New Trail Angel

1,200 Miles!!!

Today we had a pretty long day. We hiked a little over 14 miles. It helped that we boondocked in a parking lot right next to the trail, so we didn't have far to go to start our day. We also had virtually no elevation change until the last mile of the hike. So it was another very flat, very rocky kind of day. I'm noticing a trend here on the trails of PA with that.

The pretty views with fall colors are also a trend in PA.

It was noticeably colder today. I even hiked most of the hike in my coat. It's not so bad when you're in the sun, but when you get in the shade or stop moving at all, it's downright chilly. Also, if you've been wondering about the shirts I've sported recently - the ones that look like they got into a fight with a highlighter and lost - there's a reason for those. It's hunting season in PA. And I don't want to be mistaken for something wild and edible. Hence the flourescent shirts. We evaded the hunters and it wasn't hard to ignore the chills when there were pretty views and treasures to be found.

And by treasures I mean turnips. Someone planted a whole field of them on the trail for the deer. Lucky deer.

We walked down off of the ridgetop after 13 miles into the valley and the tiny town of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania. The town only has 2 streets in it. But it does have a railroad yard that is still in use. I've never seen a working rail yard before, even if it is only used for freight and not people.

Nano and Trail Dog at the Rail Yard

After we finished our long hike, my knees were sore from negotiating all the jagged rocks in the trail, so I was happy to go have a treat at a local chocolate shop (chocolate covered apricots...yummy) and relocate base camp. I am very fortunate to have a good college friend in this vicinity. We were on the debate team together as undergrads, and with him having a real job and a real life in Yankee country, I don't see nearly enough of him. Fortunately however, we were able to impose upon his hospitality today. His day job is in the banking business, but I'm convinced this is a front for serious covert secret agent operations. So, in the interests of protecting his anonymity, we will simply call him...Mr. Smith. Anyway, Mr. Smith graciously offered his driveway as a temporary base camp location. This pit stop comes complete with a local's guide to Eastern PA, homemade food, and showers we neither have to pay for, nor wear flip flops in. Heaven.

Mr. Smith's AT Shelter - The best in PA