Date: 2013-07-18
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

At 4:11 am, the gnats and no-see-ums started biting and woke me up. Thank God (and Weatherman) I had a tent waiting for me at the P.O. in town!! It could not come at a better time! I tried but failed to fall asleep again, so I just packed up and hiked out at 6:15. It was another rocky, buggy, hot hike into Port Clinton, completely devoid of any views. (I hate Pennsylvania.) Just after the *very* steep descent into town, as I was hobbling over the railroad tracks, knees hurting, some people in a sedan drove by and stuck their camera out of the back passenger's window to snap some photos of me! I was so shocked, I mean, how rude is that?! I realize that to them I must have looked pretty funny hiking with an umbrella, but I could not believe they actually had the audacity to take my photo without even saying hello or asking permission! Everything in me wanted to do something mean since I was so mad at them but instead I just sort of waved hello. I wish I had gone up to them and told them how rude they were. But I didn't think of it at the time, I was just too shocked...So now I guess I know a bit how celebrities feel about the paparazzi!The trail goes right through Port Clinton, a town of about 200 people. I went to the tiny P.O. to get my mail drops (thanks Alisa, Weatherman, and Mom and Dad!). It was very hot (96, I later heard on the news) so the Postmaster General gave me a bottle of cold water which I drank while I sorted through my mail. Sweet! I got Weatherman's tent and enough resupply to last a number of days. Maw-ee had told me not to miss the burger and fries at the Port Clinton Hotel, which is an old institution with rooms upstairs and a bar/restaurant downstairs. The Hotel had a policy that hikers must shower before eating in the restaurant so I showered and put on my Frogg Toggs (my rain suit), which I wore (and sweated in) while I washed my clothes and had lunch. The burger was HUGE: 6" across and at least 1" thick! The fries came in a basket the size of your head. It was an insane amount of food. I managed to finish the burger but didn't finish the fries. And since I was only 15 miles from the Yuengling Brewery, I decided I really ought to "eat locally" and have a Yuengling :-) It's cheap beer but is actually pretty good. When my laundry was done, I went back upstairs, jumped in the shower again to rinse the sweat off, and then got dressed. When I got out, I ran into Ketchup, who had a room with A/C, so we hung out there for a while.Brenda from PA and I had been trying for a while to meet up, so when she found out I was in Port Clinton she decided to drive up with a friend to bring me trail magic! She and her friend, Diana, picked me up at the Hotel and drove me to the Pavilion, a few blocks north, where I was going to camp at night. It was lovely to finally meet Brenda, who I found out is planning on thru-hiking the AT in 2014 to raise funds to build a well in the Central African Republic. So cool! They brought a whole bunch of food, but after the burger, I wasn't really hungry so I didn't eat much, but I did have some pineapple, cantaloupe and some salad. They gave me a whole bunch of Oatmeal Creme Pies and some banana bread! Brenda and Diana took me to Hamburg to the Cabella's to get a bug head net, Permethrin, a spoon, and 100% Deet spray...Now I'm prepared for the bugs! :-) It was my first time in a Cabella's, so they showed me the room with all the deer racks mounted on the walls (most of which were from MN!). Then we went to Wendy's for a frosty and talked while enjoying the A/C. I realized I needed some HEET (cooking fuel) so they took me to Walmart, where I also found an "I <3 Auntie" baby outfit to send to my niece. Brenda and Diana took me back to the pavilion, fixed me a sandwich, and we said goodbye...Thanks for the lovely trail magic!!! After setting up the tent in the grass, I went to spray my clothes with the Permethrin and I realized I had left them in Ketchup's room, so I went back to get them. It was a bit of late night when I finally went to bed, but at least it had cooled off a bit...A HOT but GOOD day :-)