Date: 2010-06-03
From: Whiskey Spring, PA

To: U.S. 11 Footbridge, PA
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

From TrailPhone:"Hi. This is Timothy. I'm in Boiling Springs at the ATC office. I've had a wonderful hot shower at the pool for only a buck. Another buck 50 got me the biggest cup of coke I've ever downed. After my shower, I treated a couple blisters I picked up this morning on the back of my right heal. Slowing me down, but I'm doing good. Just after rounding the bottom of the lake, I found the British Hiking Team that's raising funds for British war veterans. A white Jeep, their support vehicle's here at the office, guys come up the trail shortly. Since it's about 2:30 and I've got 8 miles to Carlisle, I'm going to press on to Carlisle, grab a motel for the night, kinda clean up, get downtown a little early tomorrow so I can see about catching the 3 o'clock bus so I get in around Saturday afternoon Little Rock. The weather's a little on the warm side, but we've got a nice breeze so I think I can get into Carlisle right around sundown. That's it."UPDATE: We were a bit lazy and just really enjoying laying in our hammock in the woods. Being so close to Boiling Springs and then the end of our hike, we weren't in a rush to get going this morning. We hit the trail around 8:45 a.m.Just before 10 a.m. we hit our final spring and topped off our water supply. 2 liters to get us into Boiling Springs where we could refill with pure water at the ATC office.Shortly after leaving the spring we completed our last climb of our trip up to Centerpoint Knob. We took a few minutes to take in the Cumberland Valley stretching out before us. The trail takes a sharp right turn at the peak, which is recognizable by the large, homemade stone stile adorned with rocks of various sizes and shapes. A sign nearby informs us that we are leaving PATC maintained trail and are now the guest of the Cumberland Valley trail committee. We spotted a brown box hanging on a nearby tree and found a log book inside. In addition to the date and time, we left a short note for Absent stating we were leaving our remaining food for him at the upcoming ATC office. That done, we started down our last downhill of the trip.Before long the trail flattened out, curved through some brush and then...farm fields! While standing to determine the AT's course, we watched a large farm tractor and trailer coming up the road past a picturesque set of farm houses. The trail passed between two hay fields with occasional blazed wooden posts to mark its path.The trail would then cross a road and we would need to pause to determine where on the opposite side the trail restarted and where it was headed. Generally, the trail passed along the edge of young cornfields with the corn just weeks old. Often, the trail would make sudden right angle turns left and then right working our way across the valley.After a few miles of this we spotted a long straight line of trees. Could this be the train track just south of Boiling Springs? Entering the woods, we saw a train track rising up above us. Scrambling up and over we curved through the woods and past the blue blaze to the only legal camping site in the valley. The trail then became a gravel road with a white iron gate blocking the entrance. As we passed around the gate we noted a white plastic bag hanging from the gate. Trail magic? A peek inside the bag showed us several large soft pretzels and some oranges. It was trail magic! We tore off a chunk of pretzel and munched it while crossing over an old brick bridge into Boiling Springs.It was about noon. As soon as we crossed the bridge we found ourselves on the backside of the swimming pool. Walking around to the office we inquired about the $1 shower for hikers. While they were not yet open to swimmers, we were allowed to take our shower and clean up. We also bought a very large Coke for just $1.50. While the men's room won't win any awards due to its dated look, it was clean, well maintained and had lots of bench and floor space. While dressing we discovered two fresh blisters on our heel. The head lifeguard found us some bandage scissors to cut our moleskin with. Clean, bandaged, and re-hydrated, we donned our pack and made our way back to the bridge and the last known blaze.The trail makes a right turn at the bottom of the bridge and follows the creek a short ways. Then, the trail makes a left into a large parking area. We were surprised by two things we saw in the parking area. The first to our right was an old furnace nearly identical to the one at Pine Grove Furnace SP. The second to our left was a hiker sitting on a bench with a Union Jack flag draped over the bench back.Seeing the British flag we went over and discovered that both of us had been wanting to meet the other. This was the British team that Absent had been waiting for at Caledonia. While showering they had caught up and passed me. It was great to be among allied brothers at arms. Another fellow with a large white Landrover (trail name "White Jeep") explained that he had wanted to meet me due to my TrailPhone use. It turns out that I was the only hiker passing through Maryland and Pa that was using TrailPhone. The driver's wife Seminole had been listening to my updates for trail conditions ahead. I left White Jeep and headed up the trail. The trail follows along the eastern edge of a wonderful lake in the center of town. At the north end of the lake sat the ATC office. A volunteer sitting in the porch swing welcomed me. I dropped my pack at the picnic table and set about to my final tasks. We plugged our cell phone into a jack inside the office. Inquired as to where to leave our excess alcohol fuel. (On the floor just inside the door on the left with the other assorted fuel.) We wrote a short note for Absent in the log and deposited our excess food in the hiker box on the porch. (Actually, there were two hiker boxes, both overflowing with goodies.) Our pack emptied of fuel and food we took it over to the hanging scale on the porch for a final weigh in. It weighed 23 pounds; 13 pounds less than at Harper's Ferry. Little wonder of five days of food lasted seven with leftovers. We were still 8 pounds heavier than we would like to be, so we resolved to buy a digital postal scale and weigh every item of gear and work on reducing our base weight for the next long hike.We left our pack in the care of the volunteer and walked across the trail to the outfitter, which is really a fly fishing shop that has a rack of hiking what nots and books. Across the street from the outfitter and the ATC is the famed tavern. We walked around the west side of the tavern and found the "boiling" spring that gives the town its name. The area around the spring is home to the local thrashers who were busy skateboarding and posing. Across the corner from the tavern is a gas station that caters to hikers. Every hiker favorite from jerky to sweet rolls to chips and sodas was for sale.Wandering back to the ATC office, White Jeep arrived. While packing up the cellphone and charger and getting some fresh pure water for both bottles, Seminole appeared and was about to depart north. I asked her for a moment longer so I could hike with her.About 3 p.m. Seminole and I departed the ATC and took a right turn down the street past the Post Office. Five or six blocks down the white blazes indicated a tun and we soon found ourselves hiking through a strip of brush. Seminole was headed for Scott Farm to meet her husband White Jeep, her personal support team. Seminole set a quick pace, which is what I wanted. I had decided while showering to continue on to Highway 11 and exit the trail today versus camping by the train tracks and making a mad dash in the morning.While hiking, Seminole mentioned that she didn't know what poison ivy looked like. She lifted the legs of her long wind pants and revealed a large red rash all over her right calf. Ouch! I got Seminole to pause long enough for me to point out a large vine growing on a nearby tree. She noted the "leaves of three" and more importantly the hairy vine they were attached too. Further down the trail I spotted some young poison ivy growing along the corn. Seminole paused to note the reddish bright green "leaves of three."