Day 70 - Sunday, August 21

Linda

Red Letter Day! We passed the half way mark on the AT! We woke up shivering in the middle of the night and put the pads under the bags. That warmed things up nicely and we were able to get back to sleep, and slept comfortably the rest of the night. I woke up at 6:30 and promptly covered my head back up and went back to sleep until 7:20. The morning was chilly, so we weren't moving very fast, but that was okay, since we have adopted a new philosophy of easy does it and no blitzing. We have finally gotten to the point where we don't have to push as much if we don't want to. We're both in great shape and feeling strong, and it's easier to make longer distances without nearly the agony that we felt in New England when we started. We finally walked back onto the road from our wooded campsite around 8:10 and began our day.

Most of the area through the Cumberland Valley was on paved roads, so it was quick walking. There was one nice stretch of trail along a wide creek lined with big trees. We relaxed and enjoyed the placid, peaceful atmosphere. The sky was overcast all day, so the cooler temperature made the road walking bearable. We stopped at a gas station around 11:00 for a drink break and pit stop, then went on. We thought there was a store at Allen where we were headed for lunch, but we talked to a young Mennonite man along the road who told us it had been closed for some time. He gave us a tract from his church, then we went on and ate lunch on the green in front of the Lutheran Church. Had a couple more miles of roads, then went back up another ridge over a huge boulder field. The guidebook described some great view from the rocks, but we didn't see anything when we got there, even though it had cleared up by then.

We came to the official half way point on the Appalachian Trail (HOORAY!) and found that the Boy Scouts had erected a new sign to replace the one that had been ripped off earlier. Of course we stopped to celebrate this historic moment, take pictures and relish in our accomplishments before going on to begin the second half of this epic journey.

The afternoon was marked by several relocations, so we blindly followed the blazes and hoped they would take us where we wanted to go, since we had no idea where we were. At 5:30 we suddenly found ourselves at Whiskey Springs which made 23.5 miles for the day. We were pleasantly surprised, since we weren't really sure where we would end up on the relocation. There was a good campsite there, so we congratulated ourselves again for the surviving the first half of the AT so well. We set up the tent and made dinner, and wished that every 23 mile day could be that easy. After dinner we lit the candle and crawled into the tent to write in our journals and write some cards to friends and relatives.

Ron

Today was our halfway day! After 70 days we have completed half of the trail. We have been gone so long that it is hard to remember not walking or even remember events of early in the trip. A short climb this morning over a ridge got us to the roads where we have spent most of the day. There was one 15 mile stretch where we crossed a valley. The overcast skies prevented the walk from becoming overly hot and oppressive. We took our time leaving this morning and have hiked at a leisurely pace. We have been pushing hard lately and we want to slow down a bit now. Still, even with our slower pace we made good time.

At Allen we stopped for lunch. The weather looked like it might rain for most of the afternoon. We were going to take a different trail to the top of the ridge because the rain would make the rocks dangerous. When we arrived where we thought the bypass was, it wasn't. Apparently a relocation had moved it. Fortunately it did not rain and we made it to the top without incident. The ridge was as rocky as described in the guide book. But the book described the excellent views that did not exist. We didn't cross a single place where the views could be described as excellent in any weather. Oh well, who believes in guide books anyway.

From the sign that marks the center point of the Appalachian Trail, to our camp site at Whiskey Springs, the trail was a relocation. We didn't know where we were until we came out onto a road. We decided to call it a day and set up camp around 5:30. All in all we have had a pretty good day. That is if the threatening rain manages to stay away.

(23.5 Miles - 1045.9 Total)