24-26 May

Bob and I were able to get over 100 miles of backpacking completed this spring, two Appalachian Trail (AT) hikes and a portion of the Tuscarora Trail (TT). Weather was the most notable factor but amazingly, our feet stayed dry throughout. One day with a few rain drops but otherwise no precipitation. Weather extremes made for an interesting series of hikes. Our April hiking temperatures were lower than originally forecast dropping to 27 degrees our last night. Our May trips were scheduled to avoid 90 degree days. Our May hikes had highs from the 60s to the 80s.

The Tuscarora Trail hike had a little more road walking than Bob and I expected. The Appalachian Trail has very little road walking. I erred by expecting the same on the Tuscarora Trail. When the AT guide lists a road, it is typically a crossing. When the TT guide lists a road, you walk along that road.

The TT has many less hikers than the AT. In four and a half days we only saw two hikers on the TT. On the AT we saw several times that number of hikers each hour. The TT shelters were pristine by AT standards. Water was much more scarce on the TT.

Future hiking plans will probably include a mixture of AT hikes and more remote hikes. No specific plans for a fall hike.

In 2017, I hiked several hundred miles of the Appalachian Trail with a hiker from Germany, Trail Snail. We became good friends. When I asked her if she remembered the 501 shelter, where you can get a pizza delivered. Her response gave me a chuckle. Trail Snail had been hiking 3-4 weeks and not yet developed hiker hunger. If you have been to Europe, you realize that American food portions are much larger. Her reply:

Yes, I even stayed in that legendary shelter 501 and I just had to order a large pizza 🍕, which I shared with my fellow hikers and had to eat for the next breakfast and the next dinner and for breakfast after that… . (it was my first large pizza in the US and I didn’t know they mean it when they put “large” in front of “pizza” 😳😅)

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