Day 33 of AT in PA NOBO

Birch Run Shelter (1,095.5) to Sheet Iron Roof Rd. (1,116.1)
Total Miles: 20.6

Rain started as soon as I broke camp at 7:40am. 50 degrees, breezy & showers all day long.
Saw my first snake, a small garter snake. Seemed very lethargic, most likely due to the cold temps. Maybe he got caught out of his underground lair?
Even through the rain, the landscape was picturesque with enough contrast to keep me interested.
I had “Pip” pick me up at Sheet Iron Roof Rd at 5pm and drive me 25 mins north to the Motel 6 in Carlisle, PA. Pip is such a cool chica. Linda mentioned her to me as the next good shuttler up the road as I headed north. I also saw a lot of great comments about her from other hikers in my FarOut hiker app. I’m usually not the best guesser of the derivation of people’s trail names, but once I saw her, she looked just like Pippy Longstocking sans the red hair. Pip lives in nearby Duncannon PA, is an avid day/weekend hiker, and has 3 daughters aged 17, 14 & 12. She looks much younger than her 43 years. Her Peruvian husband tragically died of cancer a few years back. And she has also been looking after her chronically sick mom. She seems to smile and be positive through it all. There is going to be a special place in Heaven for Pip someday.
The Motel 6 had decent reviews, a good hiker rate ($65), and is half a mile from the AT pedestrian bridge down the road where I will end up after a 16+ mile day tomorrow.Read more