Date: 2006-06-11
From: Duncannon PA

To: Clarks Creek
Miles today: 17.2

Walking out of Duncannon was one of those walks that feel epic on the AT. Seeing all the old houses, and then walking across the Susquehanna River with the mountains before us, the river below us and the cars whizzing by gave that feeling of freedom that this trip is all about.The hike was pretty routine with some climbs, but mostly flat walking. We ate lunch at Peters Mtn Shelter - a shelter that Earl Shaffer built (first man to thru hike the AT). Our campsite was near a road. There were a number of fly fisherman working the stream. One caught a trout that he gave to Dancing Bear. We had fun hearing Mr. Breeze's repertoire of jokes. Time for bed and an early night...More tomorrow...Gumby & CoyotebecFull Moon ReportToday marks the third full moon since the original one we started under on March 14. We have walked 1150 miles through 7 states. Summer is starting to set in, and with it the bugs and heat we've known is coming. Read on for an overview of how we are doing.Physically, we are better and worse than we've been. The better part refers to our knees, ankles and overall stamina for hiking 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. Worse refers to two things: Our feet seem to be getting more of a beating than they were a month ago. This is probably due to the longer miles we are doing. I also wonder if the overall length of the trip is adding to this as well. We no longer fret over aches and pains. We know we'll just have to endure the feet problem, as everyone out here has the same exact problem as us. Mentally, we seem to be moving into a more calm and relaxed state out here. We are taking more of the day to get to our goal which makes us feel more like we are a part of this environment we are passing through rather than us feeling like the miles are an obstacle to be conquered. The days seem to be slipping by much more quickly now. A day on the trail flies by, and before we know it, the tarps up and we are cooking supper. The number of thru hikers has thinned out drastically (statistically, half of all hikers drop out before Harpers Ferry). This means that shelters are less full as are hostels. We don't see other hikers on the trail nearly as often as we used to. The last mental point is that we are in an area that we're completely unfamiliar with. This makes it feel more adventurous and fun. Also, seeing the number of miles left to go drop into a 3 digit number is exciting.Spiritually, we find ourselves depending on God to get us through things more and more. This is a big trail, and there are so many things outside our control. The feeling of all this seems more natural now (as opposed to our former city life). Maybe it's the fact that everything out here is black and white, or just the whole setting, or maybe just that we are on the line day after day, but the feeling that God created all of this for us to enjoy and that while we will face extremely tough tests, he will see us through if we show patience, courage and hard work.Gear wise, we are down to our lightest possible packs. All insulated clothing is gone, our rain pants are gone and we have very minimal extra clothing with us. We now have the bug netting that fits into our tarp, but that doesn't add much weight. Favorite gear includes our packs (Granite Gear Vapor Trail), Tarp, Sleeping Quilt, Mountain Hardwear SS shirt, and really pretty much everything we have.To sum it up, we are on the middle third of the trek and feel like we have it on cruise control. There is some suffering going on between feet, bugs and heat, but nothing bad enough to break our resolve. We are looking forward to a 2-3 day break in New York City in a few weeks. After that, I have a feeling the trip will start to slip by quickly. Until the next full moon....Gumby & Coyotebec