April 29 (Rt. 30 to Shippensburg Road)

11 miles
Tom, Molly, Wyatt, Mike, Shannon (part), Brandon (part)

The month of April was book-ended by our hikes—each ending at Route 30 trailhead.   Today we hiked from Shippensburg Road in a southerly route, and for the first time encountered a number of hikers –and some with dogs--along the way.

The Shippensburg Road trailhead sits at about 2000 feet and the path to Route 30 is mostly level—hovering the ridge for about 8 miles before a 2 mile decent to 1000 feet.   There are some beautiful plants that were beginning to appear, and also some streams and small ponds along the route.

Some hikers were enjoying the Birch Run Shelters when we arrived there, and our appetites were tested by the wonderful aromas coming from their cookware.  We decided to rest for a few minutes in the area of the shelter, and enjoyed the trail mix that Mona had packed for us.  As has become custom over the past few hikes, Wyatt enjoyed a SlimJim beef jerky  and cheese snack that has become his staple when we stop to rest.

We met our first “thru-hikers” at the shelter—a young couple who told us briefly about their travel plan.  They had started in Georgia in early March and expected to reach Maine by mid-July.  They said they were averaging 15-18 miles per day, a very respectable rate at which to travel.

Along with seeing more hikers and dogs than in previous hikes, we also came upon our first snake!  The common black snake (eastern rat, perhaps?) was almost mistaken (by me) for a long stick lying across the trail path (see picture at right).   Despite its size (about 4 feet), the black snake is harmless and didn’t pose a threat as we stopped to take a few pictures before he found his way up the branches of a large rhododendron .

Speaking of snakes, later in the hike we took pictures of the signs posted to remind hikers that the timber rattlesnakes along South Mountain are protected and therefore it is unlawful to harm or disturb them in any manner.

Like last time, Shannon and Brandon joined us for part of the trip.  And, this was the first segment that did not have Rich joining us.