Starting Rocksylvania – The Walk

Tomorrow at Super 8

It’s always a good start to the day to wake up in a hotel. Not having to worry about packing a tent or sleeping system makes the morning much more relaxing. Once we were both awake, we headed to the lobby of the Super 8 in Carlisle, PA and had breakfast. We talked to other hotel guests about our trip. They were in town for a car show and were very interested in our adventure. It’s fun to talk to non-hikers about the trip we’re on, it really puts things into perspective.

After breakfast we finished some housework and packed our bags. The plan for today was to walk 17 miles to Duncanon, PA. We had heard about a local church that allows hikers to stay in the basement for a small donation. If we could stay inside and not have to go back to sleeping on our very deflated mat, that would be a win. We return to the track and begin to head north.

Low mile flat

The day started out nice and calm. The terrain was flat as we continued through open fields and farmland. I ended up calling my mom that morning to update her on how our hike had gone. We were going to see her and some family when we get to Port Clinton PA in a couple of weeks. They came to meet us on the way to leave Turkenna. We are very lucky to have the support system that we have. The fact that my family is willing to step forward and take Turk in as we continue walking. They have been taking her for walks and to her follow-up appointment with the vet. They have really saved our hike and we can’t thank them enough.

rocksylvania

For those of you who don’t know, Pennsylvania is known for having a very rocky section of trail. Its nickname is actually Rocksylvania! And we got to try it for the first time during today’s section. The trail is covered in rocks and there is nowhere to step. We ended up stepping on unstable, jagged rocks. This really destroys our shoes and our feet. Many hikers are injured in Pennsylvania for this reason. We took it easy, trying not to twist our ankles. We stopped for lunch and a nap at a small water feature along the trail. Now that spring had arrived, the bugs have started to get worse. While we were napping, it was hard to be at peace with the bugs landing on us every two seconds.

Meeting new friends in Duncanon

We left our lunch spot and met another hiker named Ash on our way to Duncanon. Ash is a flip-flop, meaning he started in Harpers Ferry and is heading north to Maine. After that, you’ll return to West Virginia and head south to Georgia. This is usually for people who live close to their starting point or who can’t hit the trail until later in the season. It was nice to talk to him as we walked into town. Once we got into town, we immediately went to a gas station for a cold drink. There we met Dez, another hiker, but he is hiking the Eastern Continental Trail (ECT). The ECT runs from Florida to Canada and is about 6,000 miles!

We had some dinner at a local pub in Duncanon and then headed to the Assembly of God Church. This place was a gem! They offer showers, a kitchen and an indoor place to sleep. When we arrived we saw a lot of familiar faces: Newman, Retriever, Veto and Lady Ivy. We shower and get ready to go to sleep. We need the rest if we planned to conquer more Rocksylvania tomorrow.

The rocks continue

The next morning we got up and had breakfast with some fellow hikers. We planned to hike 18 miles to a small dispersed campsite. The hike from Duncanon was pleasant until reaching a huge climb. We began the accent and passed several day hikers. This section of the trail was all over the place. The rocks were huge and unstable. I ended up tearing my knee trying to get my leg between two rocks. There were points on the trail that didn’t look like a trail at all, just a big rock garden. Our shoes were really suffering. It was clear that we were going to need new boots soon.

Much needed trail magic

After the first 8 miles we met a group of volunteers doing trail maintenance. These are the people who make the Appalachian Trail amazing! We thanked them for their selfless work and continued to the parking lot. There we ran into Veto, Lady Ivy and Newman. They were accompanied by Veto’s parents who had brought them trial magic. They ended up giving us a burger and fries! What a blessing! After that tough stretch of trail we got an unexpected reward. We ate our trail magic and talked with them about the day ahead. It looked like it was going to rain at night, so we were going to try to set up camp before then. We thanked Veto’s parents and participated in the test again.

Rain Rain Go Away

When we were about 2 miles from camp, the blue sky turned toward us. It turned dark and gray and we started hearing thunder. Avalanche was ahead of me and got to camp before me, but it didn’t matter because I had a tent. I finally made it to camp and quickly started taking things out to set up the tent. As soon as we got the tent out, a switch flipped and it started pouring rain. We weren’t fast enough. When we set up the tent and flew out, there was a puddle of water on the floor of the tent. Avalanche dried the inside of the tent as much as he could while I stood in the pouring rain. The tent was still wet when I finally made it inside. Everything was soaked. Our sanitary pad was so wet that the patches we put on earlier started to peel off. There was no way he was holding air now. When the rain stopped, we left the tent and took off all our gear. Everything was damp now instead of wet, which was an improvement. A long, sleepless night awaited us.

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