Guru Hikes

Pennsylvania Days

Hiking through Pennsylvania, I watched as the majestic greens of the Trail slowly transformed into vibrant golds and reds. Since the New Hampshire border, I had not taken a day off of hiking, and the days started to blend together. Misty mornings and sunny days hiking through the forest and farmland epitomized my days.

I stopped by the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon for a beer and climbed the steep Trail up to Hawk Rock.

Pennsylvania is also where I saw my first timber rattlesnake and my first porcupine on the Trail.

History and the Half Gallon Challenge

A few places are referred to as ‘milestone halfway points of the Trail.’ The first one I came upon was the Appalachian Trail Museum in Pine Grove Furnace, PA. I walked through the small museum and read the histories of the people who created the AT and popularized the trail in the early days: Benton MacKaye, Myron Avery, Earl Shaffer, Grandma Gatewood, the countless CCC member and volunteer groups that built the Appalachian Trail.

After the history lesson, I walked down the street to the Ironmasters Mansion Hotel to try my hand at the Half Gallon Challenge. The Half Gallon Challenge is a Trail tradition of eating a half gallon of ice cream at the “halfway” point of the Trail. On the front porch, I devoured a half gallon of ice cream in under twenty minutes, then ordered a full plate of cheese fries for dessert.

The Four-State Challenge

The same day, I hit the actual halfway point of the Appalachian Trail, and a few days later, I approached another ‘milestone halfway point’ at the Mason-Dixon Line (also the Pennslyvania/Maryland state line).

Since the start of the Trail, I planned to complete the Four State Challenge: a grueling forty-five mile hike, crossing three state lines, in under twenty-four hours. I arrived at the Mason-Dixon Line just after noon and began the Challenge.

I hiked well into the dark in Maryland before I set up camp to get only four hours of sleep. Waking up well before sunrise, I packed up camp and kept hiking. I watched the sunrise in South Mountain State Park. After a morning of hiking, I came to the shore of the Potomac River, and within a few more miles, I arrived at Harpers Ferry.

Well ahead of schedule, I spent some time in Harper’s Ferry–the last of the “halfway points”–and visited the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters. I wrote my name in the logbook at the Headquarters, ate some snacks, and headed across the Shenandoah River and out of town. Just a few miles later and within minutes of the 24-hour mark, I arrived in Virginia, successfully completing the Four State Challenge.

I hiked an additional five miles that day and arrived at a road crossing, where I made a call to the 12 Tribes group (Yellow Deli) in Hillsboro, VA. After the Four State Challenge, I finally took a day off–three actually–capping off 600 miles since my last day off. I rested at the 12 Tribes farm where I was fed very well, and stayed on of a few small cabins they had erected for thru-hikers on the farm. I helped with some farmwork while I was there and played with a few of the farm animals. And when I finally felt like walking again, I headed on back to the Trail.

What’s Next

Up Next: Shenandoah, The Waysides, and the Priest! I’ll be back to the regular schedule of Tuesday and Friday next week!. Thanks for reading!