Date: 2012-06-19
From: ATC Mid Atlantic office - Boiling Springs, PA

To: Hwy 850
Miles today: 16.6

Another great day that didn't start out that way. I woke up with a terrific headache which is very rare for me but I managed to get dressed and take SOS a little ways to his start spot in town. I ate some breakfast, took some aspirin, and tried to wish away the headache. Working on my pin cushion worked wonders! Nancy (Tagnalong) came over to see what I was doing and said that they were walking to town to the post office. Of course, Trail Mama offered to drive them so she and I plus Tim (Headnout) went to town. We parked the car and walked around. A lovely stream runs right through the town. We watched a swan sitting by her nest and another swan eating food that a young child was throwing to her. At the far end, there is a circular enclosure where the "boiling springs" come up. The water is not hot...it just boils up out of the ground. Back where we were staying, Tim bought 3 tickets for the theater performance at 1:00. I dressed up a bit (which means I traded my jeans for my black pants) and off we went. The theater is on the grounds and has been here for 65 years. It used to be an "off Broadway" affiliated with NYC but is now an independent theater. The play was "Honky Tonk Angels"...a musical about 3 women who all want to go to Nashville and make it big in the music world. They sing many familiar songs and all had excellent voices that blended very well. It was 3 hours well spent! I left immediately after the play to go get SOS who would have loved the play but was busy hiking for HIM. The 18 miles to get him were a challenge! It started out well but when I got near Carlisle the road makes many turns...then I was on I-81 which was VERY crowded with traffic...at one point 2 huge semis were making a sandwich out of me!! (Did I ever mention that I HATE driving on interstate highways??) On I went on a number 3 road which after a few miles had my least favorite sign.."end of state maintainence"...and there I was on a number 1 road!! The blessing here (and there is always one if you look very hard!) was that it was a WIDE, potholed (is that a word?), dirt road instead of the usual "so narrow you can't pass" road. I found SOS once again and we headed back to our "home". We decided to eat in the dining room with Tim and Nancy. We managed to get some food from the buffet before the masses of kids, who are there for theater camp, arrived on the scene. We talked with Tim and Nancy who are thru hiking for the 2nd time...they did it in 2006. We will miss them tomorrow because they will start from here and we will start 16.6 miles down the road. We hope to see them again down the trial or back in Michigan...we don't live that far apart. Back at the room, we rested and planned the next few days. Friends Randy and Meredith from Illinois are coming tomorrow so we are looking forward to that. Road Name of the Day: ARMY HERITAGE ROAD...with 3 Army members in the family it just seemed like the one for today...we are proud of our Army Heritage and of SOS who served for 27 years, Megan who served for 13 years and Jon who is still serving his country! Sorry we disappointed you WWWise. I corrected that oversight today so look under photos for June 16 and you will see the pictures of the ice cream challenge! I forgot to put them on before...glad you reminded me!SOS Here:Today I hiked the easiest trail I have ever hiked on the AT. The hiking started out with 12 miles of flat level ground and when you add that to the last 2 miles yesterday, it is a total of 14 miles of flat level ground. I doubt,I will ever see another 14 miles of flat level ground. I was hiking through farm country that could have been Indiana and I also hiked across many roads and on bridges that went over two interstates.I have 1,052.4 miles to hike and raise funds for Hiking for HIM. I also want to honor those who have made a difference in my Christian walk.I want to honor the Goings' family for making a difference in my Christian walk. I met the family as a very young child when my family moved from Ligonier, IN to Rome City, IN. My parents saw that we attended Rome City Methodist Church where they attended.The family was Don and Nellie and their two children Gloria and Robin. Robin Goings and I were the same age and we were in the same Sunday School Classes and in MYF together.We also were in 4-H together and Don, his Dad, was the leader of many of the 4-H projects we took like leaf identification, bird identification and Indiana woods identification.Don and Nellie were regular attenders and pillars of the church. They were involved in the youth groups and stressed attending church camps. I was blessed that my parents wanted me to go to chuch camp and paid for me to go.Robin and I along with others from our church attended Epworth Forest together in 1963 and 1964. I remember that it was Nellie, Robin's Mother who took us to camp. I alao remember, the first time Robin's Mother took us to camp, she had to stop the car suddenly and when she did threw the cheese cake she had made for the campers on the floor of the car. She scooped it up leaving a thin layer between what she scooped up and the carpet. We were able to eat the cheese cake and it tasted great as I recall.I have great memories of those two years of church camp with Robin. Robin loved to sing and he knew the lyrics to the Allen Sherman song Camp Granada. We must of sang about 100 times. Robin also knew the way to the minature golf course and we snuck down a couple of times to play. While we were having a great time at camp, we were learning Christian values by the classes taught and the worship services in the auditorium along with 100s of other campers. I also remember, the quiet time after the service on Thursday night, This was the first time I silent thought about my beliefs and I know that it was a profound experience because I still remember it.Robin and I continued to follow the Lord and as adults attended the same church in Fort Wayne, IN - Good Shepherd UMC at the corner of Vance and Reed. What is amazing about Good Sheperd UMC is the founding pastor of that church was Pastor Floyd Blake, the Rome City Methodist pastor when Robin and I were in the MYF and attended Epworth Forest. Pastor Blake was appointed from Rome City Methodist to Good Shepherd to plant that church.Robin's big sister and my older brother, Richard, were in the same class together and were neck and neck for Valedictorian of their graduating class of 1961. My Mom and Nellie worked together at Rome City School. The Goings and the Summers' families life were influnced by one another and for the good.I share all this because you do not become a Christian in a vacuum. Without others telling you about Christ and living their faith you can not know Jesus.If the Goings family or other familes have touched your life like the Goings' family did me, honor that family by pledging to the Right Future Campaign. This can be done by clicking on the Right Future Campaign button in the column to the left.Thanks