I figure that we'll try this again.

I have a free weekend (Sat/Sun) on May31/June 1 (next weekend).

I was thinking about doing some PA AT sections, from PA 72 (Swatara Gap) to PA 183, staying at the 501 Shelter.

These are about 10 mile sections, so we can knock them off easily and early, to get back to family obligations.

I may alter my plan slightly.

I may start at Port Clinton and stay at Eagle's Nest Shelter (9mi) and finish at PA 183 (5mi). This'll keep the days short.

have you hiked out of port clinton yet. from my understanding you have to climb 1000feet in under 1/4 mile distance. there are stories of backpackers throwing their packs to the bottom . hiking north to port clinton my be a better ,or just not as hard

yes, it IS quite a rise. I just checked the profile, and it appears to be steeper than the Lehigh Gap. I'll have to take that into consideration, but I'd rather have the shorter distance on Sunday morning, so I can get back to civilization sooner.

Besides, these climbs should be no problem, since we BPL!

The SOBO climb out of Port Clinton is not quite as steep as Lehigh Gap (there aren't any hand-over-hand sections or scrambles), but it is quite steep over some short stretches. Luckily, it's not a very long climb. I've only done it NOBO, but I think I'd rather do that section SOBO because the traction would be better. Even with trekking poles, I slipped once or twice on the way down.

i'm in for saturday to sunday . i would prefer a longer hike on saturday though.