On this walking trip, conditions did not cooperate as much as we would have liked.  The first day gave us comfortable temperatures but rain on the last third of the walk (which I find particularly miserable when my feet get wet and squishy).  Day Two was sunny but too warm for Mike.  We took a half an hour and ate a “real” lunch – a welcome treat.  Day Three was predicted to be rainy all day – a prediction that fortunately did not occur.  Instead we got a nice overcast day.  However, as we approached the end of our walk in the town of Dalton, OH, we were greeted by a local police officer.  We had parked our car on the side of the road (as we normally do), a practice which, despite the “Out hiking, back by 4 p.m.” sign on the dash, led the neighbors to call the police when they saw the out-of-state plate.  The police officer was very understanding and gave us suggestions for the next trip on better places to park.  We apologized to the neighbor and went to leave, only to discover that we had no keys to the rental car.  Several calls to our friendly police officer for local cab company suggestions later, we got a ride to my car at the beginning and were relieved to find the car keys had fallen on the floor of my car when we drove together to the start of the hike.  Having made several new friends, we left saying Dalton is a nice small town.

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Our first fall walking trip and the first post-Judy retirement walk.  Weather was perfect on day 1.  Cool fall-like temperature, breezy and overcast.  A steep uphill to start and then on to rolling hills.  The same beautiful weather continued through the next two days.  All-in-all a nice way to start our fall walks.  Going to Daniel’s football game at Oberlin, and visiting with Adam at State College, on the way home was a nice bonus.

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Faced with predicted 90ish temperatures, and in light of our difficulties with heat last time, we decided to make some changes.  We scaled back the number of miles per day and began walking an hour earlier to avoid the highest temperatures.  Worked well – we found the walking easier and were less drained when finished.  And the weather cooperated, giving us mainly overcast skies and much appreciated occasional showers.  Our last day, we walked through 3 states – Pennsylvania, West Virginia and finally Ohio.  (Probably a one time event!)  Made our spring goal of reaching Ohio before our summer break.  Now for a rest – until September.

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Pittsburgh is such a pretty city.  Lots of interesting architecture and green space – very walkable.  In terms of environ – a favorite; regrettably the weather did NOT cooperate.  We had three days of blasting heat – high 80’s and low 90’s.  We’ve learned that we do have limits.  Our first day of steep hills and constant heat almost did Mike in.  He stopped about three quarters of a mile from the end, but an extended period of rest and a pop-up soaking rain that brought the temperature down a few degrees gave him enough relief to rally and finish up.  Another plus was a dinner with some of Mike’s former Deloitte and Touche co-workers.  A nice opportunity to reconnect with old friends.  If the temperatures are more seasonable in 2 weeks, we finish up our Spring walk season by just reaching the Ohio border.

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Our least favorite walk so far.  Not much scenery, miles and miles without a shoulder (which meant dodging cars), and rain.  Only bright spot was road work which gave us our own private walking lane for a few miles.  Glad it’s done and looking forward to Pittsburgh.

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A COLD spring walk.  Hard to believe that it was snowing in late April but it definitely was.  That combined with wicked wind and steep hills kept us occupied.  One bright note – the town of Ligonier was delightful.  A charming old town.  We took a much needed lunch stop in a small café and appreciated both the food and the warm rest.

After our walk we visited the Flight 93 Memorial.  A sad but important reminder.

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Another windy start to our 3-day hike.  Just when you think you’ve seen the most brutal wind yet, it kicks up a notch.  On our first day, we had sustained winds blowing against us at 16 mph.  Our faces were raw at the end.  But Day 2 was 10 degrees warmer and much less windy.  That combined with rolling hills was much more enjoyable.  Day 3 was our biggest challenge in terms of elevation – our highest peak on Route 30 in the Appalachians.  The last 5 miles were a continuous uphill climb at a 9% incline.  It was rough but we completed it and Mike promises that our next big incline is not until the Rockies.  Glad to be done and looking forward to Ohio with its flat expanses.

We’ve changed our format – only taking one beginning and one end photo per three day hike.

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This was our first trip this spring and our first  three-day hike.  Day One was COLD!  Temps in the 20’s, snow showers and a wicked wind blowing against us.  Fortunately, the steep incline and multiple layers kept us warm enough to complete it.   (An unexpected McDonald’s when we took our lunch break also helped,)  Day Two was about 10 degrees warmer and no snow showers, so a more pleasant walk.  Day Three was warmer still (in the 40’s) but drizzling part of the time and the intense wind was back.  The last day started with a two-summit climb but by the end, we were strolling on level ground.  All-in-all, a challenge both weather-wise and elevation-wise.

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This was our last hiking for the fall.  Sunny weather – brisk but nothing like our last walking weekend.  Walked through Chambersburg and back into the countryside.  On the second day, our last mile and a half was really steep.  May have hit our limit.  Will take the off season until next spring to think about how to plan our walks when the grade is severe.  Glad for a break.

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A very cold, windy weekend.  Might have been the day after Halloween but felt like the middle of winter.  Walked through historic Gettysburg on the first day.  Fortunately, the miles weren’t too steep, but the cold and rain wiped us out.  The second day (on the western side of Gettysburg) included lots of rolling hills and a 400 foot net elevation gain.  Went into a candy shop just to warm up.  Crossed the Appalachian Trail at our first mountain pass (many more to follow).

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