Date: 2016-06-01
From: Footbridge/Stream/Campsite

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 8.1

I woke up about 5:45 AM still alive. I ended up being the only soul at camp last night. I didn't cook breakfast. I only ate snacks so I could hike early while it was cool. I knew from my guidebook the first 6 miles were really bad. I had 2 rock mazes to cross and uphill at that. Then there were 4 more ups and downs that were severe and rocky. I left camp at 6:45 AM and headed uphill to the rock mazes. They were - simply put - outright rough boulders as big as trucks and houses. One place was just wide enough for a runt like me to squeeze through without taking my pack off and I just made it. There were 3'-5' pull ups and drop offs to climb up or down and 200' drop offs right beside you. One slip and you would have been kissing your kisser goodbye. I think only the brave and fools would go over that part. They had painted white arrows on the rocks to show the way. Otherwise a person wouldn't know which way to go. Even with the arrows pointing the way it was hard to believe it could be done. Only about .5 mile was this bad. After the rock mazes it was 4 severe ups and downs in rock. I needed more than one rest. The temps were in the 80's and the sweat was rolling. I took a break after all the stress and drank a warm soda I had along just for this reason. I sat on a log for a break and let out a big long belch and then something behind me was crashing through the woods. I must have surprised a bear because only something big could have snapped the sticks I heard snapping. It brought a chuckle from me. I have belch power. Toward the end of the day hike I came to a farmer's cornfield. I walked through and beside the farmer's corn, wheat and hay fields for 1 1/2 miles. The sun was really cooking about 3:00 PM. I had one shade tree to hide under for a bit. I got to Boiling Springs, PA outskirts and crossed a railroad and then a big bridge. I stopped at the river and washed my head/neck/arms with cold river water and cooled off in the shade. So now my body has sweat, fish/frog pee and bear slobber on it but I'm cooler. About a mile later I got to the AT Mid-Atlantic Regional Office. I left my backpack on their porch and walked to Caffe 101 to eat. I had a big pot roast beef and blue with chips, a 7 oz cranberry drink, a cup of coffee and several glasses of water. I picked up my pack and walked about .8 mile to the Allenberry Resort Inn/Playhouse for a night's rest and clean up. I also had a food drop here. I showered long and then had a nap. Then I went to the dining hall for supper. I had a 3"x10" slab of cod, a big pile of mashed potatoes, and a huge pile of broccoli with whole olives and little cooked tomatoes. I sat at the bar with other hikers and one goon was a little different. He asked me what branch of service I was in and I said none. He said was it CIA or some sort of agency. I said I couldn't tell him what I was so he shut up. I smiled. I get a lot of this. Some think I'm a ranger. Some think I'm a policeman. Really, I'm just a plain old nut. I ate my food and then had my laundry to do yet. I let one fellow hiker do his first so I got mine done at 11:00 PM. Then I went to sleep. 8.1 miles today!Thought for the day:What counts is not the number of hours you put in but how much you put into the hours.Mileage based on 2013 Northbound THE AT GUIDE by David "Awol" Miller