Rt. 325 to Swatara Gap

July 12-13, 2014

Tom, Shannon, Wyatt, Mike, Tobin and Rich (part)

17.3 miles

A few firsts for this trip.  Our first overnight hike.  Tobin joined us for the first time.  And, the first trail names conferred.  But more on that later.

We began on Saturday.  After Tobin arrived from outside Philadelphia, we met the Pittsburgh crew at the local Giant store to load up on our rations for the 17 mile overnight hike that we had been delaying since last year.

Starting at Swatara Gap, we headed East towards Rt. 325.  Unfortunately, neck and back pain prevented Rich from joining us for very long—so he headed back to my place.  On more than a few occasions over the next day we thought to ourselves, and even said out loud, that he likely got the better deal!

 

The temperature was in the mid-80s, but the humidity made it feel closer to 95 degrees as we began our first of several climbs up Sharp Mountain.   Because of these conditions, a thunderstorm was inevitable and it arrived about 1.5 hours into our hike.   In a clearing, Tobin set up a make-shift tarp and we attempted to stay dry---but without much success.  Shannon and Wyatt opted to sit outside the tarp in their rain parkas and let the rain cool them off a bit.

This section of the Trail, heading towards Rausch Gap and Yellow Springs, is known as St. Anthony’s Wilderness and it included a number of populated settlements in the mid-to-late 19^th century when coal mines were in full production.   The Trail adjoins parts of old railroad and stagecoach routes, which seems unfathomable given the rocky terrain that lasted the entire 17 mile duration.

Nestled between Sharp Mountain and Stony Mountain, the town of Rausch Gap was once home to more than a 1000 residents.  Today, all that remains are some foundations and a cemetery with three known graves.   More info on the cemetery can be found here:

http://www.stonyvalley.com/cemetery.html

After a long and rocky six miles from our starting point, we arrived at the Rausch Gap Shelter to set up camp for the night.  Upon our arrival we met a few thru-hikers who were also staying the night, and invited them to partake of the dinner we could provide by being day hikers with too much food on our hands.

We first met and chatted with a hiker who called himself “Skunk Bite”, and soon after we met “Sweet Tea” and “Moe”.   All three had left Springer Mountain, Georgia around the same time in late March/early April, and were on schedule to make it to Maine by early October.  

“Skunk Bite”, a graphic designer from California, appropriately was given his trail name in Virginia when a skunk bit him as he slept.   The bite—through his sleeping bag—required him to take a week off of the Trail to get a full round of the rabies vaccine.

“Sweet Tea”, a Tennessee native who graduated from Dickinson College last year, was so named because of the large amounts of that drink he liked to consume.  “Moe”, a 67 year old retired school teacher from northern Wisconsin, took his name from the three stooges, because his golfing buddies are called Larry and Curly.  Interestingly, all three were attempting to stay ahead of "the bubble"—the large group of hikers making their way north—because hikers in those numbers quickly fill up shelters and camp areas.

As dusk settled in we gathered firewood and prepared dinner.  Our menu of hot dogs and corn, with sides of cheese and crackers, was enjoyed by us and our three new friends.  It was their second “Trail magic” of the day, as someone had provided them with a hot breakfast that morning as they passed an intersecting road closer to Peter’s Mountain. 

Of course, dinner would not be complete without the Murphy tradition of ‘S’mores for dessert---with several packets of yummy Hershey’s chocolate bars being consumed in no time at all.  It was a great way to end the day, and as the fire burned out, we said our goodnights and went to bed.

Now, the Trail name.   For breakfast, Tom made pancakes.   Really good pancakes, in fact.  They were complimented by a tub of butter, and a large bottle of Giant brand syrup.    Because I chose to lug that bottle of syrup in my pack---a bottle much too large for our needs---the trail name “Syrup” was thereby conferred upon me----my protest notwithstanding.   For good measure, we named Wyatt “Little Trooper” because it fits his energy and demeanor quite well.  So, two of us now have names.

After breakfast, we were hiking by 9 a.m., and beating the heat.   The 11 miles to Rt. 325 were more level than the day before, and our packs were a bit lighter. 

Along the way, we encountered another former mining village, and all that remained of the abandoned town of Yellow Springs was a large clearing and lots of rocks.   Nearby there was a sign for “The General”, but we didn’t know what it was, so we didn’t take the side trail to go find out.   Later research shows that it’s a large steam engine piece of equipment, probably used for mining in the days when lots of people and industry populated these desolate woods.

There were many hikers out on the Trail on both days, and on Sunday there were a number of “Trail runners” who were running about 30 miles from Clarks Ferry to an area near Swatara Gap.   Their pursuit of this challenge left us in awe of the stamina and motivation it required.

After a few more inclines, we made the steady 1000 foot descent to Rt. 325, and the stream which Tom and Wyatt found refreshing after a long day on the Trail.

With the two-mile segment still to make up, we are otherwise nearing Hawk Mountain and looking forward to the northeast portion of the Trail.

Storms, heat, humidity and endless rocks notwithstanding, it was an enjoyable two days with friends—new and old.