Okay. So I admit it-- when I first began my flip flop thruhike, I was not a purist at all. I skipped a few 1-2 mile segments throughout PA. I turned into a purist later on. When I completed my NOBO flip and summitted Katahdin, I drove a car back down and made up every single inch of the Trail that I had skipped. I would park my car, hike the 1-2 miles I had skipped, and then hike back to my car again. I am proud to say that now, I have hiked every inch of the Trail from where I am currently to Katahdin.
Except.
Except for one half-mile stretch that I simply cannot find. I actually hiked all the way to one location thinking it was the correct spot, but it wasn't. I have Guthooked it, I have pored over AWOL's guides, and I even google earthed the Trail. And I simply can't find this half mile stretch that I am looking for. All I know is the following:
It was in the very beginning of my hike, so somewhere in MD or early PA.
The Trail comes up to a tiny radio tower or communications building, and then goes off to the right and winds around a mountain. To the left of this communications building is a service road that goes straight up for half a mile and then reconnects with the Trail a little further up. Apparently this is labeled in Guthook but I couldn't find this. Anyway, I took the service road instead of the AT, and I want to make that up.
A few miles north after this section, I believe there is a shelter. It makes me think this is near the Peters Mountain Shelter. But I have looked at maps and the radio towers listed on AWOLs guides are not the ones that I'm looking for. Ahh!
I know that many hikers have blue blazed or skipped parts of the Trail, and that I should forgive myself and move on and understand that "it's about the smiles, not the miles". I would like to sleep easy at night knowing full well that I did 100% of the trail and didn't skip a single mile. Please help me locate this spot!
thank you