Section Hike: Harpers Ferry to Harrisburg

While not what was planned, here's the section hike schedule we actually hiked along the Appalachian Trail from Harpers Ferry, WV to Harrisburg, PA.

May 24, Mon - Harper's Ferry

May 25, Tue - Ed Garvey Shelter

May 26, Wed - Rocky Run Shelter

May 27, Thu - Annapolis Rocks

May 28, Fri - Raven Rock

May 29, Sat - Deer Lick Shelters

May 30, Sun - Rocky Mountain Shelters

May 31, Mon - Milesburn Cabin

Jun 01, Tue - Pine Grove Furnace State Park

Jun 02, Wed - Whiskey Spring

Jun 03, Thu - U.S. 11 Footbridge

You can find full details for each day of the 10-day section hike in my TrailJournal.

What would I have done different?

First, I should have planned for a shorter first day and anticipated staying at Ed Garvey Shelter. You really do want to stay at this historic monument and see the photos on the second floor.

Second, I should have done better research and stayed at the posher new Rocky Run shelter. I missed an opportunity to meet new trail friends. Remember, take the right hand (northern) blue blaze trail.

Third, I shouldn't have dawdled as long as I did at Raven Rock and PennMar park. I left Raven Rock after 9 a.m.. I stayed at Penn Mar about two hours. I should left earlier from both places and used the extra time gained to press on beyond Deer Lick to either Antietam or Tumbling Run shelters. Tumbling Run is much nicer than Antietam and worth the extra mile or so of easy trail. The extra miles from bypassing Deer Lick would have enabled me to resupply a day earlier and enjoy Quarry Gap shelter as I had originally planned.

Fourth, I really should have held at Boiling Springs as planned. Boiling Springs is a trail town to be enjoyed and savored.

Fifth, rather than stopping short at Highway 11 near Carlisle PA, I should have executed my original plan to catch the bus there and then take the bus north to Clarks Ferry. This would have emabled me to knock out an extra 30 miles in just two more days and over a weekend. Now I still have to section from Duncannon to Delaware Water Gap plus do the 30 miles between Duncannon and Carlisle PA.

Trail Journals: Slowly Updating Section Hike Details

Posting at Section Hiking the Appalachian Trail will continue to be light for a few more weeks as we get caught up at home, office and online. We are making an effort to update at least one page in our TrailJounals.com account each evening before heading home. We're just shy of the PA border in our trail journal. If you've previously read our trail journal, you might like to go back and get the details for that day.

We've got another roll of film to upload to the photo album. Then, we'll make a second short Youtube video with the second set of photos. Hopefully you enjoyed the first video in our previous post.

We also plan to go back through our gear list on TrailJournals and update our comments on some of the gear shown.

Then we plan to start adding more information for section hikers based on our experience along the AT in Maryland and Pennsylvania. We plan to cover some of the parks along the way, more details on Henicle's Market near Caledonia State Park, and experiences with shelters and water sources. So we should have plenty to keep ourselves busy until the new year. Then, it will be time to start planning for the next section hike and sharing what we learn during the planning phase.

Greyhound Bus: Appalachian Trail Stops

Here's the list of Greyhounds bus stops near the Appalachian Trail as of June 2010. We've stopped at all the Virginia bus stations and will link those cities to our upcoming reviews.

Atlanta, GA

Gainesville, GA

Knoxville, TN

Bristol, VA

Roanoke, VA

Lynchburg, VA

Charlottsville, VA

Washington, DC [details]

Frederick, MD

Harrisburg, PA

Delaware Water Gap, PA

West Point, NY

New York City, NY

Bangor, ME

Section Hike: Harpers Ferry to Washington Monument

Below is a video from my recent section hike of the Appalachian Trail. This video covers the section from Harpers Ferry to just north of Washington Monument.



This is a very good section for hiking as there are several good vistas and interesting stops along the way. Recommend hiking south from either PennMar or Washington Monument as the trail is then mostly downhill. (There's a reason why Boy Scouts hike this section southbound!)