Yellow Springs Campsite 1174.3 to 501 Shelter 1196.4 (22.2 miles, 171.12 total miles)
After I laid down, I saw a pretty good sized spider crawling around on the outside of my bug net above my head. I decided to name it Tabitha, and told myself I was definitely not getting out of my tent in the middle of the night to pee, just in case it wanted to come in and visit if I was opening the tent.
I slept well last night, the Tylenol must’ve helped after all. The birds woke me up for my first alarm at 5:17, and I made myself get up around 5:30, wanting to get an early start on the day since it had been three days since I had an early start, and I wanted to see if I could do bigger miles again if I had enough time in the day to take breaks.
Red squirrel stayed in his tent the whole time I spent packing up, getting ready, eating breakfast, and taking my trowel to a spot 200 feet away from camp.
I hit the trail at 7:01 AM, new record for earliest start. The trail continue to insist on being rocky and muddy and I was quite slow to start the day. I had wrapped my feet and ankles with KT tape, but had made the decision to get to the Cabela’s in Hamburg in a couple days, and see about getting new shoes. The Altras I was wearing just did not have enough cushion, and the rocks were only going to get worse than PA from here.
The day was starting chilly, and I hiked with my fleece and wool hat on to compensate for my hiking shorts. It was cloudy, but it was still nice hiking in cooler weather, and there weren’t too many bugs out.
Around 9 o’clock I checked my pace, and saw I was a little behind of where I wanted to be, so put on some speed. I had decided I was going to break every 5 miles today like Turtle taught me, and with my extra speed I made perfect time for a 2 mph pace to my first breaking point which was at the bridges over Rausch Creek.
Finally I was down out of the last Mountain, and for whatever reason that mountain and I were not friends. I took a half hour break by the bridge, took off my shoes and socks and had a clif bar. I also debated if I should traverse the beaver dam or take the alternate route.
I went with the beaver dam route, but I did leave off my liners and just put socks and my shoes on. I had learned yesterday that wet liners meant a possible day off the trail, and I wasn’t risking it. I do have spare liners at home, but I won’t be able to get them until Connecticut.
The dam wasn’t too bad, just necessitated traversing a lot of small pieces of wood strewn about for about 30 yards. It took a little bit, but I made it safely, talking myself through on the way. My feet even stayed almost entirely dry.
After that I started climbing up to another ridge, when I came upon a section hiker going the opposite way. We chatted for a minute, and he told me that there was going to be a barbecue at the 501 Shelter today if I could make it. It would be 22 miles from where I had camped last night, but I did have it in the back of my mind that it would be nice to make it there today. I had left early, and if I hiked diligently I could make it there probably around 6:30. Maybe there would be a burger left. I asked the trail gods to help me get there.
The ridge was a really pretty hike, with a little bit of a view off in the distance. There was some good downhill, and I made great time, arriving at my lunch spot 11 miles in at 12:05. It was just a little stream, and I soaked my feet, put my sock liners back on, had some lunch, and drank a bunch of water because the next source wasn’t until the next shelter at 8.5 miles further.
I saw Eric twice, a little before lunch and when I was finishing up my lunch. He was going to the next shelter, and planning on going into Hamburg in a couple days. I was still going to try for the 501 shelter which was 11 more miles, but it was nice to know I had the other one to bail out to if I needed, about four miles before.
After lunch there was a little up and a little down, hiking through tunnels of rhododendrons again, and seas of ferns on either side of me. Down to another road crossing, and then a big steep up.
At the road crossing, there was a beautiful bridge, and I saw an older couple who said hi and encouraged me on my hike. They had done some sections before. Up ahead, I saw a trash can as Eric was finished using it. I threw my hands in the air in happiness, and dumped about a pound of trash out of my bag. It’s the little things out here.
I was surprised that I felt really strong going up this incline, and I made way faster time than I thought I would. I even passed Eric on my way up, when he stopped to take a little rest. Then another hiker passed me who I don’t know, just before the top of the ridge. It was rocky at the beginning of the ridge, but then the terrain actually got nice, flat, and much less rocky.
So I was making good time, and going pretty fast when I stepped near two tiny baby turkeys on the trail. It was the second time in my life I had seen a flock of baby turkeys in the woods, and the mom was right nearby shoeing them away from me into the safety of the woods. They moved way too fast for me to get a picture of the babies.
The trail lulled me into a false sense of security, and soon turned into a crazy boulder field that seemed to stretch for at least half a mile. Eric pulled up behind me again, then stopped to rest when it got really bad, almost at the end of his day. I had more to go, so I continued on. Eventually it got better, tapering off to medium rocks then beautiful flat and soft trail again.
I pushed pretty hard to get to William Penn Shelter ahead almost 18 miles in, my feet were hurting by then. They had been good most of the day, though, with breaks and fixing my shoe laces. Maybe I could stick with my Lone Peaks for now.
At the shelter, after the best timed privy ever, I took almost an hour to let my feet air out, have a caffeine drink, and down some trail mix. I waffled about continuing on. I had heard the bbq was long over, but that there might be an outlet there to charge my battery bank. It was dead, and my phone only had about 50% battery left.
I said screw it, and decided to make the 4.5 miles. I had almost no water left, and didn’t want to make the side trip to get more. Plus it would give me incentive to make it all the way to the 501 Shelter. I ate some peanut m&ms before I left. I haven’t been eating that much sugar out here but after the Hershey’s bar the other day I knew it would give me some quick energy.
I got lucky and the terrain was beautiful 90% of the way. I was zooming, too, and feeling good. I had taken a couple more painkillers, but was hoping to stop taking them so regularly soon. Ibuprofen is called “vitamin I” by thru hikers for a reason, but I don’t want to rely on it that much and I know it’s probably not great for the body to take all the time.
I have noticed it takes more miles to make my feet hurt so bad now, and that’s an improvement. My feet are getting stronger, I can tell. I also learned it’s smarter to hike around the rocks than on them, when possible. Better on the feet.
Only at the very end did it get really rocky again, but by then I had checked my phone for the first time and found I only had a half mile to go. It was a very welcome surprise. I passed a couple beautiful overlooks I wasn’t expecting, probably the best views I had seen so far in terms of how much I could see.
I took my time on the last half mile, careful on the rocks and still with over an hour of daylight left. I followed the blue blaze trail to the 501 Shelter, where I found a whole group of people around a fire. Probably at least 11 people, since I got the last bunk when I got there. I was also given pizza and, although there was no outlet available, a young woman named Goofy let me charge my phone off her battery block. I was so glad I had done the extra miles.
I saw Trillium there, and spoke with her, Goofy, and an older gentleman named Professor. Goofy is similar to Rebbe Mo in that she attempted a thru last year, and is now finishing the trail this year from where she left off in Pine Grove Furnace State Park.
Goofy had a really fascinating story about how last time she started in GA very late in the season on May 8th. She made it to Pine Grove (1100 ish miles) in two months. But she was destroying her body doing it, and had to make a very difficult decision to get off trail. Professor is hiking with her and helping her to have more moderation this time.
The rest of the group seems to have taken a zero here today, and stayed at the shelter last night, too. It’s a good place for a trail zero, an enclosed cabin with bunks, tables, a skylight and a port-a potty. They seem like more of a party crowd, which I was part of last time, so it’s interesting to see the difference in the experience personally this time.
I am impressed I hiked 22 miles today, and feel much better than I did taking the 20 into Carlisle. My body is getting stronger, and I am enjoying the journey. Only 100 more miles of PA left.