See Spot Die.

I KILLED SPOT. Awwwww…

Spot is a satellite tracking device that tells my followers where I am. It sends a signal that show where I am on Google Maps. Some of the little lights still blink, but not the ones that say that it is working correctly. Ignoring the little lights, I moved Spot around from one pocket to another hoping for better transmission, but the lights were telling the truth; Spot was dead. I didn’t mean to kill Spot, but I probably flung my pack one time too many and Spot’s poor processor got rattled and quit processing.

 Spot no longer blinks

Shirley bought Spot several years ago when she realized that if something happened to me while I was out in the woods that she might not ever find me. Needless to say, Shirley wasn’t too keen on waiting to see if Spot would come back to life and she immediately ordered me another newer one with a few more bells and whistles. Shirley uses it for more than just finding me if I break a leg and can’t get in, she follows my progress on her computer so she knows when to get to our rendezvous location. Cell coverage out here is poor and calling her from the trail isn’t a certain option.

After reading several blogs and books on the Appalachian Trail I found that Shirley is not unique. Several writers said that their partners were reasonably keen on them hiking alone if they carried a Spot and shaved and showered before coming home. Anyway, I plan to be nicer to new Spot. 

Overnight makes all the difference

Yes, we knew that there was a 100% chance for snow in the forecast, but how bad could it be in March? Ha, always listen to your instincts, I say! And mine said, March storms are not just flurries!

Danny arrived mid afternoon to his pick-up point in beautiful, albeit cold weather.

 

And of we go to finish up seeing Gettysburg - the museum especially. 

Watching the sky as we come back in to Chambersburg, we see a few clouds only but the weather report is "ominous and foreboding" as Danny loves to say.

 Although this is from the next day, it is exactly like the one from the evening before. Snow all night and all day is reported. And this is what we woke up to ...

  ... wet, sticky, huge, beautiful snowflakes; the car under 6 inches of snow, the streets slushy while everything is white and a temperature of 34 degrees. We were unable to see the mountains to the east where we were planning on going for the day. It was decided that we would take what is called "zero" day meaning that zero miles would be hiked. Instead, it become a laundry, catch-up day.

By that evening the snowfall had abated to occasional bursts but it remained cold enough that nothing was melting. The locals were all saying, "don't worry, it will be melted by tomorrow!" and I thought"wanna bet!"

Awaking to occasional clouds and sunshine, Danny prepared for his hike of the day. Not only was it with snow conditions, but also the longest one that he had done and with no accessible extraction points along the trail (due to the snow conditions). Do you have enough food? Do you have enough clothing? Do you have your matches and fire starter? Do you ... Do you ... he is going to get real tired of my questions pretty soon, I guarantee it! All from the comfort of my warm car ...  

Part of these shortish (8 miles) days has been trying to decide which shoes to wear. He has decided on his Keen's but sandals in the snow?  Thank goodness for WalMart bags. Not only do they keep him dry, but also warm!

And he is ready to go ...

And he is off 

 with 6-8 inches of freshly fallen soft snow without a crust and anyone ahead of him

A beautiful, tranquil scene filled with my trepidation about this whole thing. 

As I went about my own agenda,

   observation tower at Gettysburg Military Park overlooking the Confederate battle positions and yes I went all the way to the top

 the first Union soldier to be killed - Pvt Geo. W Sandoe

I did this as a geocache. Fun and outside of the national park.

 This is really the Thaddeus Stevens who was part of Lincoln's proclamation group, also an educator, conservationist, and Pennsylvanian statesman

 Caledonia State Park and another iron ore oven that has been saved for historical purposed. Waited here for Danny to come to the pickup point after trying to get up the mountain to a point where the trail crossed a road. Too much snow.

... I closely watched his movement on the Spot to reassure myself that he was doing fine.

 as I was tethering to my cell phone, I only had this capability in the areas close to the highway so I stayed close to it.

Finally, as it was turning to dusk, he came out to the road. I was so happy to see him, a tired but satisfied person who had met the challenge and then some: 12+ miles, breaking a path in 6-8 inches of snow, up and down in the mountain. He did have a snowshoe-clad person ahead of him who had sunk into the snow at most, 6 inches.  snow shoe tracks. 

With every step he would pretty much bottom out, utilizing far more energy than normal hiking would do.

