Crossing the Mason Dixon Line

At our last blog update, Katniss had just performed her amazing feat of the Four State Challenge…hiking from the VA border, thru West VA, thru Maryland and crossing into PA totaling just under 45 miles in under 18 hours. Due to all the excitement, we hadn’t focused on Harpers Ferry and thought it fitting to share some of the views of this quaint historic town.

And while Katniss completed her 4 states in less than a day…Peeta took three days and rejoined with Katniss in Cascade, MD where she had been enjoying a well deserved day of rest and recovery at the Sunflower Cottage.

Following her speedy recovery the dynamic duo was back on trail crossing the Mason Dixon line and beginning their trek into PA!!!! After nearly three months in the South, the change to officially be in the North was noticeable. It wasn’t just in the mannerisms of the people we met but also in the care and maintenance of the parks and trail. PA thus far has had some of the most manicured trails and shelters. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has preserved much of the farmland surrounding the trail and maintained many of the native crops and woodlands. The first few days back on trail, congratulations ensued from everyone as they had heard of Katniss’s great feat!

It was just a matter of days however before we hit mile 1099.2!! You may ask, “what’s the magic of that number??” Well it just so happens to be the exact HALFWAY POINT of our 2198.4 mile journey!!! Our excitement could not be contained. What glorious monument or chiseled marker would there be to commemorate this? We needed only to hike a few more miles to find out!!

Despite the disappointment of proper acknowledgement for the achievement of the halfway milestone, Katniss and Peeta had to walk ahead only a matter of miles before we arrived at the Pine Furnace Country Store, home of the “half gallon challenge” where every thru hiker has the opportunity to eat a half gallon of ice cream to commemorate their milestone. We will let the following videos and pictures take our gentle readers through our experience.

Interestingly enough, Peeta had no after effects from the half gallon challenge and a few hours of rest at the park’s lake was now in order. Hey, everyone has their unique skills.

From Pine Furnace it was only a matter of days to get to Duncanon, PA. The hiking was a bit easier, less climbing but interspersed with rock fields. One section included about 17 miles of flat trail that meandered through and around picturesque farms and fields. Katniss and Peeta completed nearly 24 miles that day…our longest mileage together to date.

We were keen to arrive in Duncanon as we would not only be joined by Al and Chris to celebrate our halfway milestone (and Katniss’s birthday 🥳), but to also have TWO FULL days off with NO hiking!! Ahhhhhh, we hadn’t done that since we started this endeavor! Since we had a little extra time and were in a larger urban area, Katniss was able to have two of her most coveted wishes realized. The first cannot be explained, let’s just say people wish for strange things, but the second was to eat at a Michelin star restaurant otherwise known as The Olive Garden.

And thanks to Al, a proper and fitting sign for the completion of our 1,099.2 miles was designed and the feat celebrated.

As the second half of our journey begins…we step forward with open hearts and await the beauty, wonder and surprise that each day on the trail reveals. 🌻

Some last goodies…