Father's Day with Pigpen ------ 1/2 way!!!

Hammer Time reporting here on my awesome 4 day hike with Pigpen over Father's Day weekend.  I drove up from GA to PA last Wed intending to begin hiking with Dan and Kara on Thur, but some pretty severe storms blew in. I was able to talk Dan into taking a day off and we got a good start on Friday.  It did Kara good to rest and she pretty much slept straight through 36 hours.

We started at the PA line on Friday, which was mile point 1059.6 in Dan's hike.  We made it to Boiling Springs, PA at mile point 1116.9 on Monday.  14 miles per day is 6-8 miles less than Dan likes to do, but like before, he was a good sport and hiked down to my pace.  He's hiked 44 miles in the 2 days since I left, but hey -  he's 23 years old!  As of tonight, he's close to mile point 1160 and has about 1025 to go.

We passed the official half way point on Father's Day and we both participated in the half gallon challenge.  Even though I'm just a section hiker, who can pass up a legitimate chance to try and eat a half gallon of ice cream.  Lucky for me the carton sizes have shrunk and now the "1/2 gallons" are only 1.5 quarts actually, but who's counting.  I thought for sure the ice cream thing would be my chance to show Dan who's boss, but he smoked me there too.  He finished his in 21 minutes and felt great.  I took 25 and had to lay down for about an hour.  As it turned out, ice cream to me must be like spinach to Popeye because we made 17 miles that day, the most I've ever done.

We had some great views, saw a couple of snakes, hiked rock mazes and cornfields, but best of all was hiking with my son and his dog - trying to burn the days into my memory while he's on his grand adventure.  I brought Kara home for good this time.  She was good company for Dan for 1/2 the way, but now it's time for her to rest.

Here's some pic's from the 4 days:

Resting on the Rain Day

Start of the 4 day section

Mason Dixon Line

Rattler crossing the trail

Lunch stop on Day 1

Kara can sleep anywhere

Black Snake coiled up shaking its tail imitating a rattle snake

Beautiful Ferns

Not wrestling - sleeping

Quarry Gap Shelter - nicest one on the trail so far

"Official" half way sign although the mileage is wrong and its in the wrong place since the trail length changes each year

Half Gallon Challenge!

Pine Grove Furnace Store - Home of the Half Gallon Challenge

Kara jumping over a log

Trail going through the Rock Maze

Center Point Knob - site of the original half way point

Old Tricycle in woods -  who knows?

Trail going through middle of cornfields

Blister actually looks better here

Kara slept about 9:55 of the 10 hour ride home !

Harper's Ferry !! Mile 1019

Well Pigpen has made it to Harper's Ferry, home of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and passed over 1000 miles!  He and Kara have been hiking with Zip and Dinner Party for the last week or so and doing well.  Dan's knee and shin splints are doing ok, and even well enough that he had a ceremonial passing of the knee brace he had been using on to Dinner Party.  Dan had been given the knee brace back in GA by fellow hiker Joe Granger and it may have saved him from having to come off the trail early.  Now it may save another hiker.  THANKS JOE !

Kara's getting tired and ready to come home for a while, and I'm getting anxious to hike with Dan again so I'm heading up tomorrow to hike with him a few days and bring Kara back.  I just basically loaded a small hiking outfitters store and grocery store into the back of my truck so he can get reset for the northern half. 

Thanks to everyone for the continued support as Pigpen continues on his journey, and here are some more pictures for you to enjoy:

View from mile 900

Another View from Mile 900

Typical Town Meal,...... yeah he ate it all!

Bear's Den Hostel

Bear's Den Hostel

Bear's Den Hostel

Ceremonial Passing of Joe Granger's knee brace from Pigpen to Dinner Party

Kara making friends

Typical Gorgeous View

Zip on the phone in the rain in the back of a truck

Dan and Kara make the ATC

Dan's official ATC photo as hiker number 421 to pass through

Trail Meal

The Roller Coaster - A 10 mile stretch of at least 10 steep climbs and descents just before the 1000 mile point.

Tired pup !

Dan's friend Tyler's ATC photo

Zip, Dinner Party, and Pigpen at Spy Rock

Zip, Dinner Party, Kara, Pigpen, and Spoon

Update 6-4-13 878 Miles

Pigpen update:  I spoke to Dan today and he and Kara are still doing fine.  He has joined up for a time with two other hikers, Zip and Dinner Party, and will be hiking with them for the next several days until they have to get off the trail temporarily. He has entered the Shenandoah National Park and will be hiking basically parallel to Skyline Drive for the next 80 miles.  He will get to the 900 mile point at the end of tomorrows hike.  We had the usual drop box discussion and he told me he is planning to do the " 4 State Challenge" when he gets up to Harpers Ferry.  The challenge is for the hikers to get from the northern edge of VA, passing through WV and MD, and into PA within 24 hours.  I think it is about 43 miles or so and he will probably have to hike at night some.  Once he is into PA, I may drive up and hike a few days with him like I did in southern VA.

Here are the latest pic's:

Second Hiker Seen Carrying Animal Skull

Trail Magic !

James River Footbridge in Distance

James River

Of Course Dan Jumped off the Footbridge !

The Guillotine

Natures' Flower Pot

Oak Swing at Campsite

Spy Rock