Date: 2015-06-01
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 9.0

It rained an impressive amount during the night. Flashes of ligthning illuminated the sky every few minutes. The accompanying thunder produced sharp crashing sounds which ebbed into a slow rumbling as the storm cloud drifted away from us. The tent held up and we stayed relatively dry, though the hard falling rain drops spattered the loose dirt onto our tent and gear. Packing up in the morning took longer than usual as we tried to wipe off the mud from our damp gear. My food bag was a mess - I discovered that my Nutella jar had leaked.A light, cold mist transformed into heavy but brief rainfall which then turned into a weak drizzle. This cycle continued throughout the day. The terrain was flat but the rock coverage remained consistently between 40% and 80%. It was difficult to walk among the slick rocks. We crossed numerous small boulder fields that were seperated by flat, perfectly cleared out segments; the soft, cushiony earth provided some much needed relief to our aching feet. Sadly, after 100 yards or so, the rockless terrain turned rocky again, much to my chagrin.We eventually began the sharp descent towards Port Clinton, PA. It was around 1 mile long, though there were no switchbacks, just a continuous dip. The elevation profile shows an almost vertical slope. I think in reality it was slightly less than 20 degrees, though in my mind it was more like 90. We arrived at Port Clinton and headed over to the post office where my package was awaiting pick up. Yes, finally!!! I ordered a pair of Salomon Quest 4D hiking boots. I absolutely LOVE my Salomon trail runners (the X Ultra model) and, even after 500 miles, they are worn, yet still in shape. However, I was increasingly worried about ankle support and I had begun fretting over my other ankle's ability to remain strong. I am a clumsy hiker and quite frequently stub my toe or trip over a rock (which causes my injured ankle to swell up in protest). The extra support and rigidity may be useful for me, which is why I ordered the boots; the boots are also flexible and large enough to accomodate my ankle stirrup as well, so I have extra support if need be. My initial intention was to wear them after Boiling Springs, that is, right before the rock density increased. I am 2/3 into PA now, but I will still see how it goes. Even after 1000 miles of experience, I am still learning. Still, I would say that for most people, trail runners are a fine choice. If you have weak ankles or are particularly bad at walking/hiking, like me, boots may offer more protection.I will hang on to my trail runners for a few more days, partly because I will switch back to them if I hate my boots, but mostly because I cannot send my shoes home yet: with all the rain, they have become soggy and oh-so-smelly. The post office would believe that I am trying to send hazaderous materials that could pose a real threat back to Canada.We needed to resupply so we hitched into Hamburg, a small community adjacent to Port Clinton, where we shopped at WalMart. The whole trip took a long time and it began raining very hard once we were done. We were exhausted and unmotivated to continue hiking so we decided to stay the night at the Microtel which is near the WalMart. We checked in, ate and then took the evening to head back out to shop at Cabela's, a huge outfitter. I had needed new shorts since Virginia, so it was nice to have time to replace them. My old shorts were ripped in the crotch area - there is "hiker chic", then there is being downright indecent. I got some hot pink running shorts and new hiking poles as mine were worn out and had begun to bend dangerously.I felt a bit guilty cutting the day short and staying at the hotel today, but, in the end, we lost only 6 miles, a distance we can easily make up for and we accomplished some much needed shopping and showering, in addition to drying out our wet gear.Still - if someone were to ask me what I have gained by thru-hiking the AT, I would respond with "a much thinner wallet" (*weeping softly*)- Axon