A short Pen Mar AT jaunt

“A car shuttle sets up this 30.5 mile jaunt along the Appalachian Trail in Maryland from Crampton Gap at Gathland State Park northbound to Pen-Mar park at the Mason-Dixon line. January 25-27th, 2008

This will be a moderately strenuous backpack due to the mileage and the possibility of cold weather. There will be lots of ups and downs along the ridge we follow. This is NOT a beginner trip. Be prepared for long miles and inclement weather. A quick check with an 06 AT thru hiker living near this section indicates snowshoes will probably not be required. I'll check again and post whether this holds.

We'll meet Friday night at the Pizza Hut in Waynesboro, PA. From there we'll set up a shuttle by dropping car(s) at the terminus at Pen-Mar County Park on the PA-MD border. Then we'll drive to where the AT crosses Crampton Gap at Gathland State Park, parking vehicles in the lot there. We'll night-hike in about .5 mile to Crampton Gap Shelter. AT shelters are "first come, first served" so be prepared to tent or tarp.

Waynesboro, PA is about 3.5 hours from Pittsburgh, 4.5 hours from Youngstown and 5.25 hours from Cleveland (Independence). The Pizza Hut in Waynesboro is at 300 E Main Street which is PA 16. Google and Yahoo will route you via US 30 from Breezewood. I strongly recommend following I-70 from Breezewood south and east to I-81 north exiting at PA 16, Exit 5, and going East toward Waynesboro. More miles, but it will be faster. You need to be at the Pizza Hut by 10PM. If you can't make it by that time contact me regarding directions to the trailhead.

Saturday morning, we'll have about 750 ft elevation gain over 3.4 miles with views from White Rocks Cliffs followed by a 750 ft descent over another 3.4 miles to Turners Gap and a crossing Alt-US40 2 mi. east of Boonesboro. A moderate climb up to the ridge over 2 miles brings us to Washington Monument State Park and the original monument to our first president built in 1827. There's a great view from this historic structure and it's a good place to stop for lunch if the weather is good. The afternoon will take us across I-70 on a footbridge to Annapolis Rocks where there are campsites and an excellent view to the west for a total Saturday hike of 14.1 AT miles. (If we're feeling frisky and/or the view is socked in, there's a campsite another 1.7 miles on the AT that will shorten tomorrow's miles.)

Sunday, we have 16 miles (or 14.3 miles) to PenMar Park. Featured are views from RavenRock Cliffs and the HighPoint blue-blaze.

Find Handlebar on the NEOH site if you are interested
last edited: 1/14/08 2:56:10 PM”

“That's a good write-up. You're welcome to use the TRIPS planning section. You might want to use my link or the one near the top right area of this page.

Hope it turns into a great trip.”

“It's Handlebar's trip so I did not post it for him here, just announced it. He might post it, IDK

no one goes on trips I post here anyway (boo hoo). So I'd feel weird if I posted one and someone actually attended. Don't want to break my streak.”