1,000+ miles down, 1,000+ to go; time for ice cream on the Appalachian Trail

• Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania
  BioRecent Stories

  

  I report on energy and the environment for StateImpact Pennsylvania at WITF.
  
  My work focuses on responses and solutions to climate change in the state legislature and communities around the state. I trace my interest in these issues back to my time as a Girl Scout and this episode of Rocko’s Modern Life.
  
  I look forward to winter just for the chance to ski a few times each season. I try to keep myself from doom-scrolling on my phone by keeping my hands busy knitting and learning to play the piano.
  
  I grew up in Cambria County, Pa. and graduated from Temple University. I started at WITF just after Christmas in 2014.

 Jeremy Long / WITF

Hikers dig into the half-gallon challenge at the Pine Grove Furnace store on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.

Of the few thousand people who attempt to through-hike the more than 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail each year, only about a quarter finish.

So, reaching the halfway point–which roughly falls in Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Cumberland County–is a cause for celebration.

Through-hikers mark their accomplishment with yet another challenge–eating a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting.

WITF caught up with a few hikers taking part in the trail tradition.

Jeremy Long / WITF

An Appalachian Trail hiker’s pack sits at the Pine Grove Furnace store on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.

Listen to the story:

Neil “Happy Feet” Postal, 24, of Virginia Beach, Virginia taught motorcycle safety courses before starting on the trail. Postal said they had very little hiking experience before setting out on the 6-month trip.

Andrew “Magic Falcon” Chang, 40, is a chef from New York City. He said there was one “smart choice” of ice cream flavor to attempt the half-gallon challenge.

Yvette “Milkweed” Furnia, 36, of Orange County, New York is a former science teacher and fourth generation egg farmer. She said she was first inspired to hike the trail while in college.

Alan “Legoman” Dwyer, 36, works in IT for the New Hampshire Air National Guard. For his ice cream flavor, he chose a taste of home–maple walnut.

Jeremy Long / WITF

Photos of Appalachian Trail hikers who completed the half-gallon challenge are displayed at the Pine Grove Furnace store on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.

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