Platinum burning in PA – The Trek

Not a bad start to the day. Eckville Shelter was exactly what we needed. A place to stay dry while it was raining and sleep at night. Bonus points for having a place to charge our phones. I woke up a little stiff from sleeping on the wooden platform. None of the wooden bunk beds were wide enough for our 2-person sleeping pad, but it wouldn’t have made much difference even if they had been. Our Big Agnes Rapid double mat was on its last leg. Our efforts to apply countless patches and search for leaks were futile. He was dead. Luckily, we got a warranty through Big Agnes (shout out to their customer service department)! But in the meantime, we didn’t have a mat to sleep on. Luckily, we had our eye on the Lookout Hostel, just 11 miles down the trail.

The hottest day so far

We had been experiencing a heat wave and this day was about to be the hottest yet. The humidity was through the roof. I was sweating before even returning to the AT from the shelter. We walked to Dan’s Pulpit View. The view from the top of the mountain showed the subtle beauty of rural Pennsylvania. The farmland and mountainous hills in the distance were impressive. And the gentle breeze that could be felt from the viewpoint relieved the hot, humid air a little.

Impromptu stay in a hostel

When we arrived at Lookout Hostel, it was only noon. We noticed a particularly attractive bench right outside the house. I took off my shoes and shirt and plopped down on the bench before Cody caught up to me. «Do we want to spend the money on another stay at a shelter? Or will we just shower, wash our clothes, and keep walking?» We had asked ourselves this question earlier that week and after hours of delaying the inevitable, we finally decided to stay there. The host, Yard Sale, came out to welcome us. She invited us in.

The question was answered as soon as we entered their air-conditioned home. «I think 11 miles is enough for today. Where can I find the bunks?» It didn’t take us long to get settled. The usual: shower, loan of clothes, laundry, food. That is the list in each hostel. But Lookout was offering a special service that day. A message therapist began setting up her station in the basement. Hikers lined up to receive their massages. The look of watching 1000 miles of hiking melt a person is all the recommendation I needed. Sign me up! Let me tell you, that massage was incredible!!

pizza with friends

That night they welcomed a few more hikers who came in as sweaty and fatigued as we were when we arrived. Retriever, Monarch, Witchcraft, and a few other hikers decided to order pizza with us for dinner that night. We sat in front of the TV glued to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals while we ate dinner. Some of us waited until midnight for the hiker and headed to the bunk room in the basement at 8:00, others of us stayed up to watch the game. But the Captain was committed. He even stayed up late to watch a World Cup match. I guess you should take advantage of streaming services when you can, even if it means staying up past midnight.

The edge of the knife

We left Lookout Hostel feeling grateful to have enjoyed such an amazing day there. But our clean, dry clothes didn’t stay that way for long. Although the heat was not as high as the day before, it did not make much difference. When we reached Knife’s Edge, a long ridge line where the trail follows the tips of huge sloping rocks that we balanced across, we decided to call another lodge. No sleeping mat, extremely hot days and humid nights: this was the recipe for tapping and calling a shelter. And before we knew it, 3 other hikers who had also stayed at Lookout with us were also asking for availability at Breezy Acres. Did I mention it was hot?

Thank God for the angels of the path

The next 14 miles were dotted with the infamous Pennsylvania Rocks. And very few water sources were visible on the map. Fortunately, northern Pennsylvania has an incredible network of trail angels, lodge owners, ridge runners, and trail club volunteers who support hikers in this section. Water tanks were strategically placed along the trail. These hiding places saved us from having to travel long side trails in search of unreliable water sources. Although there wasn’t much elevation gain in this section, my body was exhausted after traversing large rocks, Knife’s Edge, and miles of rocky trails.

Ice cream with Mary Poppins

We planned the rest of our day with three other hikers who were picked up by the hostel owner with us. Orange, Retriever and Ash stopped by the Bake Oven Knob Shelter to have lunch with us. Cody texted the host, Mary Poppins, to give her our date. He pulled into a trailside parking lot shortly after the five of us arrived hungry, hot, and tired. “Who wants to go get ice cream?” They were the first words that came out of his mouth. Say less! You know, in real life people say not to get into the cars of strangers who promise you candy. But on the way, I jumped into this stranger’s car before she could finish the word «ice cream»!

Mary Poppins kept her promise to bring us ice cream at a local creamery. Cody realized that he had left his shirt in the backpack that had been stored on the roof rack. So he resorted to wearing a neon traffic vest indoors. Personally I think he wore that vest well!

Family Dinner at the Hostel

We decided as a group to make spaghetti for dinner and split the cost of purchasing it. Then Mary Poppins stopped by a grocery store before taking us all back to her hostel. She truly was one of the best hosts we have had the pleasure of staying with. Their house was very cozy and comfortable for hikers. I got into the shower first and quickly got to work preparing dinner in her kitchen. The community atmosphere created by sharing a home-cooked meal is a rare pleasure experienced on the trail. But this night was full of joy as the group of misfit hikers sat around the kitchen table savoring garlic bread, salad, and all the spaghetti we could eat. Even the ridge runner staying at the lodge joined us for dinner. The perfect evening culminated with a strawberry shortcake that Mary Poppins made us and watching the United States play its first game in the World Cup. What a great day on the Appalachian Trail!

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