Date: 2023-05-27
From: Campsite near Little Dogwood Run 

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 29.6

As I was breaking camp, I saw Plunger and Skippy go by. We were sure we'd see each other in Boiling Springs. I started hiking around 8. There was a steep, rocky climb to Center Point Knob -- the original AT midpoint, before all the changes started -- but other than that, it was an easy hike into town.There was some construction work being done at the south end of the Boiling Springs Pool. I got distracted, and ended up following a road detour into the charming town. I saw Plunger and Skippy at the outfitter store neat the AT. They had said the trail there was not closed off, so I went back along the trail and returned - a tenth of a mile or two. I had breakfast at Caffe 101 - veggie omelet with bacon, toast, home fries, OJ, and a cinnamon muffin. All delicious!I got a bunch of food across the street for most of a resupply to Delaware Water Gap. Port Clinton, halfway in between from Duncannon, looked like it required a hitch or some unreliable shuttle service, and I wasn't that interested in dealing with that.I left a little past 11. Not great for the long mileage I'd planned for today, but the terrain mostly easy. I'd hiked this section before, and it mostly goes by pastures, along roads, and through towns. There us a climb near the end of the day, and it gets rocky, but that is the last 5-6 miles.Shortly after going into and out the fields, I heard ongoing gunshots, which I'd hear for the next three hours. I was a little concerned, but some day hikers assured me that there was some state shooting range nearby, and they were shooting away from the trail. I ran into Plunger and Skippy again around 12:30. We chatted briefly about the gunshots. Plunger said the time to worry is when you hear a whistle and a gunshot, because then it's near you. He had direct experience with that: when he was a kid, another kid, just to be a turd, fired a gunshot from his BB gun right by him. Growing up in a small town in Utah, though, nothing really happened as a result.It was basically a 3mph pace all day. The weather was starting to get warmer though. I saw a cooler with a bunch of drinks inside and grabbed a V8/vitamin water drink around 3. There was a brief climb to an unremarkable overlook on the way to Darlington Shelter that several day hikers were going toward, though there had also been several pleasant boardwalks by wildflowers that could have attracted them too.I started on the steepish climb up to the rocky ridge around 6. The climb was a little long, but not bad at all for the big climb of the day. It was pretty well-sloped and not rocky. The climb up to Center Point Knob earlier today felt more taxing.Once I started hiking along the rocks for about an hour, however, I was feeling fatigued. I should have taken a break for how long of a day I was doing, but I preferred to stop for a nice break at the Hawk Rock overlook. Where I would get to at sunset. There were a few day hikers from Duncannon, and maybe a couple backpackers there. We all enjoyed the sunset together at the excellent view, while done started a campfire.I left around 8:30, and was trampling over rocks down to Duncannon in the dark. Still worth it for the sunset, I think. I made a wrong turn on one of the trails but quickly returned. I got to Inn Rd around 9:10, and into town 10 minutes later. Since every other place nearby was closed, I had a dinner of a microwave meal, Propel water, and chocolate milk at the Quick Mart, then headed into the Kind Of Outdoorsy Hostel, where I had a reservation. I got into bed around 10:30.