Monday – 23 September

Destination: LHHT Southern Terminus (MM 0.0)
Start Location: Ohiopyle Shelter Area (MM 6.3)
Today’s Miles: 6.3
Trip Miles: 70.1

Last night when we had dinner with Brian, Bob and I asked if he had a map. Brian had printed one at home but there were none at the trail start. I gave him my map since Bob also had another. The official map is probably the equivalent of 6-8 letter size pages so Brian’s printed copy did not have much detail.

The rain started about 1 am and stopped around five. Since Bob and I were awake, we packed up and headed over to find an empty shelter to have coffee and breakfast. As we were packing, I saw a yellow spotted salamander about six inches long. Brian’s headlamp was on when we passed. On his way out Brian said he did not get a good night’s sleep because of the noise in the shelter and the mice. He thought a mouse crawled over his hand at night. Bob and I saw a mouse in the shelter fireplace while eating breakfast.

We started hiking at first light, around seven. It looked like it had not even rained in places. The rain on your tent always seems harder than it really is. Although we only had six miles to finish up, today was our biggest elevation changes. We started with a steep downhill followed by a pair of climbs and descents. A few days before we were warned about a bee nest in the middle of the trail. It was well marked and we carefully crossed. The nest is in the ground and had an opening the size of a half dollar with bees buzzing. Brian had mentioned that someone was stung the day before.

Bob and I carefully counted down the miles to zero but we missed one mile marker, only the third mile marker missed out of seventy one! The distance from mile marker one to mile marker zero was closer to a quarter mile, instead of a mile. That was a nice surprise but it was about another quarter mile to Wilderness Voyageurs. We stopped in the outfitters to inquire about showers and lunch. We put our packs in the cars and grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the showers. Nothing fancy but the water was hot and it was our first shower in over a week. Nirvana! The showers are not far from the railroad, when the train went by it felt like you were taking your shower on the train.

We decided to head to the bakery where we had breakfast when we started since they had pizza after eleven but it turned out to be closed. So it was over to the Twisted Spoke Cafe for a hamburger and pulled pork sandwich with fries. The musical entertainment was Grateful Dead while our waitress, Sam, entertained with stories about the Renaissance Festival she had attended in costume.

Bob and I collected trash along the trail each day. Souvenirs also included a Pittsburgh Steelers Terrible Towel and a Penn State baseball cap.

Bob’s photos have been added. Go back to each day and they are included.