Date: 2015-05-23
From: Port Clinton pavilion

To: Allentown Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: few clouds

I woke up at 5am to the sound of an incredibly annoying bird screeching in the tree nearby. I managed to fall asleep and wake up again at 6am. The morning felt a lot colder than the night. I could see my breath despite the sun. My tent wasn't covered in caterpillars for once, just some ugly looking spiders. I packed up and went to the Three Cs, and bumped into Trees and Biskit along the way. We were later joined by Jax. I had a stack pancakes (which is only 3) and a couple cups of tea, then later went back to the town. Jax had decided to take her dog ahead to Delaware Water Gap. She's hoping that her dog will do better in easier terrain. As for yesterday, she is very fortunate that I am not a litigious person. I left about 8.30, and walked beside the river for a short while before heading right up into the mountains.The weather today started off cold, with a slightly biting wind, but then warmed up for the afternoon. I was grateful for the leaf coverage, but much less grateful for the accompanying caterpillars. The first half of the day had more ups and downs than the past week. After today, the trail flattens up again, but gets even rockier. A lot of people have been complaining about the rocks. The rocks are definitely annoying. The trail seems to have been designed to hit the rockiest parts of the mountains. The rocks are often pointed, so it's harder to hop from one to another. The rocks also move, even when they look like they weigh a ton. Finally, there are many small black gaps between the rocks, that are just big enough to catch a foot and snap a bone, or for a massive snake/spider to hide. Today, I nearly broke my ankle twice on the rocks.But the rocks do not bother me anywhere near as much as the caterpillars. They drive me absolutely insane. I have to constantly wipe them off, and I get particularly grossed out by the big furry ones touching my skin. The trail was also very busy once I reached the Pulpit, which is a rock outcrop with a view. I passed quite a lot of people who were doing a hike for the Memorial Day Weekend. (So many clean smelling people.) Apparently this is a bit like an American bank holiday, which is why the motels near Port Clinton were all booked up. I reached the Eckville shelter about 2pm. It's another enclosed shelter with bunks, like the 501 but a bit more comfy (the bunks have a carpet layer). There was also a spot to charge phones and a real flushing toilet. With the solar shower, it was practically a hotel. Where are all these shelters when the weather is awful?I had to keep moving though, so didn't get to fully appreciate the shelter. I kept hiking and went back up into the mountains where it felt like I was being swarmed by swinging caterpillars. I really cannot express how much I hate those caterpillars. I reached the final shelter at about 5.30pm. There were a few older hikers, with a big group of college weekenders tenting further down. Actually, almost all of the flip floppers I have met so far have been in the retired age group. There are also more older women than I saw earlier in the trail. Unfortunately, many of the women have an annoying habit of fussing over everything, so it takes a group of them forever to do anything. One of the flip floppers mentioned that he has a gun with him. I was mildly alarmed, particularly as he was also drinking a lot of whisky. I asked if he needed a special license to carry the gun on the AT, and he shrugged and said he didn't know. He mentioned that he worked as a probation officer for a long time, but was now retired. I wonder if he knows that by concealing a gun and carrying it through different states, he is breaking multiple laws. I also found a machete in the shelter. It is bigger than my arm from elbow to finger tip. I can see why someone would not want to carry it anymore. I'm in a shelter tonight for the first time in a while. With this many older people, I'm pretty sure there will be snoring tonight. The college students are also a bit loud. I'm going to take some sleeping pills and keep my ear plugs nearby. Tomorrow I have to wake up early and do as many miles as I can. The more I do tomorrow, the quicker I can get to a shower and laundry at long last. I haven't done laundry since Fayetteville, more than a week ago!