Date: 2015-06-21
From: Eagles Nest Shelter, PA

To: Hamburg, PA
Miles today: 9.3

After a rainy night due to the passing of the tropical depression, I woke at 6:30am to a foggy but calm morning. Moosehead and Yoohoo woke up as well and we'd quietly pack up our gear as the rest of the hikers continued sleeping. We hit the trail at 7:00am after making plans to meet Burnsides and his brother later in the day.After half a mile of walking through rain-soaked bushes lining the trail, I decided to not only keep my clothes dry, but celebrate National Hike Naked Day by stripping down into nothing but my hiking boots. I made sure to hike behind Moosehead and Yoohoo to spare them the sight of things they wouldn't like to see, especially when on an uphill. Although I had never really partaken in this type of thing before, it was actually refreshing and no big deal after a few minutes. If it weren't for the constant rubbing and splashin of cool water off of the trail-side vegetation and being on the lookout for stray thorn bushes, I couldn't even tell I was hiking along in the nude. Neither did any other hikers for the matter for we passed no other hikers during the only morning hours.In what we thought would be a quick ~9 miles into nearby Port Clinton, PA, it would eventually take close to have a day to cover the distance due to the extreme slow-going of the rocky terrain. We stopped at an overlook in the late morning and enjoyed a quick snack and break for our sore feet. I took this opportunity to reclothe myself, mainly so I could safely sit on the sharp rocks scattered around. An older female hiker soon approached and was spared. We covered the final ~2 miles, descending down a very steep hill into Port Clinton, making me feel sorry for SoBo hikers that have to scale this hill.As we walked through the tiny town of Port Clinton, we came across Coyote enjoying trail magic provided by a local couple he knows. I last saw Coyote in Waynesboro, VA when he shared his adventure of cycling from the northern tip of Alaska to the southern tip of Patagonia. We enjoyed a few snacks consisting of Gatorade, bananas, chips, and brownies as we chatted with our trail angels. After a night of restless sleep I actually dozed off for ~10-15 minutes in a lawn chair. We eventually made our way another quarter mile to Highway 61, running between Port Clinton and Hamburg ~3 miles away. As soon as we exited the woods into a small parking lot, Moosehead attempted a successful hiker trick of asking civilians at their vehicles which way a specific town was even though we knew. The nice man would tell us the direction as well as offer us a ride in the bed of his truck. He dropped us off in front of an outlet of stores with a specific one grabbing our attention, an Asian buffet. Off went our packs and on went out town shoes as we entered for lunch to a full house of civilians enjoying Father's Day. A couple of gentlemen stopped by to exchange kind words of encouragement during our meal.After lunch we walked a half mile to a Cabelas, one of the largest on the East coast. We spent the next hour + zigzagging throughout the throngs of families shopping for Father's Day. The building alone was an engineering feat, the highlight being a fake mountain where ~30 or so North American animals previously killed and taxidermed stood posing as if in a frozen state of peace. However, the trail has taught me to respect wildlife for I'm merely a visitor in its domain so seeing these massive, wild animals was a bit of a bummer. An African display was also available consiting of lions, tigers, hyenas, a hippo, and the centerpiece, a massive African elephant. Truly a shame these beautiful creatures were killed simply to spend the remainder of their days manipulated to appear as if they were forever frozen in a chase or overlooking their territory.We eventually walked to a nearby Microtel where we'd get a room for the night. Showers were taken, laundry complete, and beers/dinner would be consumed at Pappy T's, a bar attached to the hotel. Both Burnsides and his brother would join us early in the evening after reaching town and seeing Jurrasic World. We spent the evening playing pool, listening to music, and relaxing after covering close to ~200 miles in the past 9 days.Tomorrow should be a zero as we relax and take care of our town chores, but plans aren't set in stone yet and we plan to make a game time decision then. For now, it's off to bed on a full stomach of beer and a club sandwich.Here's to hiking in the buff, hibachi, and to all the awesome fathers.