Date: 2009-06-14
From: Free State Hostel

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

I wanted to get up early again, but I ended up deciding to take it easy and enjoy the comforts that I was paying for. I took another shower, and went outside to the steps to cook some oatmeal and make a cup of coffee. It was a nice morning! I said goodbye to Bison and headed back on the road to the trail at 9:50 to repeat the part I had done last night. I came to the sign for the shelter I had intended to stay at 5 miles later. It was supposedly the worst shelter on the AT and it was located 1/3 of a mile down a hill, so I bypassed that one. Not too long afterwards, I came to a sign that gave two choices: continue onto the AT with no view, or take a 0.2 mile additional loop with a view. I chose the view! I came to a large spray painted rock that was currently being visited by a group of motorcyclists. They soon cleared out and I climbed up High Rock to a spectacular, 180 degree view in front of me. This little extra loop was definitely worth it! I sat up there for awhile, looking at the farmlands below me, and the ridgeline of mountains in the distance. A local man brought a few friends from Colorado up to see the view and pointed out the different states that could be seen (Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, PA), as well as the different mountain chains. At one point, he said, "That's Mercersburg over there." Mercersburg?! That's where I lived until I was three! I was soon to enter my birth state. I stayed on High Rock much longer than I had planned. When I decided to get back on the trail, I found Jim and Nate eating lunch on a rock at the edge of the woods. Their five day hike was about to come to an end and Jim said he could see why we wanted to do the whole thing. Nate did a great job over the past five days on his first day out and his Dad agreed to a deal that if he wrote up a report on his trip, he would give him $20. That got me thinking... What if I were to get $20 for every five days I was out here and wrote about it...I told them I would probably see them at PenMar park, where I planned to eat lunch.   As I neared the park, I heard music through the woods. A party in the park! I got closer and could tell it was a band. I arrived to find a crowd of people watching (mostly) elderly people dance ballroom! Wow! I set my pack down and went up to watch. A nice woman explained to me that this was a tradition that went on every Sunday afternoon for the past 30 years, and she pointed out the concession stand, museum about the history of the park, and the bathrooms. Groups of people had coolers full of food, but since no one was offering me anything, I stood in line at the concession stand for a burger, lemonade, and ice cream, rather than eat another packet of tuna for lunch. It was good! Then, I went up to the edge of the dancefloor to watch. There was one young couple who looked to be competitive swing dancers. I could tell they were trained from their posture and technique. I really wanted to join in, but no one invited me. Then, I started feeling really sad because I wanted to do it so bad. I started to turn away, and another woman, Mary Jo, asked if I was hiking the trail, and if I would like some food. I wish I had found her earlier... I couldn't turn it down, but I wasn't hungry anymore. It turns out that her group had already fed Hulk, and another hiker. I sat with her and her mother Helen, who were both very nice, and chatted for awhile. The music was fantastic- a lot of songs that I knew. It was sad when it came to an end at 5. As I was leaving the park, an older woman called out, "Hello, little hiker!" and I turned around to chat with her. She asked me where I was coming from. "Georgia.""You hiked all the way from Georgia?!""Yes."Her husband asked if I was by myself."Yes."The woman's jaw dropped open and she looked at me with tremendous awe."Oh, you are brave! You are so brave, aren't you?"I nodded."Where are you going to?""Maine."At that, she reached out to hug me. "Oh, I wish I could take you home with me, feed you, and put you to bed!"She was so sweet!!   I was so happy that I decided to take a slow morning. Otherwise, I might have missed this event completely. The music and the interactions with the very friendly people really lifted my spirits, and made me realize I had been feeling low for a long period of time.   I set off in search of the Mason-Dixon line and entrance into Pennsylvania, but there were no signs anywhere- just 4 people staring at me as I made my way over the train tracks and back into the woods. As I crossed another road, with a line of cars coming from the park, one slowed down, angering the driver behind him. A father wanted to know if I wanted some candy. I laughed and said, "No, I'm all right." I didn't want to interrupt the flow of traffic. I had not encountered such friendly people who took such an interest in our hike since Georgia!      A little while later, I came to another road crossing, where I found Hulk, who informed me there was trail magic! Snapple ice teas, doughnuts, and Little Debbie snacks! So, we sat down and enjoyed another treat! I found out that Hulk had walked right in front of the people who had eventually offered me food at the park and was quickly invited to eat. My mistake was that I stuck to the sides and back of the crowd. I also found out that he was invited many times to dance! I couldn't believe it! (There are always an excess of women, though, so men always have a better chance of being asked). I hiked with Hulk to Deerlick Shelters, where we both decided to stop. (He was nice enough to wait for me to take my pack off for a minute and readjust). We found Yak in his tent, and 357 Magnum in the shelter. I searched for a hammock spot (not so easy to find) and decided not to put up my tarp. What a nice day this turned out to be!!