Spring has arrived in places. We walked down through a hollow which must have had a southern exposure. There were not just buds but new leaves on the bushes and some trees. Even saw a dogwood in bloom. Woke this morning to the sound of birds.
We walked 9.9 miles today to get to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Had a climb up first thing, then mostly flat with some up and down followed by gradual decent to the park. We got here sometime after 3:00. Early! We felt good and could have walked more. That is good because soon we must start averaging 12-15 miles/day to have a chance of finishing.
We met 2 groups of overseers today, one from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) and the other from the Susquahanna AT club. When we crossed the road into the park we left PATC territory.
Took a final break beside a small trout stream to soak our feet. It felt very good.
Most of our ailments have improved. Blisters have improved thanks to the use of duct tape. I have tried a pair of calf height nylon hose (as recommended by Jason) to prevent further blistering. They work great - much better than liner socks I have been using.
Pine Grove Furnace SP seems very nice - it has lots of historic buildings. We are staying at one, the Ironmasters Mansion. It was once a hiding spot in the Underground Railroad prior to the US Civil War. It is now part of the park and has been converted into a hostel. It needs some maintenance work and unfortunately they have started it in our wing. But we each get a bunk and because there is only us and a family from France here, we have our own private wing with a choice of 14 bunks. Not bad for $27. It is popular with hikers. It is going to be even colder out tonight so it is nice to be inside.
Wendy just learned that only 10-15 women over 50 complete a thru-hike each year. She is very excited.
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