Date: 2005-09-03
From: Darlington Shelter, PA

To: .3 miles north of Rt. 94, PA
Miles today: 22.8

22.8 miles today.3 miles north of Rt 94, Pa. It was the coolest night I've had since NH. I slept really well, but woke up at 5am. Goosebump The Snow Princess had said she didn't want to get up until it was light out, so I went back to sleep until 6am. I put my stove outside and got my coffee ready. I'm glad I was ready to get up this morning because right when it started to get light out, a squirrel started bombarding my tent with large acorns. I must have had 10 to 15 hit the tent. I heard Baby Bump wake up, so I packed up and went into the shelter to have my coffee. Rainbow Slick, Goosebump The Snow Princess and Baby Bump all came over when they got packed up. We sat there and ate the sticky buns they brought yesterday and had the rest of the strawberries and grapes. I overheard Goosebump The Snow Princess say when she whispered to Rainbow Slick; "Stumpknocker looks so skinny, I think he needs to eat more. I wish I wouldn't have eaten the last piece of chicken last night. I should have saved it for him. Maybe some of his friends will meet him along his long, arduous, difficult journey and bring him more fried chicken." I'm sure that's what I heard her say to Rainbow Slick. We walked down Blue Mountain, crossed Rt 944 and walked to Scott Farm where their car was parked. It was a pleasant 4 mile walk for me, but Rainbow Slick had an extra 16 pound load called Baby Bump. :-))) We all got in the car and went to Middlesex Diner on Rt 11 and had another breakfast. They had walked 4 miles and felt like they needed more food. ;-))) On the way back to Scott Farm, we stopped so I could send in my journal entry and check my email. When we got to Scott Farm, they booted me out of their car. We said our goodbyes and then they left. :-((( I am so glad they came out and spent the night with me...and brought fried chicken. ;-))) I didn't realize that I hadn't really spent much time in the woods with anyone this year. I started off this hike with Quincy Girl and we walked about 100 miles together, then I walked for 2 days in NY with Moosie and that's pretty much been it. I really had fun with them, especially kicking butt in cards. ;-)) Hopefully I'll get to hike a couple days with Rainbow Slick on the south side of Shenandoah in a couple weeks. They live in Richmond, Va, so that would be the closest to the trail for him to come out. Thanks you guys for all the goodies and the company. I really, really appreciate it!! After they left, I signed the register at Scott Farm and started walking south just after noon. Shortly after I crossed Rt 11 on the million dollar pedestrian bridge, a large hawk flew down the trail a little. Each time I got close, he'd fly a little further. He did that about 3 times, so I got to enjoy seeing him for a while. I had a very easy 12 mile walk into Boiling Springs. I saw lots of cows, corn and soy beans there in the Cumberland Valley. I saw 3 rabbits and smelled alot of honeysuckle that was blooming just before I got to the road leading into town. I got into Boiling Springs right at 3pm. I stopped by the ATC office and signed the register and filled 2 water bottles. I checked my email because I was hoping to meet Ishmael, but there was nothing from him, so I went to Anniles Pizza and ordered a large pizza. I ate all but 2 slices. The waitress packed that up so I could carry it in my pack, then I went to the convenience store and resupplied with enough food for another day on the trail. I ended up spending 1 1/2 hours in Boiling Springs. I hiked on by the crystal clear river on the way out of town. I walked through a few more fields before I started climbing again. I walked so much flat trail on the way into Boiling Springs today, that it felt great to use some climbing muscles again. It was only about a 600 foot climb up to Center Point Knob, then down a few hundred feet and back up a couple hundred to the side trail into Alex Kennedy Shelter. I had no reason to stop there, so I kept on hiking. In a couple miles, I came to Whiskey Spring and dumped out my town water I had left in my bottles and filled them with some nice spring water. I had another 400 foot climb that took me all around some large boulders on the summit. I walked down from there and could hear a band playing some country music in the distance. I'm not sure what's going on, but it was getting dark, so when I got about half a mile away from the music, I found a soft, flat spot for my tent. I'm laying here in my tent being entertained tonight. :-))) I know how much Rainbow Slick and Goosebump The Snow Princess wanted to keep on walking south to Georgia with me. Two years ago, they probably would have, but now they can't. :-((( Thanks again Rainbow Slick, Goosebump The Snow Princess and Baby Bump...you all really made my day!!! It's great to have good friends like you guys. See ya in Va.