New Company

Another on-time delivery by Mr. Smith's AT Taxi

Over the past two days, we hiked about 20 miles. It's been much, much colder since the rain, which means I essentially stay bundled up in as many layers as I can, including snow-skiing gloves. Maybe I'm a wimp in the cold, but I'm a much happier hiker when I don't feel the subtle effects of mild hypothermia setting in. Yesterday, we hiked about 12 miles. The terrain was the Pennsylvania standard - flat and rocky through the woods with the occasional rock with a nice fall view to have a snack on.

Pit Stop

We went at a little slower pace than usual because of the rocks, but finished in time to rendezvous with a long lost trail helper.

Trail Sister arrives in PA

Trail Sister is on fall break from college, and decided to spend it up here on the trail with us. The more the merrier. Having the whole family back on the trail gave us a perfect excuse to plan a big picnic for the next day. Today, it was another very cold October morning, and we hiked a little over 8 miles. We saw and hiked behind a group of about 30 boyscouts for the first couple of miles. There were scouts of all ages and sizes, but every single one of them was excited to be on the trail. One of them, who looked about 10 years old, enthusiastically asked me "Are you going to go walk on the Knife Edge?!?!" Unaware of such an obstacle on the Trail, I responded with optimism. It was completely obvious when we reached the huge rock formation known as "The Knife Edge."

Living Life on the Edge

There were other interesting things to be seen along the trail today. We met the rest of the family and Mr. Smith at a very popular day hiking spot on the Trail, known to locals as simply "The Knob." As soon as you climb the rockpiles to the top of The Knob, it's not hard to see why it's such a popular spot.

The famous Knob view.

Trail Angel Mamma packed an amazing picnic lunch and Mr. Smith's AT Taxi brought the whole gang out for a picnic. We took our time eating and enjoying the view, since we only had to hike 3 miles after lunch. We also got to go to a Halloween Parade tonight, which reminded me a lot of parades in my hometown, and was a great time. Overall, it was a beautiful and fun day, which I was excited that the whole "Trail Crew" got to participate in.

Trail Crew