Date: 2003-07-18
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

I can't believe it! I slept in a shelter, and actually got some sleep! Okay, I did take a vicodin, but my legs were really aching. I keep thinking that my boots should be broken in by now, but they definitely aren't yet. I was a little muzzy-headed, then, when I got up, but I got my act together despite how I was feeling. Gerri left before us, and was talking about taking a bus home. I was feeling a bit worried about her. We had an easy hike into Boiling Springs, which is a beautiful town. We saw Gerri there, talking with Chow Down and Rock Steady, who had decided to end their hike in Boiling Springs. She talked with Randy, while the rest of us were hanging out at the ATC (mid-Atlantic regional office). Randy told me that she was feeling better about the hike again. I was thinking that she might have been having her own reaction to hitting the halfway point...similar to mine. It is a big milestone in the trip, and, as with any milestone in life, one tends to wond!er "okay, now what?" Anyway...we went to lunch at the local Italian restaurant. The food was amazing! Fueled to continue...we hiked on. But not before saying goodbye to Chow Down and Rock Steady. We wished them well. Randy said, and I agreed, it would have been nice to have gotten to know them better...they seem like such great guys. There were five of us in our little group today...me, Gerri, Randy, Froggie Pete and Jimbotrek. We did lots of hiking through fields today...acres and acres of corn. I felt...one with the corn. Perhaps even...a child of the corn. Anyway...it was quite leisurely hiking that we did. At another road intersection (there were many road crossings today!), we had a short walk to fast food, and I had a craving for a milkshake. I offered to go for a drink run; Froggie Pete and Jimbotrek joined me. Gerri and Randy rested and watched our packs. I changed to my sandals for the trip, and my stubbed toe, which was really aching today, was very happy. There was a Corvair convention in town...I've never seen so many Corvairs in my entire life! Milkshakes purchased and consumed, we continued on...six more miles to the shelter. It started to thunder...yikes! It ended up being a very gentle rain...cooled things down considerably...and not much lightning or thunder. We were getti!ng closer to the shelter, but it was getting dark. We pulled out headlamps for the last bit. Jimbotrek had pulled way ahead of us, I was leading Froggie Pete with my headlamp and Randy was lighting the way for Gerri. The coolest thing...we came across this stone bench that was built into the side of the Trail. I had to sit down (anytime I come across a bench on the Trail, I have to sit down. I mean...what else would they be there for??). There was a great night view of some nearby city (Harrisburg, maybe?), and a fabu show of lightning! We couldn't tarry long...we needed to get to the shelter and we were almost there. We arrived at the shelter, set up inside really quickly...Jimbotrek was the only one here. Froggie Pete set up his tent, but we didn't have the energy to. I had to eat something...Randy and Gerri didn't, but I knew I would wake up starving in the middle of the night if I didn't. I had some beef jerky, chips, Reeses sticks and Tang. Now I could hit !the hay...Duncannon tomorrow!