Date: 2004-07-14
From: Eagle's Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton, Pa.
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: light rain

Start Eagle's Nest ShelterDestination Port Clinton, Pa. The sound of heavy wind and rain drops woke me up just after 5:00 am. I made a dash outside to retrieve my food bag from the tree where I had hung it last night, and answered the call of Mother Nature. I got back into my tent and tried to go back to sleep. I had heard last night that thunder showers were supposed to head in this afternoon, so I got up, packed my things and was on the trail by 6:00am. Just like yesterday the trail was enveloped in a grey wet mist. Not even the birds were making any noise as I walked the trail. For as long as I can remember all you hear about is the rocky trail in Pennsylvania. That is most definitely true. It seems like rocks have been trucked in and placed throughout the trail. Jagged and sharp, placed knife edge up in the trail. In most places there is not even enough soil for a sure flat footing. It was easy to follow the trail without the white blazes. If there were rocks on the ground, that is where the trail went. At one point the ferns were waist high and dripping with last night's rain. In short order my boots and socks were soaked in spite of my gaiters. The sweet fragrant smell of the forest reminded me why I love the woods. The rain held off for the four hours I hiked until I reached Port Clinton. From there the day went downhill fast for awhile. I could not even talk to the Bed & Breakfast owners until 5:00pm. It was just past 11:00 at this point. I went down to the Port Clinton Hotel to check on a room there even though I had already been warned that it was like the Doyle Inn in Duncannon, Pa. T and Rally were there and were told there was one room available with a single bed. They weren't interested in it and for the price I wasn't either. The waitress was none too friendly and we ended up walking out without even eating. We ran into Trail Dog and Spincycle who were trying to get a ride into the nearby town of Hamburg, where there was a Microtel Inn and the country's largest Cabala¢s. A sporting goods store with everything one could possibly want or need for camping, hunting, fishing and hiking. T, Rally and I tried hitch hiking into down, but even in the pour down rain with a pretty face in front, we could not get anyone to stop and give us a ride. Finally, a troop of Civil Air Patrol Auxiliary came marching down the road. Their commanding officer told us if we could wait about an hour, he would give us a ride into Hamburg. We went back into the Port Clinton Tavern/Inn and ordered lunch. The waitress was no friendlier than she was earlier. I did notice that when the regulars came in to get a drink, she was much nicer to them. The only redeeming factor of this town was the Peanut Gallery. A small candy shop that featured fresh dry roasted peanuts. There were at least a hundred different types of confectionaries and a dozen different licorice flavored candies. My favorite black licorice. But the thing that really got my attention was the dark chocolate covered Oreo cookies. Talk about a heavenly treat. Then of course there were the chocolate covered smores. Hmmmmmm. I got some treats and some trail mix. I met a couple coming out of the Inn; the gentleman was wearing a World War II hat. We got to talking about the trail. She was flabbergasted that we were hiking over 2000 miles. As we left, I turned to him and said,¢ I would just like to tell you Thank You for fighting for my freedom." He got huge tears in his eyes and could not respond except to nod his head. As I walked away, he spoke up "You are only about the second person who has ever said that to me,¢ It seems the older I get and the more I see and learn the more I value the freedoms I enjoy today. It wasn't too long before we were being dropped off at the motel. United States Air Force to the rescue! Talk about being shuttled to town! As soon as I got my room, I wrapped a towel around my waist, put my rain coat on and went to put my clothes in the washer. Rally was there already so we combined our clothes, put in two boxes of soap and went back to our rooms. As I got on the elevator there was already a gentleman in there. He scrunched his nose as I got on, and I apologized to him. I knew that I smelled bad. I tried to explain to him that I was a thru hiker, but his looks told me he didn't believe a word I was saying. I took a long hot shower and checked the weather forecast. Not too promising for tonight. I am glad to be out of the woods tonight. As soon as my clothes were dry, I called Cabela's and asked them if they would send their van over to the motel to pick up three hikers who wanted to come check out their store. Several minutes later, we were on our way. Now that is what I call service. This is a new store in town, open less than a year. Part of me is saddened because I know from experience that independent stores are usually swallowed up and put out of business by these large stores. They cannot compete with the prices, and in this case they cannot compete with the shuttle service.   We do our shopping which is mainly food re-supply for me and Cabela's drops us off at the Cracker Barrel just past the motel. A thunderstorm moves in as we eat, but we take our time and it has quit raining when we walk back to the motel. The weather turns violent as the evening goes on. Sixty mile an hour winds, nickel size hail, flash flooding and plenty of rain plus a tornado that destroys over fifty homes, all within a few miles of here.   I run a tub of hot water and soak until the water is cold. As tired as I am, I cannot go to sleep. I don't know if it is the artificial light stimulating my senses or what. At one point I get up and roll a towel up and lay across the bottom of the door in an effort to block out some of the light. I get up again and run another tub of hot water and soak some more. It is after midnight before I finally doze off. Total miles 8.6