Day 53: Rocky Mountain Shelter to James Fry Shelter (30.2 miles)

July 4, 2004 - Happy 4th of July and what a great day it was. Goose and I both got an early start so we could be at Pine Grove as soon as we could to get our ½ gallon of ice cream. Hiked 3 miles down to Caledonia State Park where lots of campers were fixing breakfast. I was hoping they would offer me some food but it was a no-go so I hiked on. Penn is a very rocky state so some parts of the trail have lots of rocks so it’s hard to move fast. But all I thought of all day was the ½ gallon of ice cream waiting for me. Didn’t take many breaks, just moving from shelter to shelter. Took my lunch break 10 miles out of Pine Grove, had my first rain hiking in a week which is a record for me. After only a 30 min lunch break, I normally take an hour, I was off to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. It was mostly downhill and level so I made great timing, taking only 2.5 hours. Got my ½ gallon of cookies and cream ice cream right away. Only took me 30 min to finish. Then I was still hungry, if you can you believe that. Now that I’m a member of the ½ gallon club I decided it was time for a hamburger, fries, and a coke to celebrate the 4th. After my 4500 calories of food I called home then spent a long time in the bathroom. After 3 hours at the park I felt great and decided to move on 7 miles to the next shelter rather than pay the $20 to stay at the park hostel. Made it to the shelter before dark. Two section hikers are here. It’s about bedtime and it may rain again tonight, which would be the 3rd time today (I missed the real heavy rain while I was eating ice cream). A nice 30.2 miles today. I could have done more if I hadn’t spent so much time at Pine Grove. I passed the ½ way mark today which is the reason for the ½ gallon of ice cream, it’s a tradition.

AT Halfway Point