Pen Mar to Duncannon

Mountain laurel tunnels

Day 87

Some extra haze for sure

I finally caught up on the news about these Canadian wildfires and the uncharacteristic smoke and poor air quality hitting the East Coast. No orange skies in my area, and I kept hiking with no ill effects. At least this terrain is pretty flat, and I was in the more moderate air quality band.

I actually had to stage this photo carefully because many flowers were crawling with insects

The mountain laurel is blooming, and I am walking through tunnels of it. Fun fact, mountain laurel is the state flower of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania's southern section has some pretty nice shelters, too. This one at Quarry Gap, though I didn't stay there, is double wide with a covered picnic table, a porch swing, and hanging flower baskets.

Stepping up the shelter game

A quick note on trail maintenance and hydrology. There's 2 types of built features in the photo below intended to reduce erosion. First are the logs going perpendicular across the trail to create flat steps. This stabilizes the soil and reduces slope, slowing down water. Second is a common trail feature called a water bar or a rock bar. This is a series of rocks going across the trail at an angle. They direct runoff off the trail where it can infiltrate rather than running straight downhill on packed dirt.

Yes, these rocks were actually placed here on purpose

Day 88

Feels pretty unreal to be halfway. Like not much time has passed, but my life before trail seems so distant.

Got some surprise morning trail magic just before the trail halfway point! The Appalachian Trail is constantly being worked on, rerouted for various reasons and changing in length. The halfway point therefore changes each year, so there is quite a collection of midway markers in the area.

Though the ink hasn't survived well, the 2022 sign is at left. The very official monument at right was from 2010, I believe.

Why has the trail been rebuilt or rerouted for 99% of its length? It might be relocated to protect fragile ecosystems and let an area regenerate. Despite all the discussion of pointless up and downs straight over mountains, this isn't the best way to build trails. one reason the trail is growing in length is because switchbacks are being added instead of going straight uphill. It might be rerouted around certain road/railroad/bridge crossings, or away from roadwalks or utility easements as additional land was acquired. It might be rerouted to include nearby points of interest. Changes in surrounding land might affect the trail. The AT predated Skyline Drive in Shenandoah, so there's 100 miles of change right there.

I also passed 1100 miles just after halfway.

A tradition to mark the halfway point is to eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting. This is possible due to the high caloric output of backpacking, but it might not be pleasant for everyone. Here is a progression of me over the course of the ice cream challenge.

Here goes nothing

Starting to have some regrets. I got so cold that I needed a jacket 

Weary, yet victorious. Your prize is an engraved tiny wooden spoon.

I didn't get much farther after this to camp, and I didn't end up eating dinner.

Lake at Pine Grove Furnace

Day 89

A collection of recent signs. Top left: nature has gobbled up whatever this was. Top right: foot traffic reminders are common near road crossings. Bottom left: these wooden signs are unique to Pennsylvania road crossings. Bottom right: rarely does a hiking trail get a street sign.

Though mountain laurel is beautiful, it's not really fragrant. This was unfortunate for me because I was apparently downwind of farmland, and all day it smelled like fertilizer.

A hint of rock scrambles to come. These were mostly giant 20 ft obstacles to navigate around and not over.

The squeeze was narrower than it may appear 

I camped on the edge of Boiling Springs, and oh boy was there a transition in landscape. As hikers enter Cumberland Valley from the south, the forest opens up to flat farmland. It's a very different experience walking through open fields. Right after this photo was taken, I booked it into camp just ahead of a rainstorm, which I could see coming from far away across the open landscape.

A major change from forest to farm

Day 90
I made a quick town stop for breakfast, then off to meet my parents! My mom has been particularly excited to do some trail magic, so with advice from me and trail-focused Facebook groups, there's quite a supply of coolers and snacks.

This photo only represents a portion and car 1 of 2

After resting and snacking for a bit, my mom joined me for a few miles. The terrain was flat, and I felt so light and free with only a small daypack.

Mother daughter hike

The Appalachian Trail is preserved through easements about 100 ft wide at minimum. There is no camping (and critically, minimal water) through this 14 mile stretch due to proximity to private land, except for the site at Boiling Springs and a shelter at the northern end. The Cumberland Valley is mostly farmland. Luckily, the AT easements are little patches of forest providing shade for a lot of the day. Only one overlook near the shelter, the only climbing today.

There was an excellent stone bench opposite the viewpoint. And you can see the previous ridge in the distance.

Golden hour glow

Day 91
Breakfast, resupply, then I headed back to trail.

Farewells and laughs

Starting in PA, the trail passes near towns much more often. Anything less than 30 miles I'd say is close together by trail standards. Obviously, my mileage has increased, so 30 miles in the beginning was perfect, and now I'd likely skip over that town. Resupply takes time and effort, so you balance that against how much food weight to carry.

Hopefully, the views don't look the same to you, dear reader, as they sometimes feel to me

Boiling Springs and Duncannon are rare in that the trail goes right through town, and they're only 25 miles apart. After a short break and water refill in Duncannon, I headed up the ridge to camp. This is the start of dry ridgelines that are common in the Pennsylvania section. The water sources that are present tend to be farther off trail than most, are often seasonal and run dry by summer, and include several hundred additional feet of elevation change. By AT standards, a 10-mile water carry is bit far, though desert hikers would laugh at this as they tolerate much worse.

Crossing the Susquehanna River

Here's to Rocksylvania, as I've heard the easy cruising trail ends and the rocks only get worse after Duncannon.

Happy hiking!