Appalachian Trail hiker ice cream challenge.

Midway up the Appalachian Trail, a little country store in Gardners, Pennsylvania, invites hikers to take on an additional challenge: eating a half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting. So far this year, about 50 thru-hikers have finished the challenge. Besides bragging rights, they earned a commemorative wooden spoon and the honor of having their photos posted on a store bulletin board. The record, set two years ago, is under 4 minutes. It took nearly 40 minutes for Sam Cooper to finish the challenge earlier this week. He called it “pure misery,” and added: “I don’t think anybody should be doing this. This is not healthy at all.”