Date: 2012-06-06
From: Port Clinton, Pa.

To: winsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I've been slow to post new entries due to several factors. First is the difficulty in finding places to charge my smart phone and being in a location with a strong and consistent signal. Second is the tiny keyboard and the frustrations of the site itself. When I notice a typo it is incredibly difficult to move the cursor to correct it and I am loathe to post an entry that is messy.   But probably the biggest reason has got to be the darn rocks of Pennsylvania. Said to be the most beautiful state the trail passes through, but it's difficult to know for sure because a hiker's eyes can never leave his feet. They are tedious, treacherous, and exhausting! It feels at this point like a terrible nightmare....or like the movie Groundhog day, where Bill Murray wakes up every morning and has to repeat the day's activities over and over and over. At this point I am 71 miles from the New Jersey border and can't wait to get there. Not just because it's my home state, but also because it isn't Pennsylvania!I wish I had the ability right now to properly catch up on the last several days, and I will soon, but I will try to hit a few of them and leave the other's til then. Some are worthy of more time than I can give now and I will definitely save those. Right now I can't even get a signal strong enough to upload a picture. So, briefly, here is a synopsis of the last 5 days:Today I reached the 200 mile mark! 200.1 to be exact. Spent two nights in Port Clinton and have a lot to say about that in another post. I'll just mention that I traded in my Teva's for a pair of Keen boots and am thrilled. Bodhi is doing very well and is adjusting to life as a trail dog. Everyone loves him and are amazed by how well behaved he is. We spend all night and day together and function as one unit. He is amazing and I can't say enough about how appreciative I am daily for him. A few nights ago something was outside our tent and though I hadn't heard anything, he had. I awoke to him going crazy...barking and growling fiercely and barring his teeth. He was going back and forth in the small tent and was ready to do battle. I have never seen anything like that from him. I literally had to lay on him to keep him from going right through the tent wall. Within a minute or two it was over and I will never know what was out there....maybe a bear. I'm told they won't bother me because of him. I only know that he stayed awake and completely alert for quite a while longer. I've been hiking the last few days with Woodchuck who is from Montana and started in Georgia. We are well suited in that we tend to be slower than the typical hiker. I enjoy his company and he has helped me increase mt daily mileage. I spent last night in the shelter and he stayed in town at the hotel, but we met bright and early and hit the trail much sooner than I would have otherwise. Bodhi has been keeping himself busy running back and forth trying to keep his little "flock" rounded up. If either of us falls too far behind he falls back behind the slower one until the gap has been sufficiently narrowed. He enjoys the job and is even happier when a third hiker joins us temporariy. There is so much more to writw but it id probably 8:30 or 9:00 and I have to get to sleep if I am to do another day's battle with the rocks. So good night for now.