Mostly a pleasant walk along and through Cumberland Valley farm country (pictures), passing over major highways headed towards the mountains again. The AT passes straight through several pastures (watch your step!).
There was a new boardwalk section over a swampy area alongside a river (pictured) where I chatted with a long-bearded local hiker enjoying the nice day to backpack south to Boiling Springs. After crossing the river on a road bridge, the AT passes a work farm for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (pictured).
On a climb out of the valley, came across a campsite alongside a rusting car where an old road used to be, and was able to refill my water from a piped spring nearby (pictured).
Made my way up to Darlington shelter where I stopped for a quick lunch and to check out the "Taj Mahal" privy (pictured). A young woman named Eve from southeastern Canada was already settled in the shelter, having started a section hike that day in Duncannon PA to the north, headed to Virginia where she looked forward to meeting her husband to finish the hike.
The trail dropped into another small valley and more verdant farmland. I came across an old concrete water trough full of algae overseen by a small frog in the corner (pictured, see top right).
Climbing back to a ridge, travel was fairly easy along an old mountain road, then came upon a pipeline crossing that afforded a spectacular view (pictured).
Ended up the day at the Cove Mountain shelter (pictured). There was a notice that porcupines like to gather at the shelter (drawn to salt from hiker perspiration), so metal flashing was added to the front of the platform and the rock step was set back to make it difficult for them to enter. I was joined that evening by Rockdawg, a geologist from Savannah GA who is section hiking to Delaware Water Gap, shuttling his truck north as he goes, and also Terp and Loco, a married couple from Brunswick MD who, like me, are flip-flopping the entire AT starting from Harpers Ferry. BTW, happy to report that we did not see any porcupines.
No comments:
Post a Comment