Halfway.

After the climb immediately following Harpers Ferry, the rest of the state was quite pleasant. Maryland only accounted for about 40 miles, but those miles were great. The shelters were in good shape, the campsites had running water, and there was plenty to see and do.

There were a lot of historic places I passed. One of which was the original Washington Monument, built before the one that’s in DC. It was built on top of a hill, and the AT goes right past it.

I was pleasantly surprised to run into Old School again. I hadn’t seen him since Damascus. He was pushing big miles since he had to get off the trail for about a week, and I linked up with him pretty much as he got back on the trail. It was quite fitting, as we first met the day before we started the trail at Amicalola Lodge, and we ended up crossing the official halfway mark together after we crossed paths unexpectedly.

After a day and a half in Maryland, I crossed into Pennsylvania. Pine Grove Furnace is a well-known stopover for thru-hikers. It is at the general store there that hikers partake in the “Half-Gallon Challenge,” which involves eating a half-gallon of ice cream to commemorate making it halfway through the Appalachian Trail. I had been training for this moment my whole life and crushed the challenge in 16 minutes and 10 seconds. What a way to mark making it halfway!

I ended up hanging around Pine Grove and took the chance to swim at the free beach they had there. The sun was shining, and it was a blast taking a dip in the refreshing waters.

The path ahead for me includes over 200 miles of Pennsylvania. This state is notorious for hikers because of the number of rocks that are on trail. I guess I’m about to discover what Rocksyvania is all about.