Date: 2004-05-19
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 19.4

Tough to leave Ironmasters - I loved that place and I loved Brad and I could have easily killed a whole week there. Unless someting really spooky happened. But it has this great big porch in the front perfect for wasting away the afternoons and evenings. Definitely a highlight on this trail.Day was rainy from the get go. Muddy trail - no music. We had some great conversation though. On the trail I feel like I can do anything. I often think about my life's goals and ambitions sometimes bordering on delusions of grandeur - that's the confidence I feel on this trail. We chatted about the brewery she'd like to open, my dream job of traveling and writing, and the traveling we'd like to do all around the world. We talked about the trail and the people on it and what we'd like to do upon returning home. And often the chit-chat seemed to take these random turns and we ended up discussing Iraq, 9/11, high school, Walmart, and just about anything else that popped into our heads.Towards the afternoon the rain let up and we popped our music back on. There was this great stretch where we had to boulder squeeze and scramble, sometimes just tossing our poles on top of a ledge and pulling our bodies up after it. It was actually kinda fun and a nice change of pace from the flat ridge walking.We hit the next shelter around 3:30 and opted to stop for awhile and eat an early dinner and then push on to the campsite just ourside of Boiling Springs. After about an hour we headed out again and ended up walking literally through the center of huge pastures ripe with the smell of manure. The views were awesome though - rolling hills, big skies, and the geometric patterns of croplines and grassy pastures. The clouds behind us turned dark and ominous so and we began to pick up the pace for fear of being caught in the middle fo the field during the approaching storm. When we reached the campsite we found it too was in the middle of a wide open pasture and the skies were really dark so I suggested we press on the extra 0.4 miles to Boiling Springs and find a cafe where we could wait out the storm. I didn't want my little blond head to become a conduit for a few million volts of electricity. Plus I didn't want to get wetWe rolled into town and found a cafe but the storm never came. How convenient. We rested for a bit and got some sodas (pop and Semi calls them - she's from Michigan) and then began to call and knock on the doors of the local B&B's because we had heard that they let hikers camp on their lawns for $1. No one was home or answering their phones. Just as we were about the give up and head back to the campsite for the night and woman pulled up in her car and asked us if we needed help. We told her our situation and she said "Follow me. You can camp in my yard." We couldn't believe our luck - salvation just as it was getting really dark. We followed her car about 300 feet to her house and then she said "You know - it's cold out tonight and it looks like it might rain so why don't you just come inside. You can sleep on the couch." Next thing I know I am showered and I have laundry going. Unreal. Then she offered to feed us and offered us wine and told us to make ourselves at home. He name is Lelo and she has the most beautiful house overlooking the spring - it was the Taj Mahal - I was in heaven and slept on the softest sheets on a soft couch. My hair and body were clean and I was comfortable from head to toe. We stayed up for a bit and chatted with Lelo in the living room and then out on the deck as the stars came out. Her friend Sheila was staying there as well so it ended up being girls night. I swear - I never know what to expect and the trail magik never stops. Lelo wouldn't even accept anything for hosting us and just went all out of her way to make us comfortable. It was truly the next best thing to home and I kept looking at Semi-Joy with the "pinch me this can't be real" face.It was real. I slept like a rock.