Hike #10 – Adventure and Shadows: A Hike Through Duncannon’s Dark Past
Our hike on June 29th, 2024, 10.3 Miles from Millers Gap Road to Duncannon, Pennsylvania.
First, we must celebrate! I have officially hiked over 100 miles on the Appalachian Trail!
The big bonus, Lauren came back for more! I told you she was cra-cra.
Our shuttle driver, Mike, met us in the little trail town of Duncannon, Pennsylvania, bright and early to shuttle us to our starting point on Millers Gap Road. The beginning of today’s hike included a climb, a slight downhill, another climb, a slight downhill, and then a really big climb to our first lookout. The original weather forecast was supposed to be thunderstorms, with severe thunderstorms and hail in the afternoon. The thunderstorms were now predicted at 6 pm, so we definitely wanted to make sure we finished well before the storm. When I was planning this route in the Far Out app, I had noticed Cove Mountain Shelter at mile 5.4, so I felt pretty safe if bad weather began to approach.
Of course, like yesterday, Lauren snaked up the switchbacks like a pro. We met two women trail running with their puppy in training. We let them pass us (haha). Then we stopped at Cove Mountain Shelter for lunch, and Lauren was introduced to her first privy. I have to admit, it was the luxury version. The smell lingered around a 2 out of 10, and it was twice as big as others I had previously met on the AT.
Lunch ended up being quite the treat. We had stopped at Subway the night before and packed our half hoagies. They were the best tasting subs ever. I never enjoyed a Subway sandwich like I enjoyed this one. We hiked back up to the trail and met Jim, a digital nomad, who happens to work for a company headquartered in Pittsburgh. He was training with his pack, preparing to begin his thru-hike on the AT.
As we continued our hike, we remembered the two Subway chocolate chip cookies in my bag and eagerly devoured them. They were divine, a perfect sweet ending to our unexpected but delightful trail lunch.
In the later part of our hike, we came upon the Hawk Rock Overlook. Hawk Rock. Hawk Rocks clear gap between the trail side of the mountain and the ledge where it continues on the other side of the river is what makes this region a geological marvel. Geologists refer to this as a Water Gap, and this one is known as the Susquehanna Water Gap that cuts through the Blue Mountain Ridge.
Then we began our steep climb down Cove Mountain. Pennsylvania on the AT is notoriously dubbed “Rocksylvania” due to its relentless rocky terrain, and this section certainly fits the bill. The descent was arduous, with the trail covered in loose stones and jagged rocks that demanded careful and deliberate steps. Loose stones and jagged outcrops required a steady pace and sturdy hiking boots (which Lauren’s did fall apart by the time she reached the bottom). The descent was a test of balance and agility, with the uneven ground making each step a calculated move.
As we neared the base of Cove Mountain, the trail leveled out, and the steep inclines gave way to gentler slopes. The forest thinned, and the path became wider and more forgiving. The sounds of civilization slowly emerged—the distant hum of cars, the faint murmur of voices—signaled our approach to the town of Duncannon.
Duncannon sits at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers and is also part of the Kittatinny Ridge Flyway Global Important Bird Area (IBA). Kittatinny Ridge is a long mountain ridge that winds 185 miles through eastern and central Pennsylvania, to the Maryland line. Each year, tens of thousands of raptors and vultures and millions of songbirds use this flyway for their fall migration.
What I didn’t know before embarking on this section hike or until I was about 90% done writing this blog post (I googled Cove Mountain Shelter to find a picture to share with you) was that in the year 2000, Cove Mountain Shelter had replaced the infamous Thelma Marks Shelter where a double homicide occurred. The murders at Thelma Marks Shelter stand as one of the most chilling episodes in the history of the Appalachian Trail.
On a late September day in 1990, Geoffrey Hood and Molly LaRue, an adventurous couple from Shaker Heights, Ohio, embarked on their thru-hike, dreaming of completing the entire trail from Maine to Georgia. Their journey, filled with scenic vistas and the camaraderie of fellow hikers, took a dark and tragic turn when they reached the Thelma Marks Shelter near Duncannon, Pennsylvania. This seemingly innocuous spot was where Geoffrey and Molly met their tragic end. To add to the eerie atmosphere, Lauren and I unknowingly replicated the exact photograph the victims had taken in the town of Duncannon, right before their ill-fated journey up Cove Mountain, past Hawks Rock, and eventually down to the shelter. And yes, knowing this would have definitely ruined our lunch and probably made Lauren and I really fast trail runners past the sign pointing to Cove Mountain Shelter.
The murderer, whose dark presence lingered like a specter over the trail for many years, was eventually captured and spent his remaining years in a Pennsylvania prison, where he died in 2020. Thinking back, we did hear a strange noise on the trail, which sounded like a door closing (in the middle of the mountain).
The tragic story of Thelma Marks Shelter, where Geoffrey and Molly’s lives were brutally cut short, serves as a stark reminder of life’s fragility and unpredictability. Their tale, while harrowing, inspires me to embrace life more fully and try to cherish every moment.
Their story is a somber testament to the fragility of life and the ever-present shadow of violence in the world. But at the same time, it underscores the importance of pursuing what we love and savoring every experience that brings us joy and fulfillment.
