Date: 2021-05-11
From: Duncannon, Pa

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 29.55
Weather: clear sky

I rolled out of The Doyle this morning at 5:45 for the road walk where the miles count back into the woods. I chose not to shower and risk the yellow on the shower floor was some exiting new entrant into the fun world of fungus. I did contemplate going to the gas station for a cup of coffee, but it was .2 of a mile back the way the trail came in to town. I hate the feeling of going backwards, so I turned left and started the walk out. About a mile out of town is the Charles Ferry bridge over the Susquehanna River. To the left I saw a Pilot truck stop and the promise of coffee, but the five lanes of Monday morning traffic that would have to be crossed was too much for this Frogger. Once again, I turned away and crossed the bridge into the woods. Although there are no ¢big¢ mountains on today¢s hike, there were two climbs over 1000 feet and a lot of up and down thrown in (for the day it would add up to 307 flights of stairs).  After the first big climb away from the river, there was a ridge walk/boulder scramble where the wind was fairly strong in the 43 degree overcast. In a word: cold. But that provided me with plenty of motivation to keep moving. About 4.5 miles in I passed a shelter area where quite a few hikers spent the night. As I came up, No Bad was just getting on trail. I had shared a table with him in Boiling Springs on Saturday morning and then we both went to the outfitter for some gear. I hiked with him for about an hour, discussing where he lives in southern Arizona and also all things hammock. He gave me a really great tip on how to quickly select the right trees for my set up by extending my trekking poles at arms length to approximate the ideal distance (a tip I used tonight with great results). When No Bad stopped for a break, I continued on. I¢ve really enjoyed Pennsylvania so far. Yes, it is very rocky and requires a lot of concentration on the trail, but it has also had farms, fields, views, forest walks, fun rock scrambles and the shelters have been nice. My opinion might change radically in the next 115 miles, but so far, I¢m a fan. Just after 1pm I came to a road crossing and saw in the parking lot 4 hikers (a true tramily) who I had met at the ATC headquarters back in Harpers Ferry. I really didn¢t think I¢d catch them again as they¢ve been on trail since Georgia and and strong hikers. Not 60 minutes later and I was passed by a hiker named Roo who I had met my second night on the trail waaaaay back in Virginia. So it was kind of an old-home day for me. My normal standard operating procedure is to take stock of where I am and how I¢m feeling around 2 each day, and then pick a potential camping spot for the night. Well, today I decided to go for the Rausch Gap Shelter which was 9 miles ahead. It wasn¢t until I got here that I realized I had done 29 miles today. My feet, however, tell me they are well aware we walked that far. I did get a calm through to the post office in Pine Grove, Pa to see if my glasses were there. No dice. I then called the hotel back in Hagerstown to make sure they had mailed them out. The conversation didn¢t fill me with confidence. I gave them my home address for shipping ¢just in case they hadn¢t been sent yet¢. We shall see. So it¢s now 7:45 and I¢m laying in my hammock, typing with cold hands and missing my wife just a wee bit. I don¢t think I¢ll be posting anything over 20 miles tomorrow. I plan on taking an actual lunch break and throttling back a bit. But, I am constantly at war with myself and which part of me wins this battle remains to be seen.