.October 16, 2005
I am again writing this entry 7 months after the fact and don't recall much. It is amazing how quickly you forget, which is one reason why I have decided to keep a journal. All my new hikes I write about either that day or the next.
After a week of rainy weather, I was looking forward to some sun and great views today. I would get both.
Almost immediately after Lynn dropped me off at Route 183 I came across a monument for Fort Dietrich Snyder.
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There was a great view at the Shikellamy Overlook.
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The trail became a river rocks. This was just the start of it. I would encounter many, many more sections of trail like this in northern PA.
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I bypassed the Route 501 Shelter since I was already doing over 20 miles today.
There was another great view at the Kimmel Lookout. If you want a great view with minimum effort, this is a great spot. The view is only a 5 minute hike from the parking lot at Route 501.
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I did stop at the William Penn Shelter since it was only .1 miles off the trail.
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For the next 6 miles I had nothing to measure my progress until I started the descent down to Swatara Gap. Just before I got to Swatara Gap, I had to go under Interstate 81. The road was high, high above and there was a lot of construction going on. I am not sure where the A.T. was supposed to go but I followed the signs for the A.T. detour as a result of the construction. Brent Wyman at work likes to give me grief on this one: "You didn't hike the Appalachian Trail under the highway, you will have to go back and do that section again."
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I made it to the Swatara Gap Bridge where Lynn once again picked me up.
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