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| Hiking | 8.39 Miles |
1,362 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.39 Miles | 2 Hrs 59 Mns | | 2.81 mph |
| 1,362 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Last Easter, I completed the Maryland segments of the Appalchian Trail. That won’t seem like much to an AT thru-hiker who knocks out Maryland in two or three days, but it’s not bad for someone who lives 2000 miles away in Arizona. Particularly, when the temperatures on South Mountain are frequently lower than anything Phoenix experiences in even its worst nightmare.
Monday dawned cold & rainy in Hagerstown. It was miserable enough that when I walked outside the hotel at 7:30 a.m. I turned right around and went back inside instead of driving off to Pen Mar.
Two hours later, the temps were a little more tolerable, and the rain had stopped, so off we went. As we headed east, towards South Mountain, it was obvious that the slight elevation difference was enough to put snow along the ridgeline.
At Pen Mar Park, there was an inch of snow on the ground. But it wasn’t windy, and the temp was probably just above freezing.
As I descended Falls Creek, the snow on the ground gradually disappeared until there was none at all at the bridge.
The further up Mount Dunlop I hiked from Falls Creek, the more snow there was. At it’s deepest — about 3″ — the Appalachian Trail would have disappeared if two or three hikers had not passed by earlier. Just enough traffic to indicate the path, but not enough to muddy the trail surface. It was beautiful & peaceful, and not at all cold.
“Summiting” Mount Dunlop, I was surprised how easy the cross country travel was, despite the deeper snow. The threat of buried ankle breakers appeared hollow. I used an icy branch as a tripod for the summit segment of my hike video (below). I totally spaced Blue Ridge Lookout.
By the time I got to PA-16, the ground was again clear of snow, other than random spots of thin, icy crust on moss or dead leaves.
When I met my wife at Old Forge, our rental SUV was covered in dirt, as she decided to have some fun driving the muddy back way, Rattlesnake Run Rd., into town.
Hike Video: [ youtube video ] |
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| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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