the point where I have to run ahead of BAM! I get to the road and am confused- is it down the road? I yell back to BAM! and he replies that “yes, you’ve gotta go down the road.” I start going that way (waddling that way, really), and after a while a house appears with a sign in front indicating that this is where the Eckville Shelter is located- interesting. BAM! and I look around in search of the bathroom- there are few different structures onsite that could be it. I find it and jump inside- I’m so glad I made it. BAM! has to go, too, so we trade places once I am done. There’s a spigot, so I fill up our water bottles while I wait. There’s a place to charge electronics, so we take advantage of that, too, though we don’t stay much longer. We see the caretaker, but only briefly. A man looking for the trailhead has parked his car in the caretakers driveway, so the caretaker is asking him to move his vehicle.

We leave Eckville, a little sad that we didn’t stay there last night (free access to a flush toilet, shower, and electrical outlets are a big deal to thru hikers, y’all), and start pushing miles. We’re pushing, the rocks are wreaking havoc on us, and we are hurting. This section of trail is literally taking us up over massive rock piles for no apparent good reason- the trail could have easily been routed around the piles of sharp, shoe destroying rocks. Around the point that we reach Allentown Gap Shelter, we’ve started discussing alternatives for how to proceed. These big mile days in the thick of Rocksylvania are really taking a toll, and we are running out of steam. We’re worried that if we keep doing what we’re doing that we might wind up getting injured. At the same time, we’re feeling like we need to get the miles done so that we can give ourselves time to recover from our second dose of Pfizer, which we plan on getting in a few days once we reach my moms house near Delaware Water Gap. As we brainstorm, we think of a way that we could do this that won’t run us completely into the ground. Once we have our game plan figured out, we call up my mom and see if she can help us pull off this adjusted plan (it includes picking us up a day early and helping us slackpack a few days). She’s totally down, and we are so relieved! We just need to get through the rest of today and tomorrow- she’ll pick us up in Wind Gap tomorrow afternoon. I get off of the phone, and though we still have a lot of ground to cover today, BAM! and I rejoice. We finish up with our snack break and press on.

We hit a lot of rocks. Rocks on rocks on rocks. To my surprise (and his), BAM! has to go dig a cathole in the middle of all of this- he encourages me to press on to the next marked water source and get a jumpstart on filtering. I do this, traversing over some of the super rocky spots along this section. Some spots are cool, like the Knife’s Edge, which makes me feel like I am climbing along the spine of a massive dinosaur. But for the most part, it’s a lot of that same Rocksylvania sharp, pointy rock stuff that’s been killing our feet. I’m excited when I hit a patch of less rocky trail and can walk with relative ease. I’m getting close to the road and parking lot area near Bake Oven Knob. Before I get to the road, I stumble upon a water cache! Woohoo! I don’t have to worry about filtering water- that’s a huge win in my book! Thank you trail angels! With this wonderful new development, I am able to take off my pack and chill for a second while I wait for BAM! to catch up. I chug some water and fill up my bottles and BAM!’s little bottle. About ten minutes go by and I see BAM! rounding the corner. “Take a look at this!” I say to him as he walks up. He sees the gallon jugs of water and is stoked! He takes off his pack and joins me for a short break while he chugs and then tops off his water bottles. We can’t stay too long, though- we’ve still got a ways to go to get to home for the night.

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We leave the wonderful, amazing water cache, crossing the road and parking lot and rejoining the trail as it heads up to Bake Oven Knob. Immediately, we start to see lots of graffiti and realize that this must be another spot like High Knob back at the end of Maryland. It doesn’t take long to get to the top of Bake Oven Knob, but it’s a complete boulder field and, true to its name, we feel like we’re getting baked in an oven the sun is beating down on us so intensely- we just want to be on the other side of this and back under some tree cover, so we keep moving. Our energy is starting to flag, but we’ve still got another 7.5 or so miles to go.

