Date: 2013-06-30
From: Hertline camp

To: port Clinton
Miles today: 18.8

6.30.13 -Sunday day 91Hertline camp - Port Clinton18.8 miles - 11 hoursEarly rise delayed by rain, cold breakfast. Pack wet tent, saw guy with wife & dog from last night continue on southward. Went on through winding path, got to Dietrich Snyder tower location, not there anymore but stone marker there. Site of lookout tower 1755 French Indian war. Along trail so many sites of historical significance, battle fields, Federal armoires, underground railroad homes, Union & Confederate camps, Cherokee grounds etc. very interesting stuff, could spend a lifetime learning & studying about these, cool feeling to pass through these areas knowing what happened there. Love to sit down to read and learn more about all these interesting things we are coming across.- Further along caught up with RR having 2nd breakfast on a rock. I sat down on a nearby log & did same. Continued on flat terrain sometimes dirt path, others its shoe box sized rocks, many times combination. Got to Eagles Nest shelter after going third of mile off trail, small stream just before shelter had ok flow to get water. Lunch there, starts to rain, we leave picnic table & sit inside. Some sobos show up. Later the Professor shows pretty wet. We watch rain as it pours then slows, think gonna stop, then drops harder. Hour lunch turns into 2. Finally stops, sun shows, we push out, same time Woodman & Rabbit, still cast on hand, arrive drenched. We find Sparky 10 minutes further, he overran shelter didn't see in heavy rain, turn around to rejoin his group. Alot of overgrown raspberries & thorns sag into trail from the rain. Wear long sleeves here to protect, sunglasses help too. Cicadas above having concert, lucky to be hiking during the mating cycle, almost 2 decades before this specific species does this again here, what fortunate timing to be here on one of the rare years this happens!! Much water on trail now, have to do wide stance waddle to avoid stream in center of trail. Other times moved to far left or right when puddle/stream is so big. Shoes socks now wet. Lightweight Mountaineering shoes need to be switched out, worn through insoles in 9 days, soles way too thin also, not thick enough for pointed rocks. Long descent, pass Wolf on the way, haven't seen him for weeks. Last section of descent is steep soil, slippery especially wet muddy then rock steps. Waffles, who we met in Lickdale, is on the paved bike path sitting and resting on a rock. At bottom pass old rail yard wildlife sanctuary, right turn over bridge to small Port Clinton. We see Rise & Shine heading to bar behind bed breakfast, staying at free pavilion shelter 7 minute walk away. Rest of Funky Town there too. We went to the inn and learned they are not opening rooms tonight since they will be closed tomorrow until after the holiday. After much effort, finally got a hitch into Hamburg 2 miles away to eat & resupply. Went to pub for dinner, we won't be getting any closer to Philadelphia unfortunately so I ordered Philly cheesesteak and a Yuenling lager (You can find Yuenling easily the whole south half of trail, now that it is local, I can enjoy them) I'd love to attend a baseball game in Philadelphia & explore the city since I've never been there, but that's gonna have to wait. For now I have a trail to finish hiking...