July 5, 2011
Start: 1134.6 Past Cove Mountain shelter.
End: 1162. Campsite in the woods.
Total: 27.4 miles
I enjoyed my relatively high spot to camp last night. True I was only at 1250 feet, but I was higher then anything else around and got a nice breeze. High camps and breezes mean that moisture from my respiration and perspiration gets blown out of the tent. Otherwise my tent would have condensation in it in the morning, forcing me to carry a wet tent all day. A wet tent means not only a heavier tent, but also increases the formation of mildew, something that a thru hiker is constantly battling.
It's run town run this morning. I'm just outside Duncannon, Pa. a town that the trail passes through for several miles. Home of a hiker hotspot, the Doyle hotel, a cheap hotel above a bar. I'm just passing through town though aiming for a Pilot truck stop on the other side for a Subway sandwich breakfast. After a thousand foot descent, I'm walking along market street in this river front town on the Susquehanna river.
I notice many powerless crisscrossing the roads here, a ridiculous testimony for the need to properly zone for beauty in town. The Doyle is a old monstrosity of a hotel. Several stories tall, with a Victorian look. A hiker I see walking out says it was nice, but the bar closed at six in the evening yesterday, which he thought was odd for the fourth of July. He said that a large group of hikers decided to go to the Pennsylvania state run beer store, liquor is sold in a separate state run store, and take a two mile round trip walk to a bring your own beer gentleman's club.
I continue walking through town, sprawling in the valley along the curve of the half mile wide river. It's a nice old town, with an incredible amount of hair salon's. I notice to that the southern accent is gone. Since coming into Pennsylvania, people have been speaking like yankees. I wonder if it will resurface. To tell the truth, there wasn't a lot that was very good about the south. The land was fine, but the people mostly appeared disheveled, absolutely uncaring about they're appearance until central Virginia. I didn't even see a girl that I thought was marginally pretty until I got to Daleville, Virginia mile 719.
As the Appalachian trail crosses the Juniata river, which feeds into the Susquehanna river here, I see hikers camped in a beautiful spot along the embankment. Directly behind the on trail gentleman's club that the hikers went to last night. The tents are hidden from view by trees, and are in a spot that would be considered park like. Through the trees a hiker emerges, Four Beard, he tells me there's a breakfast buffet at the Pilot's Iron Kettle restaurant. He also says he enjoyed the entertainment last night as there are two more gentleman's clubs, a bar and fast food all within a three minute walk from the trail. Beer sales are not allowed at the truck stop though, as it would endanger the moral character of the community.
The Iron Kettle would fail a health inspection. The staff are hillbilly's. I found the southern accent again. After four plates I get bored with eating and decide to get caffeine pills, I'm out and it is sad. The truck stop store doesn't have No Doz, or any other name brand. They do have Truckers Luv It though. The smiling truck driver with leather jacket and cowboy hat, standing in front of his rig gives this product credibility. The ingredient list shows that it has twenty five more caffeine then No Doz, and also includes quality ingredients like guarna, ginseng, yerba mate, and other legal stimulants. The funniest ingredient was cayenne pepper, for that extra kick. Ten bucks for forty pills. That should last three weeks or longer.
Leaving the truck stop, I cross the wide Susquehanna river, on a highway bridge, and start my days hustle down the trail. I'm forced to kick myself a little for taking two hours to eat, and not making miles, but food is important. The trail is smooth too, and I'm ablle to easily travel down the long low range the trail follows.
Later in the day, as I hike, A-10 Warthog military jets fly constantly over head turning just as they get over me. I figure this mountain must be part of a practice bombing run from the local base. I want to make a marathon today so I pass the campsite at a water source, which just like last night is a good spot to camp 26.1 miles into my day.
Passing this site forces me to hike into the night. The ground on the ridge I walk is mostly made of boulders but there is some dirt to be found. I find a spot below a pine tree that has seen use before, and set up before nine thirty. That's the way it usually is, I walk till dark, turn on my headlamp, and keep going until a good spot appears. This style let's me use the whole day.
For the second time on the trail, a chorus of yips, yowls, and howls erupt nearbye, and I have the luxury of letting the coyote's sing me to sleep.
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July 6, 2011
Start: 1162. Camp in the woods.
End: 1174. Lickdale, Pa.
Total: 12 miles
I sleep in late today. I decide when my 5:30 alarm goes off that I need to bathe, and try to keep my increasingly worsening heat rash from getting infected. It's been two weeks since my last shower 315 miles ago. I sleep till eight.
It's only twelve miles to town and my food is almost gone. The Truckers Luv It pills get my feet flying. The energy from them and the extra two and a half hours of sleep have me feeling great. My pack can't get lighter and I fly down flat trail to Swatara Gap where I unsuccessfully hitch PA 72 to Lickdale, Pa. before deciding to walk the two miles in. Half way in though, a car pulls up along side me and tells me to hop in. How can I refuse? The driver, Dave is a Appalachian Trail hiker who I believe thru hiked before, or at least did big sections. Today he is dayhiking, a style he is practicing now. Do another thru man, have you heard of the Pacific Crest Trail try that do something new.
The Days Inn sells me a room, and I get to business off the bat, a large M&M Blizzard from DQ. Then it's laundry in the sink, there's a washer here, but I don't want to pay an ATM fee to get cash out for it. I find myself watching Anthony Bourdain, and hunger pains hit, so I go to Wendy's for a triple quarter pounded meal, and Frosty. After that I walk over to a truck stop store to resupply for the next seventy five miles. The Truck stop has a McDonald's so I get four McDoble's for the evening.
Back at the hotel I watch the Cubs lose to the Washington Nationals, whoever they are, eat two McDoble's and plan on doing homework.
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