We woke up and got on the trail by 8 am. As usual, Freight Train took off like, well… a freight train. Seth and I hiked together in the morning and went up and over a 1,000 foot climb without any problem. Other than the first morning climb, the trail for the most part, was pretty level without any super challenging elevation changes. The morning continued to warm up, and Seth and I were sweating a little as we approached a road crossing. On the far side of the road, there was a sign about some creep that was messing with hikers. Upon reading the warning, of course Seth and I started joking about it. We hiked on, and 20 minutes later we found Freight Train waiting for us because the sign about the strange dude on the trail freaked her out a little. We all decided it would be best if we stuck together for a while, even if it just made us all feel better.
Here I am at the official halfway point of the Appalachian Trail.
Here, I am contemplating the challenges that are ahead of me, and smelling my mustache
Shortly after reforming the team, the three of us crossed the offical halfway point of the trail. The unofficial halfway point was in Harper’s Ferry, WV, but the trail actually gets a little longer almost every year. The changes are due to having to re-route around private property, washed out sections, or to avoid ecologically sensitive areas. At mile 1090.5, we were officially halfway done with our Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike. Standing at the sign, I thought about how hard it had been to even get to that point. My brain couldn’t even comprehend how long I had left, including the massive mountains of New England, but it was nice to know I had at least made it half way. The three of us took a short break and we took some pictures by the sign. After resting for a few minutes, Freight Train blasted off ahead again and Seth and I took our time hiking the last 2.9 miles of the day. As we approached the road at the end of the day, Seth hit the wall and had to dig deep to get hiking again.
Seth, “resting” on the pavement after a tough day of hiking.
We took a quick break and then hiked along the paved road to the Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The hostel at the park looked like an old mansion, and accross the street was a small deli and general store. After checking into the hostel we went to look for Freight Train. We eventually found her at the general store attempting the famous “Half Gallon Challenge.” “The Half Gallon Challenge” is when a thru-hiker tries to eat a half gallon of ice cream in under an hour. She failed, and I didn’t even try it. My stomach already felt a little upset from hiking in the heat, so dropping a half gallon of ice cream on top of that sounded horrifying.
In the trail guide, it said that the hostel offered a “Pasta Dinner” for thru-hikers. At 6 pm all the hikers that were staying in the hostel, gathered in the dining room at circular tables and waited for the food to be served. There was about ten of us waiting for almost a half hour, then suddenly an frustrated little man appeared. He rushed by with a stack of plates as he mumbled angrily to himself. The “Pasta Dinner” ended up being a plate of super mushy pasta covered with a cheap, canned tomato sauce. I was a little dissappointed at the quality, but of course I ate the whole thing in under five minutes. After dinner, I took a shower and read some back issues of Backpacker Magazines in one of the little side rooms. One thing that stuck out to me after my shower, was how badly I needed to do laundry. My socks and shirt were so rank, it was barely tolerable. The rest of the evening was relaxing, and it gave me the oppertunity to reflect on hiking half of the trail.
Smooth's Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike 