Halfway and 100 days

Dude and I officially made it to the halfway point of the Appalachain Trail, just in time too because it was Dude’s last day on the trail. I continued solo and celebrated 100 days on the AT.

Morning routine

Dude’s last day of travel begins like any other. You wake up to the first sounds of birdsong as soft rays of light illuminate the tent. He gets up to pee and then goes back to the tent to eat and take a nap after breakfast, while I pack all our items inside the tent and eat my own breakfast. The guy looks at me annoyed as I wake him up to get him off the platform and out of the tent so I can put him in my backpack. Dude waits patiently while they strap his backpack to his back. Strapped to my waist, Dude leads me determinedly out of the camp and onto the trail.

Midway

Friend and I made it to 1,100 miles. At the end of the trail is a sign that points south, 1,090.5 miles to Mount Springer and in the opposite direction points north, 1,090.5 miles to Mount Katahdin. We arrived at the midpoint of the Appalachain Trail.

Half Gallon Challenge

At 10:30 a.m. on July 7, Dude and I arrived at the Pine Grove Furnace General Store.

After 7.1 miles of hiking, I was ready for ice cream.

Pine Grove Furnace is famous along the way for its Half Gallon Challenge. Hikers challenge themselves and others to eat 1/2 gallon of ice cream. It is a way to commemorate reaching the halfway point of the trail.

A half-gallon is a LOT of ice cream to eat in one sitting, but when else will I be challenged to eat a half-gallon of ice cream? Hikers know how to take advantage of life’s opportunities.

There was almost no ice cream at the General Store. We arrived just in time to get the last few boxes! The only brand was Hersey’s Ice Cream and the choice of flavors was limited. I finished with 1.5 quarts of nut butter and a pint of Midnight Caramel River ice cream.

Sunbathing on a worn wooden picnic table were Kaleidoscope, Spigot and Weast, I joined them with my cartons of ice cream. I grabbed a scoop of ice cream and began my half-gallon challenge.

Weast is lactose intolerant, but was doing the half-gallon challenge anyway to honor his dad, who was no longer on the road but dreamed of doing the challenge. She timed it and put on a brave face even when she had to run to the bathroom. Although he reappeared, he achieved his goal of eating half a gallon of ice cream.

My mom and aunt showed up halfway through my half-gallon challenge. They didn’t know they would be participating in an eating competition. SURPRISE!

While I was eating my butter pecan ice cream, I was giving Dude scoops of the butter part. He was happy to help me with the half gallon challenge. Dude deserved a treat anyway for hiking over 800 miles of trails. It took me over an hour to complete the challenge but I did it. I ate half a gallon of ice cream! Well, I got a little help from Dude, but I really ate most of it. Mission accomplished.

The guy’s game

My mom and Aunt Susan drove from North Carolina to Pennsylvania to pick Dude up off the trail and bring him home. The guy has been a great soldier, walking with me no matter the terrain or the weather. If I was standing walking down the path, so was he! Even though I started adding extra dry kibble on top of his dried product and gave him treats and shared my food with him, he continued to lose weight. The northern part of the trail would become rockier and more treacherous. Because of those things, it was time for Dude to get out of the way. Before I had to say goodbye, I spent one more night with Dude in the hotel room along with my mom and aunt.

Alone and traumatized

I planted one last kiss on his big head and walked away from Dude. After crossing the street, I took one last look back and it almost broke my heart to see Dude staring at me, unable to follow me. With tears in my eyes, I turned around and looked for the next white blaze to continue my journey along the Appalachian Trail.

All of my trail friends had continued on the trail the day before, so now I had some catching up to do. I was alone, it was hot and there were mistakes. The nats, nicknamed “No See Ums,” were horrible. I had to put a net over my head, one of the only times I was bothered enough by bugs to wear one.

As I rounded a bleed in the trail, I heard a humming noise and looked down. It was a horse nest and my foot had just landed right on top of it. I immediately jumped out of the hornet’s nest but it was too late, they were behind me. A hornet stuck to my calf. It was my first day wearing a new pair of shorts, my legs were exposed and I was paying for it. The hornet stung me and stayed on my leg. I swear I could feel the poison he was pumping into me. I quickly used my cane to get the hornet off of me. I took an antihistamine and kept walking. It started to rain. I was not a happy camper.

swarmed

After a night alone nursing my stung leg, I was looking forward to seeing my friends. I did not. Instead, I was surrounded by teenage distance runners and their coach. They all came towards me from the front, then after walking for a while more, they came towards me from behind. Better than hornets, but still not ideal. Okay, I’m being dramatic. In fact, it was great to see the community using the trail. I’m glad those kids have the opportunity to ride the AT, to be active and outdoors.

I went in and out of Boiling Springs, PA. It had a beautiful pond that reflected a beautiful mirror image of the city’s wide green lawns and historic buildings. I didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily, so I continued along the way. I would be in a city again the next day.

Trail delights

As I entered Duncannon, I stopped at the first restaurant I came across, Momma Pat’s a Little Taste of Philly Grille. For lunch I got an eggplant and parmesan sub and onion rings. I sat at a picnic table outside with Goat Man, his dog Athena, and Dunkin.