Because of the physical stress of this hike, it was decided to do a short hike the next day. Driving back to the start point, it was patently obvious that he would have more of the same - sunshine, cold temperatures, and snow. The nice thing about slack hiking is that decisions like this can be made. We drove around to the exit point and saw that there indeed was still a lot of snow going through the mountains. Instead we went further south where it wasn't as bad and here he put in.

 along the drive we saw this building - a military college? University? No, a state nursing home.

and he is off once more...  ...not much snow or so it seems

 a cosy setting off in the woods.

 a babbling brook with stones to cross over it. I think that the spring thaw could prove to be quite dangerous as the water levels rise.

 he crosses the Mason Dixon line - the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania

 one of many mileage signposts

... and comes out on the top of a mountain in Pen Mar County Park, MD. Again having crossed mountains, valleys, through trees and across open spaces, all in snow.

Tomorrow? well, I guess more of the same but with each turn of the trail something new will come about and add to the already memorable experience. 

The rest of the afternoon we spent touring Pres. Eisenhauer's retirement farm, "the only home they ever owned"

Who would have thought ...

 He's off ...

It is amazing what one finds along a side road or without looking for anything in particular. Our routine stop for the day was at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.
Who names a state park something like that? While waiting for him to come in, I ventured into the office and lo and behold - it all made sense. This is an iron ore area and they had an iron ore "furnace" extractor here that used the forest wood to make charcoal and the limestone to extract by adhering to the impurities. And guess again, yes they even have a restored furnace that one can see.  the old and the new want to know how it works?

You can go for a walk yourself, find a geocache and a hidden lake.


You can drive along the road and a sign catches your eye - immediately your find yourself in for a history lesson.
 who would have thought, a secret interrogation camp from WWll?



or a sudden breathtaking vista opens before your eyes and you have to remind yourself that you are driving and to pay attention to the road. So you pull over to take it all in.

and you return and you wait - oh how this must look when everything is all green ...

 You can't believe your eyes when you look at the weather and this in town in the valley. What must it be like up in the mountains?

 Yup, you got it, that is snow, and you wait some more, enjoying the "fresh" air, the sunshine and quiet yet not quiet as you listen to the sounds of the wind and woods.

And he arrives!

it is amazing what one can do in one day of waiting, besides going to visit a National Historical Park  Gettysburg National Military park

 "Four score  and seven years ago ..."

What a way to learn some history! And then return the next day to tour the museum, and watch the movie with Danny. Wow!

Routine is setting in ....

Drive in, drive out, to starting point, to pickup point and all points in between. At least I am not having to set up camp in between yet. It is simply tooooo cold - brrrr. When driving the backroads to the point where the AT crosses an accessable road one would think that we are somewhere in Alaska or the backwoods but turn a corner, and you are in the middle of civilization. 

You are really never too far from it and yet you feel isolated from all the trappings, hustle and bustle, and noise; that is until you come to an access point and there are cars parked everywhere. 

This being a weekend, there are many section hikers out and about (these are hikers that go out for a specific amount of time or a specific part of the trail). I saw no one waiting in the car like I did today.

The last couple of days Danny has hiked in 30-32 degree weather 

 notice the temperature

 bundled to the max

 with mild flurries occasionally. He dresses warm, takes enough to eat and more importantly, to drink. He has gone through fields after fields of harvested corn that line the trail as well as nude tree forests - no leaves, no green as yet. 

The trail is marked with white hash marks painted on the trees but that hasn't stopped him from loosing the trail a couple of times. He carries a Spot - wonderful thing that - and I can track him on the computer. The best thing about it is that it tells me when he is getting close to the area that I am to pick him up at and I can head on out. But really, it is a safety thing - should he not arrive at the designated spot, or should he fall and hurt himself, we have knowledge of where he is or last moved from. Gives me much peace of mind.

I am really getting to see this part of America. It is beautiful, but then all parts have their own beauty. I made the comment today that we might have to stay out here for a few months just to tour and get to know it. We are but a short distance at any given time from historical, national and state parks that offer a world of information and outdoor activities. The streams are running, giving off their fresh smell as well as their tinkling or rushing water sounds as they rush over the rocks and fallen trees. 

A couple of ponderings: why all the candles in the windows and why the iron stars on the side of the buildings?

And tomorrow, Danny starts a more strenuous part of the hike - lots of up and downhills in the mountains of southern Pennsylvania leading us closer and closer to Maryland - our first state change.