One of many fields along the AT through the Cumberland Valley (Blue Mountain is in the background) Tiger lilies blooming near planks over swampy area along Conodoquin Creek      7-3-05

I saw the above sign from the Trail but didn't go over to read it. Jim did.

He came back even faster than he went out!

You just never know what you'll see along the Appalachian Trail. And that's one of the great things about it.

It's just a blast to get up every morning and follow the white blazes to who-knows-where? Every day has surprises along the Trail, mostly pleasant. I like never knowing exactly what treasures lie ahead.

Today's fairly short section of Trail was a delightful surprise to both Jim and me. Most of it was fairly flat and across the Cumberland Valley. I'd heard that it was hot and boring, primarily through pastures and fields. I thought I'd rather be back in the mountains.

To combat the heat we got up at 5 AM and hit the Trail by 6:15 in Boiling Springs. I wasn't sure how I'd combat the "boring" part. Or the traffic annoyance: there were seventeen roads involved in these 16.6 miles - either on a road or crossing a road. Two were biggies: the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-81.

Sounds grim, right?

Well, believe it or not, we totally enjoyed today's run. Jim ended up doing even more miles than I did on some of the same trails and it was his best experience running on the AT yet.

TREASURES GALORE

Our outside thermometer read a cool 55 degrees when we got up. Heavenly! We haven't had temps that low since we left the Shenandoahs over a week ago. It was sunny but breezy and we never really got hot, even by 11 AM.

Jim first did an out-and-back (total of four miles) south on the AT, the way I came into Boiling Springs yesterday. He enjoyed running along the lake, over the trout creek, and into the fields. When he got to South Mountain, he turned around, headed back to Boiling Springs, and got more fluids from the truck before setting his sights on catching me.

Meanwhile, I headed north on the Trail through town for about a quarter mile, then turned onto a lovely grass trail that skirted around several fields wet with the morning dew. The day's treasures started manifesting themselves immediately.

First, I've never seen so many rabbits as I saw on this path! There must have been three dozen in less than a mile. They sat in the middle of the Trail until I was about twenty feet away, then scurried off into the grass and weeds. I saw others throughout the morning each time I was on a grassy trail near a field, but not as many as in this first mile. Must've been breakfast time or something!

I supplemented my own breakfast by indulging in many of the fresh raspberries Mother Nature supplied along the way. Another lovely surprise. They were especially prolific in the third and fourth miles. I've eaten some each day for the past week but I've never seen so many berry bushes in one section. I figured Jim would catch up to me long before he did because I was spending so much time gathering berries!  (I mean, do you know how much they cost to buy??)

The disadvantage of being out so early was that I was the web-catcher. I didn't need the trekking pole to run so I held it out in front of me part of the time to catch the spider webs. After a few minutes I noticed several gossamer threads streaming from the pole, glistening in the sun. Cool! They were so pretty to see, and hey, better there than in my face.

For the first twelve miles I was repeatedly in and out of woods and fields. The terrain was undulating, not completely flat. There was considerably more shade than advertised, the pastures and fields weren't hot yet, the trails were mostly smooth and virtually rock-free, and I was having the best run I've had in two whole months on the AT.

The only climbs were near the end of this section when I went up about 900 feet to the summit of Blue Mountain, ran down to a gap, then climbed up Little Mountain. The first climb was long but gradual, as was the final descent to PA 850. I ended up running through rolling farmland again.

RURAL HERITAGE

I just loved the peaceful rural landscape. No cookie-cutter subdivisions in sight, just large fields with corn, wheat, or soybeans planted in them (badly in need of moisture) and scattered farm houses and barns. Some farms had pastures with cows or horses but I had to side-step cow patties in only one of them. On the Trail itself were rabbits, deer, even a black cat from one of the farms.

I'm a product of rural America, southern Ohio to be specific. The hilly, treed farm with a large creek where I spent my first ten years left a life-long impression on my mind and soul. It explains why I love to be in the woods all day, and why I enjoyed this rich farming valley so much today. I'm at home here, not in a city. And I'm in my second childhood for sure!

Jim enjoyed the farms today just as much as I did. He grew up in Illinois and reminisced about time spent on his grandparents' farm when he was growing up. The woods, the farms - they just get in your blood.

There were several old stacked stone fences in the woods sections, long abandoned. I'm used to seeing them in Virginia but didn't realize they were commonly used in Pennsylvania, too.

