Slept OK but a little cold in the tent last night. There was lots of breeze which made it feel colder than the 4°C on the thermometer.
Packed up and had a protein bar for breakfast. There was a campground with a store about 6 miles into the hike. I planned to stop at for fuel and figured I could get coffee there too.
Another cold, overcast day. Fairly easy hiking down and then up over "Second Mountain". Apparently there is also a "Third Mountain". Names are hard.
Saw an interesting sign claiming that aerial pesticide application was planned. Yikes.
Got to Swatara gap where the store was located on a property with some fun Sasquatch decor.
Did a tiny resupply and had some coffee. This place was completely honor system and had plenty of useful food items for hikers. Incredible.
Blowtorch, Smiley, and Avalanche all showed up while I was there. The later two are planning on making a trip into town to get new boots.
I headed over the old steel bridge (built in 1890!) and back onto the trail for an afternoon of hiking with some decent views.
The trail was very flat with only a few rocky bits. The gray, flat monotony was getting to me so I caved and put on a podcast.
Arrived at 501 Shelter. It's a fully enclosed bunkhouse with a huge skylight. In warmer months there is a solar shower available for hikers, but it was too cool for me to rinse off.
Whistler, his wife (unnamed), and Taffy were there. Whistler and wife are doing a flip flop. Taffy is completing his previous hike by doing the northern half, just like me.
Since it was close to a road, we decided to order an extra large pizza together. It was delicious.
Nice to be out of the strong gusting wind. Looks like frost tonight too, so the shelter is a great place to be.