Date: 2010-04-09
From: Tom's Run Shelters

To: Highway 94 (Mount Holly Springs)
Miles today: 15.3

Wow! What a difference a drop in temperature makes! We got up a half hour later and still made it to the highway by 3:19 and I even took a mile detour for a picture. A funny thing: I had gotten up in the night to go to the privy and it was not raining. I did not even think to take raincoat or umbrella with me. And, of course, it started pouring while I was in doing my business. I sat there for half an hour or so wondering if the rain would ever let up. It finally lessened at least some so I could dash (as fast as an old lady with a bad leg can safely dash) back to the shelter. Winkle had awakened with the rain and wind and moved my stuff further into the shelter to protect it from blowing rain. She guessed where I was and thought about bringing me my rain gear but then I finally came back. Very thoughtful to have considered it though. This morning as we left it was 44 degrees. It only got up to 58 at the highest a little before lunch. I kept my shirts on and sometimes my fleece and it was so much more pleasant hiking than yesterday! We passed Pine Grove Furnace and the Iron Master's Mansion aobut 8:30. The Ironmaster's mansion used to be a stop on the underground railway in slavery days. Up until this year it has been a hostel hikers have enjoyed but I just heard it was closing. Too bad. The State Park has a display about the iron furnace there. We stopped and I had a trail bar while playing tourist and taking pictures. Then came a long, gradual climb and the body did quite well - so well that I decided to take the detour to Steeple Pole Rocks half a mile off the trail to take a picture of the view. Crazy me. But it felt good to doff the pack and zoom along nice trail and I finally saw a good view in PA. I eventually caught up with Winkle and we had lunch at Tag Run. We had gone 11 miles and I had tacked on another mile - all before lunch! Amazing! I have not hiked those kinds of miles since before the knee went bad. The cold weather helped a lot! That is excellent time for an old lady like me. After lunch the trail went along a stream/bog area and we even saw a few flowers: Skunk Cabbge, Marsh Marigolds, purple violets and a few Spring Beauties. Nice! The trail had more smooth and level areas than I was expecting today. We did have some rocky areas too but, all in all, a great day. Winkle, though, decided in the night last night that she should get off the trail as her knee had some pains she was not happy with. Her knee has come a long way after an injury and she did not want to push it. So Greg, her husband, met her at Highway 94. After dropping me off at the Holly Inn, they left. I will miss Winkle. I enjoyed the company. But she needs to take care of herself. I have been doing so well partially because I am on a decreasing dose of Prednisone following a sinus problem. The knee likes it a lot. The tappering off dose will end in a week. It will be interesting to see how the knee does then. BTW, I figured out what was causing my stumbling, ankle-turning problems the first day out. I think I was slightly toeing-in with my right foot (the good one) which seemed to encourage it to roll. Since I became aware of what I was doing and have made an effort not to do it, I have had no further problem. It seems a bit odd to me to have suddenly been toeing-in but all seems well now. I have had a delightful meal at the Holly Inn and used the computer here to send off 4 journal entries. This is a nice, hiker friendly place which will pick up and take a hiker back to the trail too. It costs a little more than fast food but not much. The restaurant was lovely and I ate a delicious, full meal, with salad too, for about $12. I recommend the place. The lady in charge here is a hiker too - she hiked in Greenland a couple years ago and her trip sounded really neat. And now for bed and life is good, Tov, very Tov.