Started my morning with my favorite breakfast pancakes) and got to meet the owners of the hostel. Super nice couple, Yardsale (who thru hiked in 2017) and Just Glen (who started section hiking now that he is retired). They are super nice people who provide a great service to the hikers in the area. Hosting a hostel for thru hikers and LASHers is not something you do for a huge profit. It is something you do out of love for long distance hiking and the hikers who do it. They provide a sorely needed service (lodging, laundry, showers, resupply) on a section of the trail that didn’t have many options until they opened in 2021. They also provide occasional trail magic. Today I was the lucky recipient of their generosity. I could not find a shuttle driver to drop me off to slack pack. It turns out that the intersection of the trail I was trying to get to was in the direction of their home, so they dropped me off and I hiked the 12 miles back.

It turns out that rock scrambles, even ones that are miles long, are much much easier without a 30 pound pack to throw you off balance and impact your joints with every step. Of the 12 miles I did today, 8 were either uphill, rock scrambles, or extremely rocky, or a combination of those. Without a pack on I felt like I was flying. Every single thing was so much easier. So apparently the only thing I don’t like about backpacking is carrying my pack. I love the hiking. I like the camping (I like sleeping outside, but would never say no to a shower and bed every evening. Also setting up camp every evening and packing it away every morning feels a lot like housework. I mean I don’t even make my bed every day at home). I’m sure I am not alone in this sentiment, especially since practically every hiker I know is constantly trying to lower their pack weight.

Lots of rock scrambles today. The photos above are just snippets of the ones I did today. There were some really long ones with huge boulders and some really steep ones that required using hands and feet to get down. On the really steep one pictured on the right (above), I came down backwards hanging on with my hands for part of it. Also rocks the size of cars, kitchen tables, coffee tables, SHOULD NOT MOVE when I step on them. I’m definitely not the skinniest person on the mountain, but no human of any size should step on a rock the size of a car and feel it shift under their weight. It is unsettling (see what I did there 😂😂).

Finished my hike with 4 of the nicest miles I have hiked in Pennsylvania. Rocky, but not painfully so. In other words the trail consisted of enough dirt to walk at a reasonable pace without me coming down on a stone in the ball of my foot (really hurts even with the best of shoes). Plus I could hike and look around me without having to stop hiking. On the rocky sections if you are doing anything but looking at your foot placement, you must stand absolutely still. Want a drink of water? Stop! Get your water out of your pack. Drink. Put your water back in your pack. Firmly grip your poles. Start walking again. Want to check your mileage? Read a text? Look at the forest? Take a photo? Stop! Do whatever you want to do (without moving your feet). Put back any gear you used. Firmly grip your poles. Start walking. No exceptions unless you want to fall. Seriously!

I celebrated the end of my hike with a very nice dinner at Thunderhead Lodge with a gourmet patty melt, hand cut fries, and a lava cake. Hiking 12 miles definitely works up an appetite. My hostel is a 1 minute walk away from the lodge, so I got back, took a shower, soaked my feet. Easiest, best day of hiking so far. 😀