Date: 2017-06-05
From: Cove Mtn Shelter 

To: Duncannon 
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Multi-tool, Shop Teacher, and I left Cove Mtn Shelter at around 7:45 a.m. The forecast called for rain, and we wanted to get ahead of it. It was only four miles into Duncannon and we covered the ground in under 2 hours, though sections had steep declines and were rocky.        In Duncannon, we found our primary objective, a breakfast joint called Goodies, closed because it was Monday.  Luckily, just then a woman came out of her home, situated next door to the restaurant,  and saw us standing there dejected.  I'd feed you breakfast, she said, but today is my daughter's graduation.  We thanked her just the same.  We asked her for recommendations of another breakfast place, and she referred us to Mutzabuagh, a grocery store about a mIle from where we stood. When we seemed ready to leave to walk there,  she said the road was too dangerous,  and that she would drive us.  What a wonderful offer, and we quickly seized upon it with feigned reluctance. Her name is Flygirl, an airline assistant who experienced an on-the-job debilitating blast concussion from which she was slowly recovering.  An airline worker improperly closed the airplane door that created a boom knocking her unconscious. A passenger in the second row of the plane experienced ruptured ear drums.At Mutzabuagh we resupplied and overloaded our packs with at least 3 days of food.  As usual, I overstocked. Shop Teacher bought a graduation card for Flygirl's daughter, a very thoughtful gesture, and we all contributed a few dollars. Flygirl returned to the store to pick us up and drive us back down to town.  Shop Teacher gave her the card, and she beamed with appreciation. I went to the Post Office and picked up a postcard sent to me by Lex from the AMC.  The card was an encouragement, and I carrive it wit me.  We three hikers had lunch at the Doyle, an old hotel that one time catered to the wealthy in the early 1900s, with a ballroom and bands, and now caters to hikers, and is running down.  Several other hikers poured in, including the Oklahoma girls and Kickstarter.  At one point we seriously considered staying the night there, but decided to speak first with trail angel Mary, to see what she had available.  Our understanding was that she had a donation-based or work-for-stay arrangement for putting up hikers.  Though we made arrangements to stay at her hostel, we soon changed our minds because the forecasted rain never materialized. We decided to push on, but not before Multi-tool and Shop Teacher diagnosed an over-heating problem with her van, which she relied upon to shuttle hikers hither and thither.  They determined she had a blown head gasket.  She was crestfallen.  From the looks of her living quarters, we did not think she had two nickels to rub together.  We felt terribly for her and donated a little money towards the repair.Multi-tool and i started hiking out of town, about one-half mile ahead of Shop Teacher. Just as we crossed the bridge over the Susquehanna, Shop Teacher phoned us to tell us to return to town because the Duncannon Assembly of God offered a free dinner and a free place to sleep.  We returned gladly.  It was late in the day, and the thought of stopping was overwhelmingly appealing.  I ate much pizza, drank 3 sodas, and ate pasta salad.  I took a shower and stayed the night in the church basement.  I found Already Stinky and Lucky Penny already in the basement, making for another happy reunion.