Date: 2005-06-04
From: Eagle's Nest Shelter

To: The Pavilion - Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: broken clouds

Miles hiked today : 10.88.6 AT miles + 2.2 miles of side trailIt was raining when I first awoke this morning, so I slept in until 7:45 a.m. Dad's Grin had already left and I took my time packing while conversing with Shades of Blue, who had shown up late last night. When I found out he was planning to get a hotel room in Hamburg, I suggested we split the cost of a room and called the hotel, which told me they were booked for the evening. I called the hotel in Port Clinton and they told me that they should have a double bed room available later in the day. So I set out at 9:10 a.m., happy to know that I'd be taking a hot shower and sleeping in a bed tonight.The trail was much better today than yesterday. While there were still rocky patches, there were significant stretches of trail with little or no rocks at all. The rain had stopped before I began hiking, though I still put on my rain jacket as there was still a mist in the air and I knew the trees would be dripping and that the bushes would be wet.As I walked, I decided it would be beneficial to my morale if I tried to find something I liked about the trail today. It didn't take long before I came up with something. The massive amounts of small fronded ferns lining the trail on either side were spectacularly beautiful, especially with the ambient light coming from the thick cloud layer above. I also thought about the ponies in the Grayson Highlands area, which made me laugh. That day is still my favorite of this trip.At 11:10 a.m., I took a 10 minute rest break just past the side trail to Phillips Canyon Spring, having covered roughly 5 miles. I took off my rain jacket before continuing on, and at 12:05 p.m., I momentarily stopped at the Auburn Lookout and was pleased to see that the afternoon sun was burning off the clouds and mist.The descent into Port Clinton was quite steep and I slipped a couple times in the loose dirt and mud, though I managed to keep my footing. I arrived in Port Clinton at 1:15 p.m. and immediately spotted a sign for a 4:00 p.m. spaghetti dinner at the fire station. I knew where I was headed for dinner and turned down Penn Street looking for the hotel. I immediately spotted the outfitter, went in to buy a soda, and got directions to the hotel.On my way to the hotel, I ran into Turtle and Street Fighter, who had stayed at the hotel last night. They're headed to a campsite 10+ miles down the trail to go swimming and asked whether I wanted to come. I was tempted, though I declined, as a shower and laundry were too much to pass up. Turtle gave me some delicious amaretto fudge and then they were on their way.Moments later, I was at the Port Clinton hotel, which has a bar and a restaurant. There was sign on the door of the bar for hikers providing information about available services, as well as requesting that packs and gear be left on the porch before entering. I entered and asked the bartender whether there were any rooms available, and he told me that there was only one and that it was a single bed. Grr. I passed on the room, as it was Shades of Blue that really wanted it, and inquired about the cost of a shower and laundry, as per the sign on the door. Showers were $5 and a load of laundry was $3.25, so I opted solely for the laundry, as I'd showered at the 501 shelter the day before.I journaled while doing my laundry and at 3:20 p.m., my laundry was finished, so I packed up and headed to the town pavilion, which is a free shelter for hikers to stay under. The pavilion is a covered area about 20 feet x 60 feet and I saw that there was a mattress available to sleep on. I figured I'd be the only one here tonight, so I was glad that I had a "bed" to sleep on after all.After checking out the pavilion, I walked to the fire house and had dinner. It was somewhat pricy at $7 and wasn't all that great, but I did get full. While I was eating dessert, I was approached by Phred and Linda, who are with B.M.E.C.C. (Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club). They sat and talked with me for a bit, then, at 5:00 p.m., we walked over to the park watch the kayakers come in on the Schuylkill River.I learned that there is an event called the Schuylkill Sojourn where a group of 150+ kayakers paddle down the Schuylkill River from Schuykill Haven to Philadelphia, stopping to play folk music at different towns along the river. When we arrived at the park, all of the kayakers had already arrived and were setting up their tents. As such, I headed back to the pavilion, laid out my sleeping bag, and made some telephone calls before settling into my sleeping bag to read and finish journaling.Between calls, I met Bag of Tricks, who drives 2 hours every weekend from the West Chester area to Port Clinton to visit with and help hikers. I also spent a bit of time chatting with a gentleman, Tom, who came by to fill up the water jugs. Both Bag of Tricks and Tom had offered me rides to town, though I didn't really need anything. Some ice cream would have nice, though my gear was spread out and I didn't want to leave it unattended.There's a southbound section hiker staying under the pavilion tonight, though I'm the only thru-hiker staying here. Although I didn't get a shower and am not sleeping in an actual bed tonight, I'm quite happy, as today was a short hiking day and I've got clean laundry. I've heard that the weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow. Hopefully my boots will be dry by the morning.Bedtime at 9:25 p.m.