Checkpoints

On the annual hike of this trail, the hikers look forward to the checkpoints. "How far

A student who volunteered to work with her mother at the checkpoint at Twin Bridges.

to the next checkpoint?" is a question heard frequently on the hike. There are three checkpoints: Downingtown, Lenape and Twin Bridges. Downingtown and Lenape are the third and two-thirds points on the trail. If you reach Twin Bridges, you are within seven miles of finishing. The volunteers, who work at the checkpoints, are extremely cheerful. That is probably the most important asset, which they provide. Usually there is a nurse on duty to provide medical care.

Two of the volunteers at the checkpoint in Lenape.

For those who don't want to walk further, the volunteers provide transportation to the end of the hike. Also, the volunteers ask each hiker for his or her number, so that the organizers of the hike would know whether a missing hiker had reached each one of the checkpoints. Without the checkpoints, a hiker would need to carry more water and food.

At the checkpoints, some of the volunteers

This volunteer at the Twin Bridges Checkpoint is from Yorkshire, England.

have traditions of their own. Many of them have worked at the same checkpoint for several years in a row.

Three of the stalwart volunteers at the checkpoint at Twin Bridges.