Penmar to Deer Lick Shelter

Feb 17 2017 - Penmar to Deer Lick Shelter - 4.9 Miles in the Dark

  - I've been a bit busy for the past few months, so I'm catching up on past Section Hikes. For the next few days I will be posting for a hike that we did in Feb with some friends who joined us.

On this section hike, we were joined by David and Eve, father and daughter and friends of ours. We drove two vehicles so we could put one at our destination, and then drive to the starting point. We dropped my car just outside Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania on US30 (there is a parking lot right by the stoplight). Then we drove down to Penmar Park in Maryland, where Sage and I started our last section hike.

   We started at 7:15, well after dark. The view from Penmar Park is rather impressive at night. There is an overlook  of the valley to the west and the lights from the houses below make an interesting sight.

    We hiked down to the Mason-Dixon line and let Sage and Eve pose for pictures as we entered the North. 

The wind and cold were very brisk at Penmar park, but by this point in the hike we were no longer exposed. It was a cold, clear night, and after a short downhill, we arrived at our first option to camp for the night. It was a pretty spot next to a stream, but since we had hiked only .8 miles, we decided to hike to the next shelter, a bit over 4 miles away.

   The trail on this section is smooth, not many rocks. The climbs were modest and had a gentle grade which allowed us to climb without many breaks. Even though Eve was new to backpacking...she knocked out the 5 miles in the dark no problem. Any further might have been a problem, but 5 miles was about right given our late start.

    After a final climb that seemed a bit longer than expected, we ran into Deer Lick Shelters. They are less than 20 yards off the trail. I dropped my pack, and began to search for Hammockable trees. We chose a tent pad right next to the AT and set up 3 hammocks and one Tarp Tent.

   It was a bit colder than expected, it got down to mid to high 20s. Sage the Blue Caterpillar had no problem staying warm in her hammock. 

 

     Deer Lick Shelter consists of two small shelters next to each other, with a privy right next to the trail and a spring not too far away. I didn't see a bear pole anywhere, but other than that, it was a good stop. I managed to find a decent tree to hang our food, so it was a good stop, and the right distance from the starting point given that we started after dark.  4.9 miles go go...13.6 till we make it to the car.