Date: 2014-06-05
From: Iron Mansion Hostel

To: Allenberry Resort
Miles today: 19.6

In which I hike through the cornfields to the Allenberry Resort.I arose to a set table in the dining room and was served two frozen waffles and coffee best of all. After drying our clothes a little bit longer I packed up and we set out on our way through the park and into the woods. The morning went by pretty quickly. There was nothing in the way of mountain top views just more trees, ferns and occasional blue sky peeking out through the green leaves of the forest. The birds were alive and singing their sweet melodies, occasionally an airplane would grace us with a different sound often mimicking thunder and the happy sound of a train horn would send us into a chorus of "train"! We had an early lunch by a creek and a few "drink and release" breaks leapfrogging Dirty Harry and Fran and Cornwall and Cowboy today.There were four ups and downs bringing us to the cornfields for the final stretch of the day. We walked first through a plowed field and secondly through fields of wheat blowing like ribbons in the wind which was a very pretty sight. I learned that the grasses itch and I would constantly do a tick check when emerging from the fields. Its not the bears or moose or snakes that scare me out here, it's the destruction that one little nymph tick can do that worries me the most! I could smell the manure in the fields before I came out of the woods and approached them. I have to admit I love that smell. It brings back happy childhood memories of cow farms and pastures. I could hear the lawn mowers busy at work and frequently got whiffs of fresh cut grass. The open pastures also provided great views of the ever changing clouds, blue sky, the rolling hills and surrounding houses. This definitely looks like Southern Pennsylvania, good thing because it is. We walked on pavement through Boiling Springs, past the ATC which was closed and on to the Allenberry Resort.This place is a great little flashback in time with an awesome deal for hikers. Several of us destroyed the dinner buffet and waddled back to our room to lounge for the remainder of the night after completing chores. The resort hosts dinner and a play and was buzzing with activity. I opted not to go see the play, which would have been fun and different because it was 2.5 hours long and way past my bedtime.Got to get some rest as tomorrow is yet another long hiking day to another town and more food! I'm so lucky to be out here! I'm loving this even if I admit I am getting a little bored walking in the afternoon...but I'll deal with it! And on that note I've had several half way marker thoughts and how I feel about that...Well, the honeymoon is over. Hiking has somewhat become work. I still love being out here and wouldn't trade it for the world. I still love walking everyday. I love that everyday is different and yet the same. I still love discovering what's around the next corner or on top of the next mountain, what the next shelter will look like, who I will see next, where the next water source will be and what animals might appear on the trail. I love life on the trail! I love the people with which I am hiking, I love making my own schedule. I love the freedom to explore or bask in the sunlight and play in a creek. I was born to do this and feel alive out here. I feel like this is where I am supposed to be right now.With that said, the hard part is realizing I am only halfway to Katahdin. I still have a long way to walk! My feet and hips are becoming sore. My body is starting to feel a little tired and that I believe is related to my challenged nutritional intake. I hit a wall when it is time to eat and need calories now! I have crossed to the "dark side" and eat Little Debbies, drink cokes and mountain dews. I even have eaten three donuts. All these things I would never eat in "real life". But the goal these days is to keep my body fueled so it can walk ten hours a day. I do what I gotta do!The views have also been absent and I've grown bored looking at the ground and my feet. I find that I am constantly scanning the trail ahead for foot placement and more importantly for snakes residing on and near the trail. That in and of itself is exhausting!However,each day has it's own milestones and those are paramount. They keep me motivated and in today. They give me a sense of accomplishment. Every day is a joy. I can't describe how awesome this experience is despite the moments of boredom, fatigue, pain and hunger. Those feelings make me appreciate the little blessings all the more. I feel so incredibly grateful that I get to be out here living a dream. I get to be a part of this indescribable spiritual journey. I could ramble on on that note forever, but I'll save that for later.I have to pinch myself daily. I have moments when my life feels surreal. I feel like a character in a movie that I'm watching on the big screen pass by. I have no right to complain about anything. Life is good! It's beautiful and amazing and sometimes a little boring until I realize a baby timber rattler is 6" from a foot and I'd better get my head out of the clouds and pay attention to my feet.I am trudging the road to happy destiny. I am happy, joyous and free. I am content today with what I have and with what I don't have. I wouldn't choose to be any where but where I am. I am grateful for it all! Even for the thunder beginning to roll in! Enough.