06.19.07
Day 7 Friday June 15
17.4mi to 501 Shelter
Another cold morning it had dipped into the low 40s. All day yesterday was overcast made for good walking but as soon as you stopped you got chilled. Making it a stay in the warm sleeping bag morning. Ate a good breakfast broke down camp and headed out about 10a. All day just couldn’t get a stride or pace going it was lots of up and down hills or groups of loose rock. Whole fields of rock slide that were all loose, like on a topsy turvy at the state fair. I kept rolling my left ankle.
Went through Rausch Gap Village, another abandon coal mining place. The woods were spooky kinda like there are still people there keeping an eye on the place. You cant see any remains just somehow the trees have hung onto the memories there. It was odd.
Crossed over four major roads and under Interstate 81, then up steep and switch backs to a ridge which the trail follows for about 7mi to William Penn Shelter. With no real defining markers that became a very very very long 7mi. At one point I was convinced I had somehow passed the shelter and was already part way to the 501. Plus along this ridge the Poison Ivy was was the worst I’ve ever seen fields of it coving the trail and trees with no where to stop and get away from it. So it became a game of avoid the poison ivy and turning my ankle. By the time I got to William Penn Shelter I was ready to call it a day, but there were Panda and Peterman waiting. They were going to push the last 4mi to the 501 for the night. So on we went downward lucky it was on a old woods road which made travel fast and easy. We stopped at PA645 half way to the shelter where I called the family and talking to them had dad come out and meet me at the 501 to pick me up. By this time my ankle was swollen about the size of a big orange and every step was excruciating. I got to Route 501 said my goodbyes to Panda and Peterman and waited for dad and mom to come.
I figure take a few days off recover the ankle and I want to make some adjustments to food and pack weight. then get back on the trail rested and ready to go again.
-segue’07