Date: 2017-08-20
From: Dan's Pulpit

To: Rock & Sole hostel
Miles today: 17.8

Time doesn't have a lot of meaning on the trail, since it doesn't much matter to us whether we're a hill on a Wednesday or a Saturday. Weekends are one example when the outside world interferes in this obliviousness, through the sudden presence of a gazillion joggers and day hikers on the AT, reminding us that the rest of the world operates on a somewhat more regulated schedule.This was a good thing. My descent from Dan's Pulpit had involved the traditional reward for being first on the trail: an all-you-can-eat buffet of spiderwebs.But then after a little less than an hour, I met a day hiker coming in the other direction and the way forward was miraculously clear of these examples of arachnid industriousness.More day hikers and joggers followed. The corollary to sharing the trail with those on a seven-day schedule is that I had to remind myself that day hikers still have that city-dwellers' reticence towards strangers.With other thru-hikers or LASHers (the official term for"long-ass section hikers"), I'd always chat with them about their experience. With the weekend warriors I'd usually be meet with an expression that comprised puzzlement and outright suspicion.So be it.Day hikers weren't the only ones I was sharing the trail with. On a forestry road I found a black rat snake stretched out across the path, its distended abdomen showing it had had a successful night hunting. Clearly it just wanted to lie in the sun and digest without interruption, but it too was learning about the intrusion of the human-derived working week.At the lookout sites -- the Pinnacles and the Pulpit -- there were also eastern timber rattlers and copperheads enjoying this pleasant sunny day. In time the trail wound its way down to below the dam providing Hamburg's drinking water then back up onto the ridge before descending once again to Port Clinton.This was the end of my day, having arranged to get picked up by Craig of the highly-rated Rock and Sole hostel. While I was waiting, I took advantage of the firefighters' social club: a speakeasy where thru-hikers were welcomed as temporary members and could partake of draught beers for $1.25. I was signed in by Squeaky, the local fire chief, and then had some other random locals buy me a beer. Life was good!If I thought that put the day on an upward trajectory, it was benchmarked by Rock and Sole. Craig and Jodi have specialised in running a hiker-focused b&b after he retired from 25 years as a state trooper. For $40, they provided dinner, bed and breakfast, including a ride back up to the trail and to a Dollar General to resupply. That was already a bargain but the quality of Jodi's cooking took it to an extra level, as too did the experience of being in a happy family home as opposed to a commercial accommodation experience. It was interesting too because I finally had the chance to meet Tinkerbell, a solo sobo woman whose name I'd been seeing in shelter logbooks for more than a month.Life is good.AT fact of the day: It turned out I'd just missed Dirt, Sweetblood and Sriracha, who left Rock and Sole just as Craig was collecting me. They were once days ahead but I'd slowly closed the distance through some longer days on my part and some shorter days for them. Maybe tomorrow...