Waterfalls and Rocks Galore

Wednesday (6-14) was a cool day.  At 8:20 AM I approached a bridge with a white blaze on it that was about 60 feet long.  As I crossed it I noticed a waterfall on the left.  The sunlight illuminated it and then I noticed a smaller waterfall a few feet away.  I thought how beautiful the area was with the trees, the terrain, the lighting, and the waterfalls.  I crossed the bridge and kept looking at it.  Unfortunately, the AT went to the right at the end of the bridge and the white blaze was 30 feet to the right from the bridge.  I kept walking on a crushed stone road as I was thinking about the beauty of the area.  After 15 minutes I got worried when I realized I had not seen the 2 inch X 6 inch white blazes.  I finally turned around and walked 20 minutes back to the AT.  It is frustrating and time-consuming when I get lost!  I needed to resupply so at 11:40 AM I hitchhiked to Lickdale which was 2.4 miles away.  I was very fortunate to get a ride to and from an Exxon where I bought supplies and a sandwich from Subway.  There were very few cars around but thankfully an older gentleman picked me up.  In the late afternoon I napped at William Penn Shelter while no one else was there.  I resumed hiking to the 501 Shelter.  It has that name because it is located right off Route 501.  It is one of just a few shelters on the trail that has four walls.  I ordered a veggie stromboli and a cheeseburger from an Italian restaurant that delivered to the road 1/10 of a mile away.  There were six lower bunks at the shelter and I was the last and 7th thru-hiker to arrive so I got the top bunk.  I hiked 17.5 miles.  The AT is currently 2,180 miles long.  Since I have hiked 1,183 miles, I have less than 1,000 miles to go!  On Thursday morning (6-15) the temperature was in the low 50's.  My hands were cold and I was wearing two shirts and a jacket.  In the early morning I met up with "Pilgrim" who is a retiree from SC.  I had last seen him on Sunday before the big storm hit.  We hiked the rest of the day together because our paces are similar.  We experienced trail magic of pop in the mid-afternoon.  We camped after getting water from a spring 100 yards down a steep descent.  Overall the day had very little change with the elevation but there were endless rocks.  I hiked 19.7 miles.  Here is a tree growing right out of a big boulder.

On Thursday (6-16) I left the campsite with Pilgram at 6:30 AM.  We hiked 4 miles to a restaurant in Port Clinton, PA, population of 279.  After breakfast I got a ride 
1 1/2 miles to a Walmart from a local man eating at the restaurant.  He had coffee while I went shopping for supplies.  He took me back to the AT and after repacking my bag, I was on my way.  Pilgrim stayed at the Port Clinton Hotel to do laundry, resupply, and use a computer so we may meet up again soon.  I took a short break at Windsor Furnace Shelter.  At 6:45 PM as the threat of rain was evident, I set up my tent at a campsite along the trail.  I hiked 13.0 miles.  The rain overnight slowed my start on Friday (6-17) so I began at 7:40 AM.  PA rocks are plentiful and come in all sizes.  They haven't hurt my feet but they sure do slow my pace and cause mental fatigue.  After lunch at a campsite I napped for an hour.  As I was starting to hike again I saw a small sign that a spring was 80 yards down a steep trail.  I love springs because the water comes right out of the rock and I don't need to treat it.  Spring water is also cold and very refreshing.  When I see a spring, I usually get two liters which adds four pounds to my backpack.  I stopped for dinner at the Blue Mountain Restaurant at 6:30 PM.  I finished hiking at 8:30 PM and tented just off the AT.  I hiked 19.3 miles.  Happy Father's Day!