Date: 2013-06-30
From: Rattling Run

To: Lickdale, PA
Miles today: 13.4

I enjoyed my slumber by the creek last night, the sound of water tumbling down smooth rocks more powerful than any amount of NyQuil. It was a pleasant morning, not too warm or humid and the bugs nowhere to be found. Green Blaze took off early this morning. His ankle had started to swell and bother him so be wanted to get a head start and walk at a slow pace. Jabberwocky looked strangely at him as he put his pack on and told us he was leaving. The two had been hiking together since Woods Hole and his leaving early was something new. He told us not to be butt hurt, at which we laughed. Jabberwocky's gear was still strewn about as he was drinking coffee, so I waited on him before hitting the trail. Thirty minutes had passed before we started hiking, and it would be some time before we saw Green Blaze again. The trail would be a fairly level walk for numerous miles today, but increasingly rocky. The rocks take their toll on every muscle, every ligament in my legs and, most notably, in my feet. The greatest toll, however, is taken on my mind. I cannot look up to enjoy the forest around me without kicking a rock, stumbling, and nearly planting my face on said rock. It is mentally exhausting traversing the rocks in this state, each step requiring full concentration. My mind is not allowed to wander as it has in miles previous. Instead, I focus on where my feet are going, monotonous as it is. I am thankful for the lack of intense climbs though. We hiked for several hours straight before stopping to eat a quick lunch by a river. The sound of the river below us was drowned out by the white noise of cicadas which seem to be following me north. Their screeching mating call has placed an irrevocable seed of hatred in my mind. I'd much rather sit in a classroom and listen to nails traverse a chalkboard. I curse them in vain. We continue north, surprised that we've not seen hide nor hair of Green Blaze. I had anticipated catching him prior to now. Some hours later we eventually caught up to him, soaking his feet in a stream. It wasn't long before we were knee deep in that stream, cooling off in the day's progressive wave of heat. We moved rocks around in the creek, building a dam of sorts. I felt as if I was ten again. Back home we had a creek by our house and I spent many days playing in it as a child. Years later, I find myself deriving enjoyment from doing the same. We eventually left the tranquility of that stream and pushed on into the humidity. It wasn't long before we reached Swatara Gap where an old iron bridge, converted into a foot bridge, crosses a now swollen river. I noticed menacing clouds as we crossed that bridge and within minutes it began to rain. That rain hastily turned into a downpour. Fortunately, the bridge offered refuge underneath its wooden planks. We had planned on covering several more miles to the next shelter, but the weather had different plans for us. Yes, the novelty of hiking in the rain has long since worn off. Too many days spent soaked to the bone, feet chaffing and gear wet. Lickdale, PA was a short ways down the road from Swatara Gap and a Days Inn awaited us, affordable so. All we needed was a ride. At the end of that footbridge was a small gravel parking lot with several cars parked in it. Through the rain we spotted a family of four coming down the mountain on bicycles, soaked. We kindly asked them for a ride and they happily obliged after securing their bikes to the rear of their Tahoe. We all loaded up into their SUV, uncomfortably so. The windows were fogged up almost instantly as we made our way into town. We were dropped off at the front door to the hotel and we thanked them profusely, as is customary. It wasn't long before we were dry, full, and very happy. Happy to be in out of the rain, happy to be in a nice hotel.