Conquering the Half Gallon Challenge (Day 84)

I woke up to rain falling on the outside of my tent. Hesitant to get wet, I took it easy this morning and didn’t leave until a quarter past nine. The trail terrain has been very even with relatively little elevation the last few days. It makes covering miles faster and easier compared to everything we’ve done so far.

The Half Gallon Challenge!

That’s why I was able to make it to Pine Grove Furnace State Park, 17 miles away, at 4:30 pm. I had passed the official AT halfway marker a little earlier in the day (although its location is a bit off), and it was time to celebrate! The Pine Grove Furnace General Store is home to the famous «Half Gallon Challenge,» where hikers commemorate reaching the halfway point of the trail by eating a half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting.

If you decide to embark on the half-gallon challenge, you must purchase a 1.5-quart container of ice cream, as well as an additional pint at the general store. As of 2026, it costs $14 and contains over 2,300 calories.

I selected Napolitan for the larger container and Roadrunner Raspberry for my pint. I sat down with my fork and started the stopwatch. Let the challenge begin!

My goal was not to eat as quickly as possible, although moving quickly allowed me to consume a large amount without feeling full. I started with the large container and finished it in about 35 minutes. By this time the pint had softened quite a bit in the sun and I was able to drink or eat it in about 10 minutes. In total I finished in 46:45. For eating a half gallon of ice cream, I don’t think it’s that bad.

ice cream hangover

I felt pretty bad for a while; My stomach was too full and I was generally feeling upset. The thought of eating more sugar disgusted me. But I kept it low and after about an hour I felt much better. I waited for my friend to finish (the only other hiker to attempt the challenge) and we hiked together.

We went about another mile and camped at a dispersed site just past the State Park line. As expected, I didn’t eat dinner and went to bed early. Will I ever eat ice cream again?

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