Date: 2022-05-18
From: "Old Town Road"

To: Appalachian Drive
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: broken clouds

Since we're staying close by, I might as well start where I left off.  I had hoped to go farther yesterday, but the time Susan was coming to pick me up arrived while I was crossing the last flat area.  She thinks she's preserving my strength by limiting me to a certain number of miles, but the tyranny of the "appointed time", without regard for difficulty, is beginning to get to me.  Today, I know it's mostly flat across the Cumberland Valley, so I should be able to do a bit more. After all, I've done a number of 17-18-mile days with an overloaded pack, tho I guess that may have contributed to my being so run down.I was glad I didn't try more yesterday, however, because that would have meant racing thru the rock mazes.  I remembered these twisting paths amongst big rocks were somewhere near here, but I wasn't thinking they were so close to Whiskey Spring Road.  The Trail starts uphill immediately, getting rocky near the top. Then there are several piles of rock to get thru or around, sometimes without sufficient blazing, all within slightly more than a mile.  I enjoy the big rocks more than the little ones, & it provides some variety to the Trail besides. A couple of boys were up there enjoying the rocks too.The next 3 miles had several ups & downs, ending with Center Point Knob, the original mid-point of the AT [1937].  It's been moving South [it's 23 miles South this year] ever since. Then it's down & across farm fields for a couple of miles before entering the village of Boiling Springs. After a pleasant walk thru town, I stopped for a break at the ATC office [not open]. Also sitting on the porch was Pegasus, awaiting pick-up to a hostel.  I guess that's a new one.  I certainly wasn't ready to quit for the day.  There's an outfitter next door, but I only glanced in ¢ I certainly don't need any more stuff at this point.A brief road walk then took me to the AT corridor, running 13 miles across the valley, a narrow strip with farms or residences along each side.  20 years ago, the Trail was pretty exposed to its surroundings; now it feels much more protected.  I remember in the past following a row of walnut trees along the Trail, wondering if anything would grow under them.  Now, those trees are still there but many smaller trees & shrubs have filled in under them to obscure the Trail from the neighbors.  A lot of it is honeysuckle, which isn't so desirable. It was longer but not as dense as the honeysuckle thicket going South out of Daleville.A lot of shooting going on ahead of me, especially at the firing range just before Pa 641. I hope someone has checked it out to make sure there is no danger to people on the Trail. Sounds pretty close!About that point, I met several runners, running ahead of me, & then met them again coming back.  Other hikers met today included Chama, June Thing, & Gent. This is certainly easy hiking!  It didn't seem long before I was texting back & forth with Susan, trying to  help her locate the pick-up point, & not very long after that, meeting her walking in toward me.  Appalachian Drive didn't seem to offer much place to park, so we ended up walking about 1.5 miles together, plus another half mile down the road to the car.