Appalachian Trail 2015- Journey Before Destination : PA

End of the 4-State

16 May 2015: -0.3 miles to Laka Pavilion, zero day

Took a zero
Bruce came to visit again!!! This time he got to meet Poppins because she wasn't busy being broken like last time. Had a lovely time drinking coffee (well I guess Bruce had coke and Poppins had hot chocolate so I was the only one having coffee), going out for dinner, and recounting stories.
Ended up staying in the park where we dropped the girls off the night before... in one of the pavilions, hiding from the cops... we hung our bear bag from the jungle gym, because we are just classy like that
Thia came to visit too for two hours

Finally got a picture this time. Stoat and Bruce!

The singles table

**Hiker Vocabulary 101: some common terms we like to use that would not make sense in daily life.

Yellow Blazing: This isn't actually referring to the color of an actual blaze. "Yellow Blazing" is a term used for hikers who basically CHEAT. They cheat by moving ahead (not back and forth from a town, that is simply hitching and it is acceptable. If one gets off the trail they need to get back on the trail in the same spot or go make up the part they missed before calling themselves a thru-hiker...till then they are just a section hiker) on the trail by other modes of transportation rather than their own two feet, namely by car. Unfortunately lots of people are cheating in the bubble we were passing through at this time. Poppins and I catch them ALL the time now. When someone is only doing 15 miles a day or less and then they end up 100 miles ahead of you and never passed you, it is VERY FRUSTRATING... but what is more frustrating is when you ask how they got there and they lie to your face.

A yellow blazer calling themselves a thru-hiker takes away something from people who are actually putting in the effort of HIKING the ENTIRE trail. I'm sorry. I'm very passionate about this subject... and have a bit of a reputation of being vocal about it in some circles. The motto I get thrown back in my face is "Hike your own hike" which is meant as do your own thing on the trail (as in don't let other people tell you your gear is wrong or you're going too slow) and yellow blazers use it as an excuse/armor... yes, although I do believe the key work in there is HIKE your own hike, not hitchhike, not drive, not pick your own hike, HIKE.

One example of this (and why I'm so prickly) Poppins and I put in a terrible 29 mile day over the PA rock and were in pain. We cross the road and there is a couple we had passed that morning sitting there sipping on some trail magic someone had left by the road... we were on trail all day, no way they re-passed us and we missed them, also we are just flat out faster. BUT they did openly say that they hitched a ride into town and then got dropped off here. So I could forgive them, at least they were honest. Still the initial site of someone, after a grueling day of work being in the same place you are with none of the pain or effort is annoying and disheartening. One of our friends told us how he put in a 30 mile day to get to a hostel before dark only to find the hostel FULL because some people behind him jumped 50 miles of the trail, it is the little things that get under our skin.

PS- I find the term "yellow blazer" or someone accusing us of hitchhiking to be a huge insult. No, we put in the work, we do high mile days, and we a crazy about signing trail logs just so we can prove we hiked ALL of the A.T. up to this point.

sorry, tangent over

We do laugh when we see actual yellow blazes however

Pink Blazing: When a boy tries to hike faster or slower to keep up with a girl he has taken a fancy to on the trail

Pink Blazing

Blue Blazing: walking on an alternative trail than the A.T. to get to another point on the A.T. Not as frond upon as Yellow Blazing, because the hiker is still hiking. Only frond upon if you blue blaze to avoid a difficult section of the A.T. but then you are just a wimp, no harm done. Some even Blue Blaze to make the trail harder or more interesting. Still, hiking their own hike. I dont really care too much, personally we try not to blue blaze. but we might in the White Mountains a little to HIT the peaks of the presidential mountains that the A.T. skirts and doesn't quite go over. Added effort= acceptable

Green Blazing: Hiking the trail just to be able to smoke pot. Lots of people do this, I am not one, but I don't really care if others indulge. Actually I find it very polite when someone offers to share, but then I politely decline. Everyone has been very respectful so far and has not pushed the matter.

Gold Blazing: Hostel hopping, staying in town in nice motels, expensive food stops, B&Bs, and what not. Just spending a lot of money to make the trail comfortable.... I with I could Gold Blaze

17 May 2015: 27.9 miles to Birch Run Shelter

Shelter competition, there are apparently two families in PA that are in charge of shelters 10 miles apart and are in a sort of competition to see who can have the nicer shelter

Tumbling rocks shelter, huge, roomy, big

Quarry Shelter, quaint, small details everywhere

the guy redirected the spring so there could be a little bubbling creek out front

18 May 2015: 25.1 miles to Alex Kennedy Shelter

1/2 Gallon Challenge: This challenge is a celebration of a thru-hiker passing the halfway mark on the trail by eating a half-gallon of ice cream. The only rule is the ice cream must be finished in one sitting, no outside help is allowed. Poppins sat this one out because we thought she was lactose-intolerant, long story, but she stayed for emotional support. The support was well needed as I painfully slogged through a carton of raspberry and then a giant cup of vanilla. I was a very sick little Stoat by the end, but I got into the half-gallon club. The three-hour stomachache and raspberry-flavored burps that followed were worth it in the end.
Thunderstorm

Official halfway sign

Starting on the half gallon challenge with Werewolf and Sticks. "Pick your poison" they say, but they suggest dont pick your favorite flavor or you will never be able to eat it again. First round was raspberry and the second was vanilla

The struggle is real

All done and going into a sugar coma

19 May 2015: 29.5 miles to Duncannon, PA

Had breakfast in Boiling Springs, PA in a lovely little coffee shop
Rocks started about 5 miles outside of Duncannon=pain
Stayed at the Doyal with Sticks, Werewolf, and the Diabolical Duo
*Bismarck got arrested at trail days for embezzling $8 million dollars

Apparently he had been hiding on the trail since 2006 and the FBI came and arrested him. He was a nice guy and everyone knew him. Poppins and I didnt go back for trail days so we missed all the action... but we heard about it for the next month. Pretty exciting.