Date: 2014-06-08
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Great night's sleep as we had the shelter to ourselves and did not have any porcupines that had been plaguing the shelter come and visit us. When we got back on the trail it was still quite rocky but not near as bad as it had been the day before. We had a great view of Duncannon from Hawk Rock mm 1141.1 as we could see the entire town and the river as it lazily swung around the town. While there we met a South bound hiker who informed us that there was a rather steep drop down to Duncannon and boy was he right. We had to use our poles out in front of us as brakes so we would not go flying out of control down the trail. We safely made it into town and I was excited to get to the Doyle Hotel to pick up my new boots that my wife had sent me. The Merrel Trail runners that I had been wearing for the past 3 months were good shoes but definitely not designed to tackle the roots and especially the rocks of the AT. Upon arriving I was disappointed to see that they were not opening until 12 since it was Sunday. This is always a problem when dealing with having things sent to you. But there was a diner right across the street called Goodies which was serving breakfast so Leo and I decided to kill some time by filling our stomachs with something other than cold food or rehydrated food. While there we met Trail Angel Mary who took me up to the local grocery store so I could resupply. She was such a sweetheart in helping me as all trail angels are and I wish her the best. Back at Goodies we continued to wait for the Doyle to open and I repacked my backpack so we would be ready to go once I retrieved my package. Boy, my pack hasn't been this heavy (packing for 5 days) in a while. Well the Doyle finally opened and they had my package and I quickly headed back across the street where I happily donned my new pair of boots. The only problem I had now was what to do with my trail runners. I didn't want to simply throw them away as they were still good enough to use at home, but being Sunday the Post Office was closed. After thinking about it for a while I decided to ask a former thru hiker Bag of Trix, who was at the Doyle if he would mail them for me on Monday and he readily agreed to do so. I tell you, the people on the trail are just so giving of their time and everything. If only more people in the world were like this. With our mission accomplished, Leo and I made our way out of town and then faced a 900 foot climb. Now such climbs while challenging are not nearly as difficult as they use to be unless the terrain i.e. rocks, steepness become unreasonable. However, for Leo who was just jumping on it could have been a different matter, but he continued to impress me as he carefully made his way up the side of this mountain. I'm not saying it was a cake walk for him or that he didn't have to stop from time to time, but he was a real trooper about it and showed a lot of stamina for such a climb. We stopped at Clarks Ferry shelter to gather some water as there was none to be had for the next 13 miles and on a day like today, hot and humid you didn't want to be without it. After getting water and resting it was off to Peters Mountain with the trail pretty good but still littered with some stiff ups and downs. It spit rain on and off so we donned our pack covers which was a smart move as it started to really rain. Fortunately it was short lived but the clouds stuck around and thunder followed us as we moved along the trail. By the time we got to Table Rock which was a mile from the shelter, there was suppose to be a view, but with all of the cloud cover and mist there was none to be had so we pushed on. We were so happy to see the shelter was right on the trail. So often the guide book says such and such tenths of a mile of the trail and it usually feels like more than what is listed, but not this time! This shelter is a double decker and has a nice porch with picnic table. and for the second night it appears we are going to have the place to ourselves. Where is everyone? We're both pretty beat, but Leo is holding his own. My new boots are great and the rocks can kiss my &^%$. We both are looking forward to hitting the sack so we quickly get our gear laid out and had dinner. I'll have to catch up on my journal for the last 2 days in the morning. Thanks God for such a wonderful day and a great hiking companion. Having Leo along has really helped raise my attitude.