I feel so lucky to be on the AT at this time of year. The people in Pennsylvania have been awesome, too. The Birchman family of Auburn, PA, took all five of us into their home and slackpacked us 23.7 miles from Port Clinton to 501 shelter. When my camera broke, Mrs. Birchman offered to mail it to the company for me for repair. Right now, we're staying with Citrus, a '99 thru-hiker who has opened his apartment to all five of us.
Towns are a big part of trail life for thru-hikers.
We're somewhat dependent on towns, since we need them to resupply. Usually, I stay at either a hostel or a motel. Making the transition from trail to town is always a little challenging. I'll spend an hour watching hawks from a rocky outcrop, or I'll notice the smallest flowers along the trail. I can move slowly enough out here to see these things and think about them.