Date: 2018-05-13
From: Carlisle 

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

I slept fairly good on and off. I decided to get my laundry done last night, before other hikers came in today. There was a lot of rain, and with that, a lot of mud, so the washers and dryers would be in high demand. I started my laundry at 11 p.m., dozed off, got up at 1 a.m. and put my clothes in the dryer. I woke up again at 4 a.m. and got my clothes out of the dryer. I had breakfast at the hotel, and chatted with several hikers. Mighty Mouse and Shaggy were doing a thru hike from Georgia and were a wealth of information. Thumper showed up, and I saw Double H checking out to head north. It was raining quite hard in the morning and I decided to ice my sore joints and muscles. I had a phone call with nephews, and my mom and dad, wishing my mom a happy Mother¢s Day. The rain stopped and I decided to knock out eight of the 14 mile section that I had missed. I hiked from the hotel, which is only 2/10 of a mile from the trail, south to Boiling Springs. I took a bottle of water and a couple of snacks. It was nice not to have a full pack. On Monday I will take a shuttle back to Whiskey Springs Road and hike north to Boiling Springs. About a half mile out, I ran into Field Trip! He was tired and ready for a hotel room. He had stayed in the shelter 12 miles away, last night during the storm. I texted him after I decided to come off the trail yesterday and he said the shelter was packed, and I made a good choice getting off trail and going to the hotel. As I hiked along the damp and sometimes muddy trail, it was very fragrant. When I left home, I was disappointed that I was going to miss The Russian Olive trees in bloom. It¢s one of my favorite things to smell in the spring. The blooms are very fragrant and I always look forward to it. As I started down the trail, Russian Olive trees started to appear. They lined the trail almost the entire way to Boiling Springs. I kept inhaling large breaths of air, taking in the full fragrance. It made me not miss home so much. It was a very pleasant, flat hike to Boiling Springs. The air was fresh after the recent rainfall. I saw a bluebird, a couple of rabbits, and a woodchuck along the way. Bluebirds are my favorite bird. I always look forward to spring when I can try to entice them into a nesting box in my yard. If they show up, I immediately put meal worms out to encourage them to stay. Occasionally, I would see an imprint of Field Trip's size 15 shoes going the opposite direction. It¢s so nice to hike without a pack on for a change. I wanted to get used to my pack before I started any slack packing, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take advantage of the hotel being so close to the trail. I opted to hike 8 miles today and 6 miles on Monday to break up the 14 miles I had intended to hike on Monday. It will give my body more of a break, by doing active recovery days. If I don¢t take care of my body, it¢s not going get me through the entire hike. I'm having some tightness in my right shin muscle, so I don't want to irritate it too much. The hike encompassed open pastures, woods, and fenced in horse pastures. Getting in and out of the pastures is interesting. Stairs are built up and over the fences. I love the ingenuity.I passed a few hikers going northbound. Two miles from Boiling Springs, I passed thru hikers who had a distinct marijuana odor. Today¢s hike is fairly easy, but I certainly wouldn¢t want to be under the influence of anything hiking out here. It¢s hard enough to hike otherwise. It was a very pleasant hike. I really enjoyed not having my pack, and not having my feet and ankles getting torqued in my boots. I considered it an active rest day, or active recovery day. It was great to get some miles in, and have a nice, peaceful, enjoyable hike, even though it was in the mud. It was misting the entire time, but not a soaking mist. It was a good "rest" day.