Date: 2019-04-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday (April 20) turned out to be the longest trek so far, and much of that was just getting from the AT to my distant hotel.  I haphazardly researched the distance from the trail and paid the price.  This Days Inn is 5.4 miles from the trail, mostly downhill luckily.  I trudged through, did my first post office run to pickup a package I mailed myself (mostly lots of nuts from Trader Joe¢s), even picked up some groceries on the way, because I known I would never want to backtrack over to that store.  I was wincing a little bit from the soreness and being overloaded... but was super thankful to arrive at the hotel.Two nights here may be a little excessive, but it¢s nice to regroup and also explore the city a little bit.  I didn¢t really like Rouzerville (which you need to walk through to get the Waynesboro), mostly because they have no sidewalks, and it felt super dangerous walking on some of the narrow roads.  Waynesboro on the other hand has nice sidewalks and interesting older architecture, and some shops and restaurants.It has a nice feeling, but the sidewalks do seem desolate.  Maybe they are mostly just used by tourists like me, wanting to check out the shops and restaurants.  This seems to sadly be the case for a lot of American cities.  Weird feeling to be walking around alone on the sidewalks, like there is something wrong with me for not having a car.  Or maybe I look homeless (oh wait, I actually am technically homeless right now...).Sad feeling to come across one lone pedestrian in front of me at night, and it¢s unusual for them that they get suspicious and do a complete 180 to check behind them to make sure I¢m not some shady character.  I hate this feeling in American cities, where sidewalks are so unfrequented...Tried a few restaurants.  Waynesburger was kinda average, but I may stop in again if I¢m in town for lunch tomorrow.  For a light dinner I had five pieces of sashimi at Sapporo Japanese, a Korean-owned place.  Best meal so far on the AT, which was super surprising.  I expected the standard American fare to be better out here, but I¢ve been pretty disappointed in the food and local beers.  Sapporo was really good and appropriately priced (pricey, as is all sushi...).  The only thing missing was good sake or Japanese beer.. but they have some BYOB policy which I think has something to do with some outdated Pennsylvania state law or something.  It¢s kind of a shame, but oh well!Just a few more things on this lazy day - I did laundry in the sink.  Got out lots of dirty!  My polypropylene socks were getting too dirty, which is not good for my feet.Also stopped in my first Dollar General and went up and down every single aisle to get a feel for what they have and don¢t have.  I have a feeling I¢ll be frequenting these a lot...Started planning out the next few stretches, seeing where I can restock and where the next hotel may be.  I feel pretty satisfied that just one night will be nice for a recharge next time, but I¢ll see how my feet feel!  I have a feeling I will not be blister-free on my next hotel stay...Planning to get a Lyft or call a shuttle driver for the ride back to Pen Mar park tomorrow.  Got a decent supply of nuts, beef jerky, and tuna packages - I am guessing I¢m good for another three to four days at least.  Next convenient resupply location is in Pine Grove Furnace store, 37.5 miles up the trail, which I now know is totally doable!  Going to try to not overdo it.Mileages for tomorrow¢s possible shelters:1066.5 Pen Mar road (planning to get dropped off around here)1071.1 Deer Lick shelters (little too near)1074.7 Tumbling Run shelters1081.3 Rocky Mountain shelters (little too far, stretch goal)