Saturday, 7 October

Destination: Route 220 Parking Lot	Today’s Miles: 5.7
Start Location: Sones Pond	Trip Miles: 59.2

Over two inches of rain fell overnight starting about nine with a thunderstorm at two am. We mostly stayed dry in our tents. You could feel the water flowing below your tent. There was a light rain while Bob and I finished the Loyalsock Trail. The temperature was a cool 53 degrees but still warm enough to walk in the rain without a raincoat. You can get wet from the outside without a raincoat or from the inside with sweat when wearing a raincoat. Pretty much the same result. The trail was one big puddle or a small stream depending on the slope. Since our feet were soaked, stream crossings were a little easier today. No need to try to keep your feet dry, just walk on through. The waterfalls were really flowing after the rain and the Loyalsock level had come up.

A bit of hiking philosophy – Everyone has heard the saying “What goes up must come down.”. For hikers, it is more like “What goes down means a climb up.” so we do not always look forward to the descents. Bob and I both find the climbs easier than the descents though.

Of course we finished with a climb and a stream crossing in the last quarter mile before reaching the parking lot before noon. We had dry clothes in the truck and a bathroom to use for changing. It was off to the midway point and Bob’s car.

From there, it was off to Country Friends Cafe, where we had breakfast on Sunday morning. On the way to lunch, a deer jumped out in front of Bob and we passed a flock of turkeys crossing the road. An okay cheeseburger was followed up by a huge piece of delicious peanut butter cup pie before the long drive home.

Now that I am home – pics have been uploaded. There will be an epilogue with a guest appearance by my hiking partner!