Day 72: Hike from Penmar Park just over the border from Waynesboro,PA to Rocky Mtn Shelter

“The greatest adventure is what lies ahead”
~Tolkien

May 26, 2022
AT miles:  15.3
Ascent: 2425’
Descent: 2080’
Weather: mid-60’s and humid
High points: Being back on the AT

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I woke up at 3:25 this morning so I could get an early start on the drive to Pennsylvania.  In this section hike I will attempt to hike the entire Pennsylvania section of the Appalachian Trail. The first six days of this hike will be from Waynesboro PA to Duncannon PA and I will be hiking with Pam.

I dropped my car off at the house of someone I do not know but connected with through a hiking group on Facebook. They live about a half mile from the trail in Duncannon and seem like a nice hikers couple. Hopefully my car will be safe there.

Then Pam drove us both to Penmar Park and we left her car there and set off on our adventure. We headed north, immediately crossing the Maryland Pennsylvania border.

The trail seemed fairly gentle. I was actually surprised that today’s total ascent was nearly 2500 feet. We walked across streams and through the forest. The woods were nice and gentle.

We walked by Tumbling Run Shelter, the only shelter I’ve ever seen that looked like it had an interior decorator work on it! There were flowers in a vase on the table, magazines in a box in the shelter, a decorative but nonfunctional doorbell on the privy, a decorative but nonfunctional the light switch on the inside of the privy, and real bona fide toilet paper! There were actually two shelters, one with a wooden sign saying snoring and one with a wooden sign saying no snoring.

Martha Stewart would be proud of this place!

We walked by copious quantities of phlox.

We walked over the newest bridge I’ve seen on the AT — it was bright yellow and still smelled of fresh wood!

The last 6 miles before we reached the shelter seemed to take forever, but we finally did arrive at our shelter. Normally I arrive wherever I’m going to spend the night around four or five but tonight because of our late start we didn’t arrive until 6:30. I was tired enough that it was really hard to make dinner! I think I will sleep well tonight.

Today’s a good day for long walk in the woods!