Old Furnace
Sycamore tree said to be the
largest tree on entire Trail.
largest tree on entire Trail.
June 19, 1981 -Tagg Run Shelter to Mussers farm. Slept in tree house-
I made it to the Mussers farm. This is north of the little town of Allen Penn. I met 240 people on horseback on the
trail today. They really tear up the trail. The gypsy moths are very bad in this area. These are few leaves left on the
trees. Lady and husband gave me water in the town or Allen and we talked for ½ hour before I continued on down the
road. Yes, I am crossing the Cumberland valley today and tomorrow and there is 20 miles of road walking here. I saw
my first rattle snake today. I also found five cans of food on the trail that someone could not carry and left. It was a
very unusual day to say the least. I always like unusual days like this. I also went by the largest tree on the whole A.
T. It is called half way sycamore. It is 19 foot in circum. I am going to sleep in a tree house tonight. In the night a
severe thunderstorm hit and the lightning was a little nerve racking in the tree house. I am going for 14 tomorrow. It is
all road walk. Boo!
June 20, 1981 -Mussers farm tree house to Thelma Marks Shelter-
I left Musser’s a farm at 7:10 a.m. It rained hard during the night but the tree house was waterproof. I made good
time to truck stop restaurant. I would have made it faster to eat breakfast but I kept stopping and eating cherries and
raspberries. Yum, yum! After eating I hiked good miles to Darlington Shelter and got there by 3:10 p.m. There is no
water here so I decided to go seven more miles to Thelma Marks Memorial Shelter. I made it there at 6:10 p.m. There
was a family of three there. They were very nice people from Delaware. They gave me some peanut butter and
honey candy, with oatmeal and it was very good. They gave me about two pounds of it.
June 21, 1981 -Thelma Marks Shelter to Earl Shaffer Shelter-
I left shelter at 6:00 AM and hiked hard to the city of Duncannon PA and got to the center of town by 8:15 AM. I am in
laundry mat now. I just ate one pint of ice cream. Need to buy a few groceries and get it up the hill. I made it to Earl
Shaffer shelter. A total of 13 miles plus the endless reroute which added about two more miles. This was very hard
walking through the Penn. rocks. To get water I had to go 400 yards over the hill and I mean Straight down the hill
too. I saw my second rattle snake today and it was 4 foot long and I just about stepped on it. 17 miles planned for
tomorrow. Over and out.
June 22, 1981 -Earl Shaffer Shelter to Rausch Gap-
I made the 17.3 miles to Rausch Gap Shelter. This is considered the half way Hilton on the trail. Very nice shelter.
Water piped in from spring to within 20 feet of shelter. Nice stone work for the front yard and a fenced in block wall.
Too nice! Penn. is full of snakes. I saw six or seven today alone. I got out my snakebite kit and read the directions
again just in case I need it. There is no one else here and it is 7:00 p.m. I will have to get food tomorrow morning in
Greenport Penn. It is 4.2 miles from here. I want to be there by 8:00 a.m. I am still losing weight. I don’t know where
but I feel it.
June 23, 1981 - Rausch Gap Shelter , Half Way Hilton to Pilger Ruh Spring camp
I made it to Pilger Rug spring, a colonial times watering hole. I am camping up on hill about two hundred yards from
spring. I will try for port Clinton Penn. tomorrow. I got a good fire
going here at this campsite. I saw a big cotton mouth water moccasin snake today. (Big) My total mileage to date for
whole trip is 1135.5 miles for a 56 day average of 13.2 miles per day.
I made it to the Mussers farm. This is north of the little town of Allen Penn. I met 240 people on horseback on the
trail today. They really tear up the trail. The gypsy moths are very bad in this area. These are few leaves left on the
trees. Lady and husband gave me water in the town or Allen and we talked for ½ hour before I continued on down the
road. Yes, I am crossing the Cumberland valley today and tomorrow and there is 20 miles of road walking here. I saw
my first rattle snake today. I also found five cans of food on the trail that someone could not carry and left. It was a
very unusual day to say the least. I always like unusual days like this. I also went by the largest tree on the whole A.
T. It is called half way sycamore. It is 19 foot in circum. I am going to sleep in a tree house tonight. In the night a
severe thunderstorm hit and the lightning was a little nerve racking in the tree house. I am going for 14 tomorrow. It is
all road walk. Boo!
June 20, 1981 -Mussers farm tree house to Thelma Marks Shelter-
I left Musser’s a farm at 7:10 a.m. It rained hard during the night but the tree house was waterproof. I made good
time to truck stop restaurant. I would have made it faster to eat breakfast but I kept stopping and eating cherries and
raspberries. Yum, yum! After eating I hiked good miles to Darlington Shelter and got there by 3:10 p.m. There is no
water here so I decided to go seven more miles to Thelma Marks Memorial Shelter. I made it there at 6:10 p.m. There
was a family of three there. They were very nice people from Delaware. They gave me some peanut butter and
honey candy, with oatmeal and it was very good. They gave me about two pounds of it.
June 21, 1981 -Thelma Marks Shelter to Earl Shaffer Shelter-
I left shelter at 6:00 AM and hiked hard to the city of Duncannon PA and got to the center of town by 8:15 AM. I am in
laundry mat now. I just ate one pint of ice cream. Need to buy a few groceries and get it up the hill. I made it to Earl
Shaffer shelter. A total of 13 miles plus the endless reroute which added about two more miles. This was very hard
walking through the Penn. rocks. To get water I had to go 400 yards over the hill and I mean Straight down the hill
too. I saw my second rattle snake today and it was 4 foot long and I just about stepped on it. 17 miles planned for
tomorrow. Over and out.
June 22, 1981 -Earl Shaffer Shelter to Rausch Gap-
I made the 17.3 miles to Rausch Gap Shelter. This is considered the half way Hilton on the trail. Very nice shelter.
Water piped in from spring to within 20 feet of shelter. Nice stone work for the front yard and a fenced in block wall.
Too nice! Penn. is full of snakes. I saw six or seven today alone. I got out my snakebite kit and read the directions
again just in case I need it. There is no one else here and it is 7:00 p.m. I will have to get food tomorrow morning in
Greenport Penn. It is 4.2 miles from here. I want to be there by 8:00 a.m. I am still losing weight. I don’t know where
but I feel it.
June 23, 1981 - Rausch Gap Shelter , Half Way Hilton to Pilger Ruh Spring camp
I made it to Pilger Rug spring, a colonial times watering hole. I am camping up on hill about two hundred yards from
spring. I will try for port Clinton Penn. tomorrow. I got a good fire
going here at this campsite. I saw a big cotton mouth water moccasin snake today. (Big) My total mileage to date for
whole trip is 1135.5 miles for a 56 day average of 13.2 miles per day.
26