Saturday, December 27, 2014

Mount Holly Springs, PA (USA)

Slept later than I intended (making up a sleep deficit from earlier in the week...) and then spent an hour encountering road blocks that prevented me from using my bike (to avoid backtracks). In the end, I even had to "re-hike" a section of AT from yesterday to get started (uughhh). It didn't end up mattering, though - I used every remaining second of the daylight (including dusk) of this warm day and hiked 20 miles! I felt a difference from my last attempts at this distance (July & August) - this time, I was on my feet, trying to keep it all from ending... I moved the car twice, finishing two sections (Pole Steeple Trail to Tagg Run Shelter, PA-94 to Alec Kennedy Shelter). Highlight was a series of rocky areas (on the map, they were appropriately called "mazes") where I encountered climbers with huge "fall mats" - it looked like fun, if just a little on the edge of insanity. Also encountered lots of holly on the mountain - perhaps the source of the nearby town's name... Bittersweet moment, though, was realizing I've finished all of Michaux (pronounced "mishwa") State Forest - it is now one of my favorite parts of the AT. Returned to the Holly Inn and soaked my bones. Whew! Later, went down to the pub and joined in with the karaoke singing. Had a great time with my new friends: Colby, Kelly, Dan and Tom. Bed late... Total today on AT = 9.68 miles / G.T. = 303.7 (200 miles since August 23!)