Date: 2015-07-02
From: Unnamed Campsite North of Shartlesville

To: Campsite Just North of the Pinnacle
Miles today: 13.7

Today I fell. In poison ivy. I guess we'll find out in a couple of days whether I react to it or not. I don't think I have ever been exposed before.My plan today was to hike the five miles or so into Port Clinton, road walk to Hamburg, resupply and hike back out for another five miles or so. And things went more or less according to plan.My shoes were much drier and I had put on clean dry socks, but my hot spots were still unhappy. I had tried to use body glide instead of athletic and duct tape, and it did not work. So, five minutes after leaving camp I sat down and sacrificed the last pieces of tape. That seemed to do the trick.The hike into Port Clinton was easy until the final descent and even that wasn't too bad. I'd hate to go up that side though, it's pretty steep.Port Clinton doesn't really have any facilities but the trail goes a little ways towards Hamburg and then crosses the road to Hamburg. So I thought it would be easy to just road walk there. Except that the crossing was really passing under a bridge and the road was much busier than I thought. The shoulder was a good six feet wide on the side where I managed to get on the bridge, but it was not a pleasant walk. Fortunately it was also pretty short, maybe just over half a mile, to the first traffic light where I could cross into the shopping area with the Walmart, Lowe's, a bunch of other stores and the largest Cabela's in the world. There even was a pedestrian light, with ten feet of sidewalk on each side of it. In case you want to pace back and forth at the light, I suppose?I was on my way to Cabela's when I spotted a Dunkin Donuts and decided an iced latte was just what I needed. I have become very good a spotting good places to park my pack next to an outlet so I can charge my phone. DD did not disappoint. While I was there, a couple came up to me and asked if I was thru-hiking and could they ask a few questions. So we chatted for a bit, they were quite nice. They confessed to living 7 or 8 miles away and never having set foot on the AT, and wasn't that terrible. I confirmed they were terrible people. If I had been done with my errands, I would have asked them for a ride back to the bridge, but I hadn't even started yet.I wasn't particularly impressed with Cabela's though I suppose the stuffed animals displayed in the middle of the store do look like they'd belong in a museum display. Other than that, they had departments for hunting, fishing, archery and... Hearing aids. Odd. I found what I needed in the camping department and went to have lunch at Five Guys. While there I chatted briefly on the phone with Rock Boat, whose template for visiting Hamburg I was following. He just crossed into Connecticut today so is way ahead but I use his journal for intel. I didn't actually need that much in the way of resupply, so after a quick visit to Walmart and repacking of the food bag, I prepared to walk back.As I was walking, I stuck out my thumb a couple of times but nobody stopped so I just kept going. A few minutes later though I saw a truck pull over way ahead of me. When I got there the guy offered me a ride and I told him where I was heading. It wasn't very far at that point but the bridge was the hairiest part and it was still to come. He knew where it was and dropped me off. And then proceeded to undo all the good of giving the ride by making a lewd remark as I was heading down the trail. Next time (if there ever is one), I will be following what I call the Yoda Protocol. Take a picture of the license plate and of the driver before getting in. Lesson learned.I was so pissed about the whole thing that I just about flew up what is supposed to be a steep climb. Not sure if it really was or not, but I made short work of it and the next one. I still had lots of time so instead of heading for the first shelter and staying there, I decided to just see where I'd end up. I climbed up to the Pulpit, which is a pretty big view. The effect was marred though, at least for me, by the constant road noise. The same was true, but to a lesser extent, for the Pinnacle. It was also very hazy out. But I imagine on a clear day you can see even further. The fall into the greenery (some of which I noticed was poison ivy) on the side of the trail was just before I hit the Pinnacle, so I decided it was time to find a camp spot. I don't even know why I fell. It is fall number 4 in 1200 miles so that's not bad, but there wasn't a clear cause. All the others were in slippery mid.I told myself I'd take the next camp site that presented itself and it appeared almost immediately. There is no camping allowed at the Pinnacle itself, so I hope I am far enough away. I don't hear any road noise here, which should be a good sign. Either way, I'll be gone early tomorrow. If it's clear when I leave, I might even go take another look at that view.Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?