Date: 2003-08-07
From: Hotel Doyle, Duncannon, PA

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

A chat with the new owner of this unique joint revealed it was built 99 years ago by Annheuser Busch, and is one of only three remaining hotel-bars in operation out of the many he built around that time. She ¢ the owner ¢ has plans to renovate. I didn¢t catch how many rooms there are, but it¢s got four floors. First floor is a small bar and restaurant, and a room with a pool table. Second floor appears not in sue ¢ looks like large rooms that may have been ballroom-types at one time. A door leads out to the porch that wraps around the front and side of the outside of the building. Third and fourth floors are rooms, each floor with a sitting area and a bathroom down the hall. Third floor actually has two bathrooms, one with a tub (much as I love baths, I opted for the shower here¢¦). Fourth floor bathroom houses the laundry as well. A resident advised me last night against doing laundry and showering at the same time, due to the potential scalding the girl at the bar warned me about.Speaking of residents, six or so live here permanently, paying $55-65 per week. One she (the owner) said has been here 20 years! Once I killed three of the spiders I spotted in my room I slept well last night, despite the fact my bed collapsed in the middle. Good thing there weren¢t two people in it, or we¢d have ended up on top of each other like the I Love Lucy episode. Slept in a little, but got going early to make some phone calls and hit the PO. Took another shower and sorted through my packages, then packed up so I could check out by 11. After a few more phone calls I set out around 1:30pm ¢ not the smartest kid in the class, am I? That¢s the hottest part of the day and I have a climb ahead with a full pack! It does feel heavier now with more food, fuel, and fully stocked on water.I managed to get mixed up and walked down the main street of town rather than the one marked with the AT¢s white blazes, but they paralleled each other so I didn¢t worry too much about it. Besides this way I passed an enormous antique store, so I stopped in to browse. A few of their wares tempted me, but the timing¢s not really right¢¦what would I do with them now? Pack ¢em up and not use ¢em for another year or so! So I restrained. But it was fun to look, and they were playing some great Big Band on the radios.They say the AT is ¢for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness,¢ so why it leads us along the shoulder of major interstates was a question that puzzled me this afternoon. Like the day I left Pearisburg, it was a relief to finally get into the woods, although I heard the semis on US 22 all the way up the mountain. Had to wait for a train, too, before crossing the tracks to go up! That was funny.I guess it was around 4pm when I got to Clarks Ferry shelter. This is the one I¢d put on my tentative itinerary, although in my mind I sort of planned to go on since I¢d left town earlier than I¢d figured I would. But I saw someone down here, so I figured I¢d at least go and check out the register and see who I¢d meet.He was sawing logs (literally, not snoring) when I came around the corner, and I¢ll admit (in a whisper¢¦) I couldn¢t help noticing he had great biceps. I said hello, took my pack off, and sat on the steps to look through the register. We struck up a conversation, and before long it was 5pm; I knew it was go now or stay.So I stayed. It was nice to have someone to talk to; this is as far as I¢d planned to go on paper; and I¢m fighting off that go-go-go mentality anyway.I¢m so glad. What ensued was a five-hour conversation that drifted from the Trail to religion to relationships to anything and everything and back again. Pete, as I learned his name was, built a big fire, and when a great big group of boys came down to get water, he yogied us some Hershey and granola bars. I think we encouraged each other in many ways. People have been such a central part of my AT experience.