I was wonderfully surprised when Weast and Kaleidoscope also appeared at the Grille. I had met friends from the trail!

After a long lunch break, I left the Grille with Weast and Kaleidoscope. We stopped at the supplier in town to exchange a pair of our Darn Tough socks. Certain places along the way allow you to do a Darn Tough trade. You hand in your old pair and get a new one for FREE! It’s amazing! I was so stocked up that I needed a new pair of socks. Not only did they smell good but they were very soft! I chose the goat climbing design for my new socks to replace a pair of bear socks I had before.

With new socks, I followed the trail and my friends around the rest of the city. We passed businesses and houses and then walked along the road over a bridge over the river. Before we could re-enter the forest there was one more obstacle: a train. With no way to go around or down, we ended up climbing on top of a train car. Finally we were back under the protection of the trees, then there was a mountain to climb. There is always a mountain to climb…

As I struggled up the hill, I focused on being grateful for eating a hearty meal, walking with friends again, and wearing new socks.

swear

We got up to see the sunrise. West, Kaleidoscope and I sat on a large rock taking in the view, the mist hanging low in the valley with the mountains rising above. The peace of the morning was interrupted by my growing panic as I frantically searched for my water filter. It wasn’t where I normally put it. I was convinced I would have to turn around and go back to town to buy a new one at the store. Luckily it didn’t come to that, I finally found it. Throughout the next 25 miles of hiking, I had little time to work off the anxious energy I had left.

Kaleidoscope and I planned to meet Ladybug and Tracker that night at a hostel called Stay-At-Swatara, 40 kilometers away. It was my highest mileage day on the trail yet. The last kilometers were pure torture. He was cursing Swatara, how dare he go this far! My feet hurt so much that it took everything I had to keep going when all I really wanted to do was sit and cry for a long time. I stood my ground and reached Swatara.

The girls rewarded me with a Burger King impossible burger and fries. Hell yes! I have the best trail friends ever!

Weast somehow kept walking to the next shelter to meet up with some of the guys. I swear that girl is superhuman sometimes.

Delivery

Shelter 501 is just a few meters from a major road junction. Therefore, hikers can ask for food to be delivered. But also due to its proximity to the road, the shelter will soon be torn down. It’s horrible that future hikers don’t know the pure joy of receiving food at Shelter 501. Kaleidoscope, Tracker, and I ordered food from Feliciano’s Pizza & Grill. We marveled at a giant spider that had taken up residence in the shelter while we waited for our food. Ladybug, unaware of the shelter’s ability to beg for food, continued walking. I bought him some food to give him at camp that night. I ate a feast at the shelter and then returned to eat a few hours later, sitting by a campfire.

100 flashes

July 13th was Ladybug, Kalidescope, and I’s 100th day on the Appalachain Trail! That day I suffered a major stroke, falling into one of the rock fields that Pennsylvania is famous for. I got a big bruise on the side of my thigh from that. The fall prepared me even more to get to the city. I followed the AT to Port Clinton, PA and then hitchhiked to the Microtel Inn in Hamburg. It was the first time I traveled completely alone, the others were already at the hotel. Thank goodness these trail towns are used to backpackers hitchhiking. I was in a car alone with a strange man, but I followed a conversation and the GPS stopped on my phone. They left me at my destination without any problem.

I stayed in a room with Ladybug, Tracker, Kaleidoscope and Weast. We ate in the pub that was next to the hotel. Some of the drivers that were on the track, Optimist, Spigot, Munk and Onespeed were also there. Weast brought out her glitter and was our makeup artist. She dried our faces, both as boys and girls, with sparkles. Now that we had light, we were able to stop traffic as we walked down the busy road toward Walmart. It was time to resupply. A true day in the life of a hiker.

AT statistics of the type

Friend start date: Day 31 – 05/05/2025

Start Location: Hot Springs, NC at mile marker 275.2

Type End Date: Day 94 – 07/07/25

Final Location: Pine Grove Furnace State Park at mile marker 1,105.4

# of days on the road: 63 days

# of miles traveled: 830.2 miles

Average miles per day including zeros: 13.2 miles per day

Daily location and mileage log

94 – 07/07/25

Tent Site – Pine Grove Furnace State Park

Hotel with mom and aunt Susan 🏨

Mile 1,098.3 – 1,105.4

7.1 miles

95 – 07/08/25

Pine Grove Furnace State Park – Alec Kennedy Shelter ⛺️

Mile 1,105.4 – 1,120.7

15.3 miles

96 – 07/09/25

Alec Kennedy Shelter – Transmission ⛺️

Mile 1,120.7 – 1,142.6

21.9 miles

97 – 07/10/25

Transmission – Camping before Table Rock View ⛺️

Mile 1,142.6 – 1,160.1

17.5 miles

98 – 07/11/25

Campground before Table Rock View – Swatara Gap, PA-72

Stay-AT-Swatara ⛺️

Mile 1,160.1 – 1,185.3

25.2 miles

99 – 07/12/25

Swatara Gap, PA-72 – Camping Hertline ⛺️

Mile 1,185.3 – 1,202.3

17 miles

100 – 07/13/25

Hertline Campsite – Port Clinton

Microtel Inn, Hamburg 🏨

Mile 1,202.3 – 1,220.2

17.9 miles