Finally, after what feels like forever, we get to the shelter. It’s completely full, so we need to push past it and look for a stealth camping spot. We’ve got to grab water beforehand, though- otherwise, we’d have to backtrack up a rocky mess of a trail to the spring at the top of the hill. I hang back to try and fill up all of our water vessels while BAM! continues in search of a spot for us to set up camp. Tiredness is really starting to set in now, and I am clumsy as I work on filling the CNOC bag and our Sea to Summit collapsible bucket. Twice, I manage to knock the bucket over and have to start over with filling it up. Finally, I have our vessels filled and can start making my way down this rocky trail. I walk for a while and don’t see BAM! I thought he said the stealth site marked on guthooks should be right around here? I keep going and still don’t see him- I yell his name. He doesn’t answer the first time, but he does the second time when I yell and I’m a little further down the trail. He yells back and I spot him a few hundred feet off trail- he’s found a spot that is tucked back a ways, apparently the first level spot he could find. It turns out to be a great little tenting site- it’s getting dark, so we work on setting up and cooking food. We try to be as efficient as possible so that we can go to bed ASAP- we’ve got an early day ahead of us. We climb into the tent, both of us feeling so sore and achey and tired. I don’t even try to write notes for the day- I get settled in and just try to get some sleep while the sounds of the nearby highway sing their nighttime lullaby.

-Hero

Day 94 (Tuesday, May 18th, 2021)

AT Miles: 21.5

Tent Site North of George Outerbridge Shelter > PA 33 (Wind Gap, PA)

1280.6 Miles Down, 912.5 To Go

We hardly get any sleep because of getting into camp so late last night, but we still have to wake up early to crush out the miles ahead of us by 4 pm. We are both resistant to the sounds of our alarm, and yet the promise of meeting my mom at Wind Gap later today motivates us to get moving.

It is just starting to get light out when our packs are on our backs and our feet hit the trail. We reach the road, whose sounds we listened to last night, fairly quickly. Right ahead of us as we cross the bridge, we can see the mountain we must be going up first thing this morning: Blue Mountain Ridge. We stare at it as we get closer and closer, cross the street when we get there, and start to climb. In no time, we’re walking across (you guessed it) rocks. And yet, the rocks along this section of the trail aren’t too bad, not so pointy. As we really start to climb, it becomes a bit of a scramble to the top, but this early in the morning while we’re still somewhat fresh it’s actually kind of fun and invigorating. It also helps that it’s nice and cool and the sun isn’t high enough in the sky yet to be quite so brutal. The payoff view when we get to the top is also pretty nice- BAM! even does a BAM video on top!

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We get to the top and I’ve gotta dig a hole, so I go take care of that before we continue hiking. As we start to walk the ridge, we see a lot of new growth, including some aspen trees which we are curious about- you don’t typically see aspens in this area. Then we realize we must be going through the section of trail that used to be a Superfund, where they are now trying to regrow trees and plants. We take it in now with even more curiosity, speculating on the trees and plants chosen for this rehabilitation effort and why.

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We get to the bottom of the Superfund mountain and from there it is a steep and rocky but short push up from Little Gap Rd. We make quick work of it and are up on the flat ridge before we can break too much of a sweat. Shortly after flattening out on the ridge, we run into a thru hiker not already known to us at a trail intersection. He introduces himself to us as Slug-o, and within a few seconds he is offering us his extra water, which winds up saving us a trip down and back up a steep 0.6 trail to a water source. Because of this incredible time-saving magic, we are able to stop for a second and chat with him for a little while. He’s a really nice guy, and after we part ways with him we immediately hope we can return the favor and help him out further up the trail.

A few miles after our encounter with Slug-o, we come across a water cache at Smith Gap Rd. It’s a total life saver and makes us feel confident that we’ll make it to Wind Gap without having to filter more water, a good thing because there is no water on this ridgeline. The other cool thing is that we are now getting back into familiar territory- we have hiked this section before during one of our training hikes! We’re excited and we know that we now only have 8 miles left, so we really start to push! We throw on some tunes to help us focus, syncing up so that we are both listening to Hamilton. We sing along together for the parts that we know and walk as quickly as we safely can to Wind Gap.

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A few hours later, we start descending into Wind Gap and we couldn’t be more stoked and ready to be done. After getting down the hill and walking under the bridge, we cross the road and plop down in the dusty, gravel parking lot and breathe a sigh of relief. We wait for a few minutes, thoroughly enjoying the fact that we are no longer walking. My mom shows up- we are so grateful and give her big hugs, which she accepts even though we smell terrible. We’ve arrived earlier than we anticipated by about an hour and a half, and so we have some time to pick up food before my mom has to start her evening class. The three of us order Indian food and pick it up on the way home.

We get home and it’s such a strange and wonderful feeling to be back after 3+ months of hiking our way back north from Georgia. It’s great to see Aunt Jo and be back at our home base for a little bit. We’re hungry, but showers are calling, so we get cleaned up before digging into food. After dinner, my mom has class, so BAM! and I, wiped out after pushing as hard as we have lately, veg out and watch Gilmore Girls for the rest of the night.

