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firemountain
12-12-2006, 17:41
It has been quite a while since my last post. I believe since Stratton ME! Well I have been cruising right along, and am currently at the Bears Den Hostel 20miles south of Harpers Ferry. Less than 1000 to go! It seems that in the last couple weeks everything has finally come together - mental, physical, and nutritional. Planning on getting to Rockfish Gap around the 21 or so to go home (to MA) for xmas. The miles are sure going by a lot quicker now, and I am very excited to get back into some mountains in a couple days. I don't know what the big deal with PA is, the state is flat as a pancake (only good climb Lehigh Gap), and in case nobody noticed there are a lot of rocks on almost all of the 1200 miles that I have hiked so far. I think maybe people complain about the rocks because there are no hills to complain about :)
Anyways, I hope to get some response on the shenandoah conditions thread. I had no idea Harpers Ferry was such a beautiful town! I enjoyed very much passing through there.
Other known Southbounders currently on trail:
Chase - about 10 days ahead
Easy Feeling - around the same
Elipse - 5 days ahead
Little Engine - ?? possible behind
Iceman and Tundra Wookie (www.atwishhikers.com) - 1/2 day ahead
The Honeymooners - behind me, last seen 24 miles south of Duncannon
Thistle - last seen on Mt Moosilauke

Lone Wolf
12-12-2006, 17:43
Yup. PA WAAYYY overrated.:)

mweinstone
12-12-2006, 18:20
hey worm getter! me and mothers finest saw your entry in a trail box jornal . said you were there the day before i think. it was south of pa rt 183 . we were there sunday this last. you must rule!

spittinpigeon
12-17-2006, 21:53
What part of MA you from? I'm from Wista. PA got on my nerves just a little in 99'. This year, perhaps because of advancing years, it bothered me much more. Adding to that was the clueless locals..."You've passed the worst", that was before Lehigh Gap.

firemountain
12-25-2006, 13:40
At 6am on 12/21 I reached Rockfish Gap (the south end of Shenandoah NP), and began my 32 hour journey home with (bus stations extremely busy and I missed a couple transfers). Greatly looking forward to getting back on the trail in two more days! The time off was nice though to fill up on 'people food' and gather a few items of gear. The only thing I seem to continuously have problems with is my Katahdin Hiker Pro filter. In late Oct the handle (that you pump up and down) snapped off, so I exchanged it for a new one at EMS. Now a couple weeks ago the piece where the inlet hose goes into the main body broke off requiring super glue and duct tape to seal. Again exchanged for a brand new one. Maybe it's time to switch to aquamira...
Plan on finishing before March 1, and am very happy to be getting back into some mountains. I am living in Westfield or Southwick MA (both near Springfield). Conditions in the SNP were good down to the South District. There were around 8 miles of very diffacult travel through that section (worst near Loft Mt), I managed to stay on the trail the entire way. The storm on thanksgiving did a great deal of damage to the park. At one shelter I was only the second person to sign in a month!

RITBlake
12-25-2006, 14:17
stay warm brother