Saturday, June 18

About to start on our little adventure, walking the
Pennsylvania portion of the Appalachian Trail (AT). This is about 230 miles of
the whole AT. It’s a fairly rocky and rugged portion too, with elevations going
from 320’ to 2080’. From what I recall they don’t do switchbacks very often.
You go straight up the hill, then straight down the hill.

My sister Lynn lives about six miles off the trail, almost
exactly at the halfway point in PA. So right now I’m at her house, waiting to
pick up my brother Rich at BWI airport in a couple hours. From BWI we head west
to Penn-Mar, a town in the Pennsylvania-Maryland border, and start heading
north. The plan is to hike north to Lynns’ house, take a day to resupply and
clean up, then drive north to the Delaware Water Gap and hike south back to her
house. Should be interesting.

My pack is coming in pretty heavy at about 47 pounds. Mostly
because of food. Most through hikers only carry three to fours days of food,
and mail food to themselves at stops along the trail. We are packing seven days
of food. So my pack will lighten some as I eat my way across PA.

The load that has to fit in the pack to the right. Forty-eight pounds, including pack weight.

It fits, now I just have to carry the damn thing.