-Hero

Day 95 (Wednesday, May 19th, 2021)

AT Miles: 16.8

PA 33 (Wind Gap, PA) > Kittatinny Visitor Center (Slack Pack)

1297.4 Miles Down, 895.7 To Go

We wake up feeling so refreshed after a good nights sleep in our cozy bed. We’ve got some miles to make today, but man do we feel like brand new people! Not doing quite as many miles yesterday and ending before 3 pm (as opposed to hiking until 8 pm) meant that our feet got some extra much needed rest. Plus, we get to slackpack today, and we get to wear our new shoes, and we are hiking less than 20 miles for the first time in at least a week- life is good!

We get up and get going, dressing in fresh clothes (aka not the Thru hiking clothes we wear everyday)- it feels good to change it up! We even get to use one of our daypacks today rather than using one of our backpacks as a makeshift daypack- what a luxury! BAM! goes to the kitchen and cooks up a yummy breakfast. He is the king of breakfast bagel sandwiches, I swear- so so so tasty and such a treat!

Eventually, we are ready to get going. We’re setting up a self shuttle today, so the first order of business is to drop off our car at the Kittatinny Visitors Center, which is where we’ll be ending our hiking today. Mom follows us there in her car, and once we have parked and locked the car we hop in with her and she drives us back to the trailhead parking lot where she picked us up yesterday in Wind Gap. Once there, we jump out of the car and get ready to hike, saying thank you and see you later today to my momma and we start heading up the hill.

We’ve got a short, steepish climb to kick things off, but we’re rocking our new shoes and hiking without full pack weight today, so this hill is not stopping us. Once it’s past us, we’re cruising along the trail, feeling light as a feather- even the rocks can’t get us down!

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We plug along, focused on knocking out miles so we can get home and do the Half Gallon Challenge. We’d walked this section before back in late January when we were doing our training hikes- it’s so different now in the springtime! We get to the Kirkridge Shelter and are excited to find gallon bottles of water on site- at least 30, if not more! We decide this is a good spot for a break and enjoy some snacking. Before we leave, we camel up and top off our water bottles- it sure is a great day when you don’t have to filter water!

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We get up to a section where the trail joins a fire road and we spot a grouse walking along the trail! I’ve never seen one in person, have just heard the crazy pounding sound they make to try and deter predators. It’s nice to finally actually see one! I’m able to take a short video of it before it flies away.

The fire road section ends after a while and we start the descent into Delaware Water Gap. There are some gorgeous views of Mt. Tammany across the way, the Delaware River down below. As we get closer to the bottom, we run into Slug-o! We wind up offering him a ride to the store once we all get done. He takes us up on it and we tell him we’ll shoot him a text once we get to the Kittatinny Visitor Center, which is a bit further that where he is stopping in the town of DWG. He lets us pass by him, but soon he’s passing us again because we have come to a magical pond with lots of tadpoles and frogs. BAM! shoots one of his Beauty Appreciation Moment of the Day videos while I try to count up as many frogs as possible- there are so many! After moving on from the pond (which is hard for us), we’re come to the familiar little town of Delaware Water Gap, and then we come to the infamous I-80 bridge crossing. We crossed over this monstrosity during one of our training hikes- it’s our least favorite bridge crossing on the AT because there is so much traffic and just a sad concrete barrier separating it from us. Time to get it over with, and cross into New Jersey! The PA/NJ sign is painted into the sidewalk in the middle most part of the bridge. We take a few pictures, the intense afternoon sun casting some intense shadows, and keep walking so we can get off of this crazy bridge. We are so excited to be off of this bridge and we are so thrilled to have Pennsylvania in the rearview!

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We get back to the Kittatinny Vistor Center and pick up the car. BAM! texts Slug-o, and after getting the thumbs up that he’s ready to go to the store, we go pick him up. It’s fun talking with Slug-o during the car ride to the store. He’s a really nice guy, and he asks us lots of questions about Hiking for Hunger. We drop him off at the Wal-Mart when we get there, and we drive across the street to the Giant- we’re planning on doing the Half Gallon Challenge when we get home tonight and we know Giant has a good selection of vegan ice cream. We’re able to get stuff quickly, and Slug-o is efficient, too, so we pick him up from Wal-Mart and take him back to the Deer Head Inn. He expresses his gratitude and we thank him again for saving us by giving us his extra water the other day. Then we all part ways, telling each other that we hope to run into each other further up the trail.

