Date: 2018-06-11
From: PA 183 - Rock & Soul Hostel

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: light rain

The rain continued falling throughout the night, but finally pulled out at 7:00. Jody delivered a delicious egg and bacon bagel, a cup of fruit, and fresh coffee, rounding out a perfect stay at the Rock & Soul Hostel. I showed up at the trail head at 7:45 with dry shoes and socks. By 7:50 they were soaked through. The first few miles of the trail had basically been converted to a stream and it was futile to try to avoid walking through water that was ankle deep in places. The only reprieve came in the form of rocks. Eventually I hit a stretch that would have normally been considered soft and gentle. Today, it was just squishy. Sot here were three varieties of trail for the first few hours¢streams, rocky, or squishy.On the bright side, the sun started peaking through the clouds at around 9:30. Dry air moved in and a slight breeze kicked up, making it a gorgeous day for a hike. Ferns and Mountain Laurel lined the path for much of the morning. About six miles into the hike the trail firmed up a bit. But there turned out to be plenty more rocks to cross and wet trail to walk through. Auburn Lookout is a rocky lookout with views to the north. I came to it at about mile 12. It was getting close to 2:00 now and I was getting hungry. I made the decision then that I would eat my lunch now instead of waiting until Port Clinton. While I was eating, I took my phone off of airplane mode. A text came through from Dick Campbell saying that his grandson, Isaac, wanted to join me on the trail for a day. Dick mentioned that this was a possibility back when I was in Carlisle. Of course, I told him that it would be great and I gave him my general timeline through Pennsylvania. I also mentioned that he would need to hit a moving target (me). Well, the text mentioned that Issac had a day off work on Tuesday, but there were not a lot of other details. I texted some questions back to Dick, ate my lunch, and hiked the steep decline to Port Clinton. At the bottom of the mountain the trail crossed a railroad yard and then a river before coming into the small town. My first stop was at the Post Office where I had a new pair of hiking shorts waiting for me. It was about 3:00 now and I was in a quandary about what to do next. I had planned on getting my package and hiking on, as there is not much in the way of eateries along the trail here. But, I hadn¢t heard anything back from Dick other than it would be close to 8:00 p.m. before they would arrive. The town of Hamburg is adjacent to Port Clinton. It is home to the country¢s largest Cabelas. I noticed in the Guidebook that they offered a free shuttle to and from the trail and that there was a restaurant inside the store. I decided to go for it while I waited to hear back from Dick. The shuttle worked like a dream and 20 minutes later I was at Cabelas eating an early dinner. I was able to make contact with Dick and confirm that Isaac was headed my way tonight. It was about 7 miles to the Windsor Furnace Shelter. The trail crossed Reservoir Road about .3 miles before the shelter. I confirmed that Dick could meet me at the road. It didn¢t take long to get a return shuttle back to the trail. I was hiking again by 5:00 p.m. It was about 7 more miles of hiking to the link-up point. The first couple of miles were uphill for about 1,000 feet. The trail had dried considerably and there were only a few rocky parts to impede my progress. I made pretty good time to the road, but then realized that it was gated about a 1/2 mile below where the trail met the gravel road. I called Dick to let him know that I would meet them at the parking area on the other side of the gate. I arrived first and had time to do some stretching and look at the guidebook to see what options were available for tomorrow. Dick and Issac arrived a little before 8:00. He had hit a moving target! After a quick introduction with Isaac we were headed back to the trail and then the shelter. Isaac was prepared and traveled light. It was quickly evident that this was not his first rodeo. He aspires to do an A.T. thru hike of his own someday and had lots of questions. However, he had done lots of research on gear and was more up to speed than me on ultra-lite backpacking.When we arrived at the shelter there were four thru hikers already there. One was in a hammock and the other three were already in their bags in the 6-person shelter. I let them know that Isaac and I would be joining them and the hiker in the middle of the shelter floor adjusted accordingly. I had already warned Isaac that hiker midnight came early and that we would need to move quickly and quietly if other hikers were present when we arrived. No problem, we were settled in by dark. I am looking forward to the hike with Isaac tomorrow. I just hope that his Grandpa can hit one more moving target.Life is good on the A.T.Elevation Data:Ascent - 2,550Descent - 3,100Grade - 7.6Weather:Day - 67 / Mostly CloudyNight - 52 / ClearOver The Horizon: Delaware Water Gap, PA