Date: 2017-07-08
From: Stealth Campsite at Mile 1153.3

To: Yellow Springs Campsite
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

7/8Stealth Campsite at Mile 1153.3 to Yellow Springs Campsite18.3 miles Total miles:  1171.6I slept well and got a lot of rest after the short day yesterday.  I woke up at 6:00 and was on the trail by 7:30.  The trail was good, with quite a bit of rocks, although most allowed for stepping mostly on dirt using the disjointed jitterbug. It's amazing how quickly something can become the new normal. What I at one time considered moderately difficult, is now counted as pretty easy.  It reminds me of the old joke:  What did the snail say when he climbed on the turtle's back?  Wheeeeee!!!!  I guess everything is relative.  The trail presented me with no real problems today, and I hiked 18.3 strong miles.  About two miles in, the trail crossed PA 225 on a caged pedestrian bridge.  In the parking lot just past the bridge, I saw Leapfrog and Extra Mile, who I have not seen in weeks.  They live in the area and were just getting ready to leave their car for a twenty mile southbound slackpack. It was fun to catch up with each other.  They were kind enough to share some Gatorade, providing a fellow hiker with some Trail Magic.  It was a real treat to catch up with two of my favorite people on the trail, and I hope to see them again soon.  A few miles later,  I came to Peters Mountain Shelter.  The water source is notoriously difficult to get to, and I felt confident that I had enough water to make it to the next spring 6.4 miles away.  I rested a few minutes at the shelter and chatted with a man with a very shy Australian Shepard,  who did not seem to want her picture taken.  I never impose myself, so I have no photo of this very unique dog with the beautiful blue eyes.  I then hiked a few more miles and ate lunch at Kinter View. The view was of the nearby mountain range. I am finding that sometimes the best views are not always the natural ones, but along power cuts instead.  That was certainly the case today.  I stood under the audibly crackling power lines and took the best view photo of the day.  The rock formation at Kinter View was large and provided a shady place to eat and take a nap.  It was here that I met Phys. Ed, a 2014 thru hiker.  He told me there was a rumor out that a hiker feed was taking place near PA 325, which was four miles down the trail. I made good time, driven both by need to get water at the spring near the road, and to check out the chance for some more Trail Magic.  I reached the spring with water to spare, and drank a quart right there and filled my bottles.  I then headed down the trail toward the road.  I soon found that there was a new trail town that needed to be added to the guidebook.  It's called Billville and features an incredible restaurant and lounge, right along the trail in the woods.  Founded by Trail Angel Mary and her friend Chester, the mayor of Billville, there is only one requirement to becoming a citizen. You must promise that you will spend the rest of your life annoying and confusing the humorless.  I had no problem making that promise and was soon enjoying the benefits of being a citizen of Billville. Trail Angel Mary encouraged me to make a salad while she prepared two chicken sausage burritos for me. I also helped myself to homemade cookies, cake, and sodas.  I saw many hikers I knew and met several new ones.  Radio and Dirty Duck were there. They had planned for big miles today, but Mary's announcement that shrimp stew was on the menu for dinner, had them setting up their tents a few hundred feet from the city limits of Billville.  I also saw Simple and Bear King, the hikers I met yesterday. I found out how Bear King got his trail name, and learned he is the antithesis of me.  A section hiker, he began his hike several weeks ago in the Shenandoahs.  On his very first day he saw four bears.  Sigh . . .  I also met Bartender, Minutes, and Cantaloupe. Gravity came along and joined in as well. It was a fun and rowdy time.  Trail Angel Mary is a true gem and does all of this out of the goodness of her heart and her love of hikers.  I made a donation to help her be able to continue her magic, signed the hiker book, and got a huge hug before heading back on the trail. Trail Angel Mary is another one of the very special, unique personalities that make up the AT community.  I promised her I would send her a card after I summit.  We still had over six miles to go today, including a long ascent out of the valley.  Powered by Mary's trail magic, I made excellent time and arrived at the Yellow Spring campsite by 7:30.  I set up my tent and decided to go exploring.  One of the main reasons I wanted to camp at this site is its proximity to the ruins of an old coal mining settlement, reached by a 0.7 mile blue blazed trail which begins at the campsite.  Suffice it to say that the settlement ruins are not quite the draw that McAfee's Knob or Max Patch is on the AT.  The trail is rather overgrown and faded, so I decided to finish my explanations before dark.  I finally located a corner of a building foundation but didn't detect any other signs that there was once a community on the site.  I made it back to camp with no problem, finished my chores, and headed for bed.  It's been another very full day on the trail.  Who knows what tomorrow may bring.