We get back home and start preparing for the Half Gallon Challenge. We haven’t eaten anything recently and are plenty hungry going into this. We get everything set up and then begin… and it is AWFUL. I don’t know that I have ever felt more physically uncomfortable in my life. By the second (of four pints) I was ready for it to be over. My tongue and lips were numb and my stomach could not understand what I was doing to it. I’d look across the table at BAM! every so often and could tell that he was just as miserable, but he was definitely getting that ice cream down faster than I was. It got to a point where my competitiveness kicked the curb and I couldn’t care less if BAM! won- I just wanted this to be over with. BAM! does win, but he’s in rough shape. I finish about 3 or 4 minutes after him- I feel terrible. Neither of us feels great for the rest of the night

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-Hero

Day 96 (Thursday, May 20th, 2021)

AT Miles: 16.6

Blue Mtn. Lakes Rd. > Kittatinny Visitor Center (Southbound Slack Pack)

1314 Miles Down, 879.1 To Go

We’re both still not feeling super great when we wake up this morning- doing the Half Gallon Challenge was clearly a mistake. But we’ve still got a day of hiking ahead of us, so we pull ourselves together and start getting ready. As we are making breakfast in my moms kitchen, I’m thinking about how many miles we have ahead of us- 27+ miles planned for the day. I know with this “sugar hangover” that I’m not feeling like doing that many miles, and I can’t imagine BAM! is either. I propose to him that we cut our day short and he’s on board. Rather than doing 27, we’ll do 16.6- much more reasonable. We update mom on the new plan, and after we’ve all eaten and have gotten organized, we hop in the cars and get going.

We once again drop off our car at the Kittatinny Visitor Center (the exact same parking spot, too! Ha!) and then jump into moms car. But today we head north instead of south- we’ll be slack packing SOBO back to our car. We drive along steep, windy roads that my mom says are probably closed during the winter, at least that’s what she has heard. When we get to our drop location, we are up on a ridge in one of the northernmost sections of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. We bid my mom farewell and get moving.

Overall, this section is pretty gradual with just a few little ups and downs (“boops” as we like to call them). We’re both still feeling pretty blah and are mostly focused on just getting the day done. Most of what we are hiking today, save a few miles at the beginning, are sections of trail that we hiked during our training a few months ago. It’s cool to see how it has changed now that it is spring, but we’re still feeling ready to have these miles knocked out so that we can go home and veg out. We do really love seeing the view from Kittatinny again, and Sunfish Pond is absolutely gorgeous, but we rejoice when we start descending into the gap and find our car waiting for us at the visitor center.

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We hop in the car and drive home so that we can shower and get organized before we head out again to see our trail friend, Goldie. He’s just gotten into DWG and is in need of a trip to the store for a resupply. We offer him a ride to the store and ask him if he’d like to grab dinner- to our excitement, he says yes to both! We pick him up at the hotel where he’s staying and drive to the Giant. After we have all grabbed the things we need, we go back to the hotel so Goldie can drop off his food. Now to decide on what we’ll eat. It turns out that Goldie is a big fan of Thai food, too, so we all get jazzed about finding some good Thai. Sure enough, there’s a place not far from the hotel, so we cruise that way.

We get to the Thai restaurant and find a nice table on the patio overlooking a grassy field with a dark green forest beyond it. It got pretty hot out during the day today, but it’s starting to cool down now, making for a pleasant evening temperature. Our waitress is super nice and takes our order after we’ve had some time to think on it. While we wait for the food to come out, BAM! and Goldie and I enjoy some great conversation. Though we’d met briefly at the Nantahala Outdoor Center back in North Carolina, this is the first time we’re getting a chance to spend time with him. It’s really fun getting to know Goldie, and we learn more about what has driven him to pursue an AT thru hike.

After a delicious meal, we wrap up with dinner and drive back to Goldie’s hotel. We part ways with him, all of us saying how much we hope to run into each other again further up the trail. Then he shuts the car door and walks into the lobby of the hotel. BAM! backs up out of the parking space and we head back home. We get there and spend the rest of the evening relaxing before we crash out. We don’t stay up too late- we’re getting our second COVID vaccine first thing in the morning, so we want to get a good nights sleep!

-Hero