Date: 2018-08-07
From: PA rt 850 

To: Boiling Springs PA
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Papa Big Swig dropped us off at PA rt 850 where we would southbound back to Boiling Springs. This was a strategic flip today with less incline and a convenient pick-up location for Papa Big Swig. However, it took us 20 minutes to actually find the trail this morning, but once we got going it was smooth sailing. As soon as I entered the woods. going UP, there was a concrete trough of sorts to my left. I watched a big old frog take a dive into the murky green water that filled it, and at the same moment a crow began to caw on my right. It just felt like this was going to be a great day!!! I love it when the forest says ¢good morning¢ to me like that! A little more than a mile up the trail was a shelter. I stopped for the privy, and we both had a little snack. It has come to my attention that the very best shelters I¢ve seen so far are in Pennsylvania. With the exception of one in Maryland. I need to make a quick correction while I¢m thinking of it. I said two weeks to get to New York, but it¢s going to be closer to 3 weeks.  I¢ve also got two questions to answer. Just as well do that while it¢s in my brain too. First is for Terodactyle I think I was #1608 at Harpers Ferry. Don¢t hold me to that though.  Second is for Kelly S. I sent a box general Delivery with a message to hold for myself AT thru-hiker. The P.O. will hold my box for 30 days. Back to my day: So the first 4 or 5 miles I hiked beside a muddy river. The river was so dark that it reminded me of the Mighty Mississippi... on a much smaller scale.  Of course all of that water was just another mosquito playground. Today was much better than the previous two days though. After my permethrin treatment and Picaradin spray I only had one bite today!  So I was pretty much able to ignore the swarms of mosquitoes around me and focus on the things I love. A female cardinal flew in front of me. She looked very busy.  I don¢t think this is a time for her to be nesting, but maybe so. I also enjoyed listening to the cicadas. It was really just like a concert out there today. Sooo relaxing! The trail took a turn out of the woods and I was right there in a cornfield. I love hiking through farmland. The trail literally runs between two rows of corn. I could reach out and touch it. It was there where I saw a little red beaver make a dash back into the woods towards the river.  Hugs was close behind me when I exited the field right onto a residential road. There was a nice shady space on the edge of someone¢s lot so we pulled out our sit-upons, and sat. I carried a tuna salad sandwich with me today. A fresh sandwich is one of the perks of slack packing. It was a delicious lunch and went down well with my Crystal Light lemonade.  We had a short walk on the road from there until we went back into the woods. Once in the woods I turned left but should have gone right. It didn¢t take too long to figure that out. Hugs made a quote of the day ¢there¢s the trail¢! It should be quote of the hike! Hiking in and out of personal property and residential areas makes it easy to take a wrong turn.  Once I was back on the right path the woods had lots of treats for me. I watched a baby deer leap through the woods like a graceful ballerina. Then I came upon an old family cemetery. Some of the headstones dated back to the late 1800¢s. The newest one that I saw was 1989. The whole cemetery was on a raised plot of land with wrought iron fencing around it. It was a peaceful place. Just when I thought we would never see another NOBO this late in the game, there he was! His name is Solo, and he¢s a new college grad. He started at Springer on May 25th. I¢m so embarrassed!  There I was right back in another cornfield. I saw a bigger deer across the field cantering towards the woods. Then a baby bunny sat right on the path in front of me until I pulled out my phone...of course. I loved the smell of the corn and watching grasshoppers flit all around. There were also a few different butterflies today.  Mostly the Royal blue and black ones, with some all white ones mixed in there. This was Gods painting for sure! I crossed a road and went back into the woods for the last 2 miles of my hike. There was a house to my left where lots of gunshots were being fired. It sounded like target practice but was super close. I was a little leery of going in the woods behind that house at first, but soon could tell the shots were going the opposite direction. The gunshots stopped within a couple of minutes leaving me with my favorite chirps and tweets for the rest of my hike.  The very last cool thing I saw was the most intricate spiderweb ever. It¢s my photo of the day. Photos really aren¢t good enough to truly appreciate this work of art. The web literally had levels like floors and back in the narrow point at the base was a little tan spider waiting patiently for dinner. Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018) Where¢s your faith?