Date: 2015-06-05
From: Duncannon - Doyle Hotel

To: Campsite @ Mile 1169.9
Miles today: 22.7

This morning we met Tricks and gave him out packs. He lent us day packs and we set off on the trail down a residential street to the Clarks Ferry Bridge for a couple miles. Crossing the Bridge over the Susquehanna river, we saw Last Chance taking a photo and pointing up at something on a light post, it was. Peregrine Falcon which he said was rare to see. As Crafty and I passed, the falcon was squawking and apparently didn't like the attention because she started acircling and diving at us. She must have had a nest nearby. We climbed the ridge and continued hiking meeting Tricka 8.1 miles later at PA 225. He shared some Gatorade, cookies and chips with us. Sassafras and Ascot arrived and joined our snack. They just started hiking from Harpers Ferry and are flip flopping.After an hour break we were getting a little cold so we got our full packs from Tricks' car and moved on. At a power line view 0.6 miles later Crafty wanted to sit. While there I met Diesel who came to cleanup the trash left by the day hikers. He thru hiked in 2012 and knows Smoke Break, Hot Sauce from Trail Days this year. I asked if he knew Skunkape whom I met at the hotel in Harpers Ferry and he had hiked with him! Small world! The sun came out and I got hot so we hiked on pausing at the Table Top view, Peters Mountain Shelter and Kinter View. We had not made it as far as we planned by then. So we moved on. I saw a small snake across the trail whom we photographed and then encouraged to move along so we could keep going. We also angered another bird as something rushed across the trail I to the bushes and made a pitiful sound that sounded like a bizarre cat squeak. We cautiously walked by when it suddenly rushed back across the trail, feathers fully ruffled making it look twice as big. I saw it relax its feathers as it re entered the bushes and it looked like a pheasant or something similar. It still made the pitiful cry. Around 5 pm we stopped at Clarks Creek to cook dinner. Summit Frog stopped by and said he planned to camp near the creek. We wanted to move on because the creek was right by PA 325 and a little noisy, Crafty only wanted to hike a little more. Summit Frog showed me two campsites that were in his Guthook App but not listed in our AWOL guides. One was 3.2 miles and one was 5 miles. As we hiked on, we decided to try camping and hiking separately for a couple days. We have been chatting about hiking alone for a bit to change things up and have some solo meditative time. A few weeks ago, I would have avoided camping solo. But now that I have been on the trail for over two months, I am ready to experience it. Crafty is too. Plus I want to get to the 501 Shelter tomorrow because there is a solar shower there! So we decided to try solo knowing we were only a couple miles apart and we both have packages to pick up in Port Clinton. So I kept hiking a couple more miles until I came upon a campsite. The nightly entertainment / aggravation is always hanging the bear bag. Either there aren't any great branches or we can't get the rope over the branch, etc. I successfully got my rope over the branch on the first try but something happened and my bag fell so I had to redo it. This time the rock got stuck on the branch and I couldn't get my rope loose. I hunted for a very long branch to push the rock over but it was dark and The rock fell out of the ripe still leaving my rope stuck in the tree. it was almost dark and I couldn't see where my rope was caught anyway so i gave up, left my rope dangling in the tree and put my food bag in my compactor bag inside my pack in my tent. Hopefully I don't have any company tonight!