We also passed an old, unkempt cemetery surrounded by a rusty fence just before the turnpike. I took a few photos of the abandoned plot full of weeds and bright orange tiger lilies but didn't go inside the fencing. Jim took the time to get up close and inspect the old headstones from the 1800s. We're both fascinated by old cemeteries and wonder about the history of the people who died there.

I called Jim just before reaching the PA turnpike at 6.8 miles. I thought that's where he wanted to turn around. He was just a few minutes behind so I waited for him. He decided to keep going to I-81 before he turned around and headed back to Boiling Springs, for a total of about 22 miles. He was having lots of fun and felt good, a confidence-booster for Vermont.

Other treasures presented themselves to me after Jim turned around: the lazy, shallow, clear creek (Conodoguin)I followed for a mile that I thought was a river because it was so wide; the long wooden walkway over a boggy area near the creek (photo above); the two rusted iron "sculptures" on Blue Mountain (abandoned carcass of a car and  discarded farm machinery); the large "bench" made of many flat rocks overlooking the Cumberland Valley, high up on Blue Mountain; and the newly-renovated Darlington shelter on top of the mountain.

NIGHT HIKING

Since I was ahead of schedule today time-wise, and there was only one shelter on this section, I broke my rule of "don't go back to shelters I can't see" and visited this one. No one was there so I read the Trail register at my leisure and wrote my own comments about how much I had enjoyed the Valley.

I learned that "Knees" and "Apple Pie" did an ultra yesterday - 37½ miles! Apple Pie, the gal from Holland, had plenty of rest at Boiling Springs before Knees arrived after Jim and I left yesterday. They decided to push on another fourteen miles to this shelter, ending up there at midnight. They got lost in one of the fields after dark but apparently had a great time night-hiking. They even saw some fireworks after dark.

I've read and heard other accounts of night-hiking this year on the AT. Warren and Terry Doyle did it several times in Virginia to avoid the heat, especially when they had a stomach virus and couldn't keep food down. Gypsy Lulu told me yesterday she's done some night hiking with her group.

I love being in the woods at night during 100-milers but I have no desire to night-hike the AT. It would totally mess up our daily routines and sleep cycles. I'm not a night person by nature. My vision is even worse at night than it is during the day. You can imagine how much more trouble I'd have with rocks I couldn't fully see in the dark!

But the main reason I don't want to hike the AT after dark is that I'd miss too much. I love all the visual cues and delights. I love the views, the rock formations, the trees, the flowers. I might see eyes staring back at me in the light of a flashlight but I wouldn't see the raccoon or deer or rabbit or bear they belong to. I wouldn't meet other hikers. And I couldn't take photos!

No, I'll get my fill of night-hiking in thirteen days at Vermont, and that will suffice.

OOPS - WRONG ROAD!

When Jim caught up to me this morning I told him it was a good thing I quit in Boiling Springs yesterday instead of a road four miles north where we'd originally planned to rendezvous. I couldn't tell which one it was, there were so many!

I've rarely seen the name of roads identified on signs at Trail crossings; that would be handy for hikers to know, I'd think. I guess most hikers carry their maps and don't much care since most of them aren't crewed.

However, I almost didn't stop at the right spot this afternoon. At about the right time I finished at a paved road that I thought was PA 850. I called Jim to let him know I was finished; he said he'd be there in about an hour. There were four coolers and bags of Trail Magic on the trail at this spot, so I got some crackers, spread out my jacket, and sat against a large bale of hay near the road to wait for Jim.

After half an hour only one or two vehicles had passed. I could sorta hear more traffic over the next hill. Was I waiting at the wrong place? I walked up the road a bit to a house and asked the man in the yard if this was PA 850. Nope - over the next hill.

Oops!

I got my pack, ran over the hill, and waited at the correct spot (a little ATC parking area) until Jim came. Coulda been a real problem if there hadn't been cell service and I'd stayed where I was.

We had a nice, relaxing afternoon in the camper and got ready to go home in the morning to take care of some things there. I'll get that journal entry written from Day 62 that I haven't done yet (very long run, very short evening).

I can also use the rest. I just did a 137-mile week following a 157-mile week. Both of my knees have been sore for several days and I'm concerned about them for the rest of the Adventure Run as well as Vermont 100.

Sue "Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, Cody, and Tater Previous       Next Send an e-mail message to Sue & Jim   © 2005 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil