Date: 2016-04-26
From: Hunters Run Road

To: Trindle Road 
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: broken clouds

The mid-day temp made it to 85 today, fortunately a good breeze picked up and scattered clouds rolled in mid-afternoon. We broke our 14.9 mi hike into 3 subsections, and it was a tale of two trails. The two subsections south of Boiling Springs had a few short, but tough climbs - steep and rocky. The first subsection from Hunters Run to Whiskey Spring had a short climb (300 or 400 ft) to 2 rock mazes that were fun. This is the third time that I¢ve hiked through them, I remember the first time they seemed daunting and took time, but today (NoBo) I was able to move through them pretty briskly and there were no surprises. The second subsection (from Boiling Springs SoBo to Whiskey Spring) starts off through open farm fields, then I had a 1 1/2 mile climb (only 500 ft) to Center Point Knob. This was the midpoint of the original AT and a plaque marks the spot. The south side of the knob was much steeper than the north and I slowed down considerably. There were still two more climbs before I reached Whiskey Road where Princess was waiting. Interesting that the elevation changes in these climbs are considerably less than down south, but I guess the heat made them tougher for me. In contrast, our last subsection north of Boiling Springs was a cake walk, very flat with just a few undulations and I went NoBo. The AT passes through a narrow strip of woodland between cultivated fields. At times, the woods become dense with bushes and low growth, and at other times the trail pops out of the woods into the open and follows the edge of a field. It was still hot for me, but the breeze was picking up and as I approached Trindle Rd, the trail passed across a knoll with a stiff breeze and it felt refreshing. Nonetheless, I was happy to see Princess turning into the Trindle Road AT parking area just ahead of me. I should mention that most (but not quite all) of the road crossings north of Boiling Springs had associated parking areas and both of us saw a number of local hikers out for a few hours exercise on the trail.I saw both Tailhook and Duct Tape (he hopes to get a new pair of shoes in Boiling Springs), and our conversations are brief, but enjoyable. Unfortunately they¢re finishing up their 200-mile section in Port Clinton so we won¢t see them beyond that point. I also met Wazo officially, I¢ve seen him a couple of times on the trail. Princess has talked with him more than I and learned that he¢s from Arizona, started at Springer and made it to Waynesboro, but went home for several weeks and then started back again at Harpers Ferry to do a flip flop. He has an excellent description of his experiences on his Trail Journals page. Also Princess talked with a couple we¢ve seen several times too: Has Been and Toe Sack. We finished hiking around 1:00, so we had time to clean up and find a place for lunch. Cafe 101 was open today, and the outdoor seating looked inviting. Their lunch sandwiches were really good as well as their coffee. Afterward, we headed back to the room to take care of chores and get ready to leave early tomorrow morning (and I got a head start on the blog). Then later we headed over to the Hot Springs Tavern, about the only restaurant in town that we haven¢t already tried (although we did get lunch there last year). And we had a great experience. Michael, the bartender was very welcoming and poured me a couple of good IPAs. After about a half-hour, we were pleasantly surprised when Tailhook and Duct Tape rolled in. We had a chance to learn a bit more about them and we wish they weren¢t leaving the trail in a few days. I hope to see them again and perhaps hook up again off-trail at some point. Later in the evening, we met several local residents and had a great time. We met a local couple who have been hiking the trail in sections for years and who serve regularly as docents at the AT Museum in Pine Grove Furnace and also lead hiking excursions on the AT in several states. It turned out to be one of those really fun evenings. In general, I¢ve been a little disappointed with Boiling Springs. The previous 2 years we¢ve stayed at the Allenberry, a resort-like facility with a theater about a half-mile outside town. But the town is very picturesque and we thought we should try out a B&B in town. So we are staying at Gelinas, directly across from the lagoon at the center of town (there are ducks, geese and a pair of swans in the water). I have worked hard back in Norfolk to promote a ¢Complete Streets¢ agenda where we try to make public streets more pedestrian, bicycle and public transit friendly. Boiling Springs is the most anti-Complete Streets town that I¢ve ever seen. So far I¢ve seen only one crosswalk in the town. But I have seen one ¢duck crossing¢ yield sign near the lagoon. Clearly the ducks are prized more highly than pedestrians. Crossing streets is dangerous for pedestrians and the sidewalks are uneven and equally dangerous. After talking with Tailhook and Duct Tape at the tavern tonight, it seems that the Allenberry is struggling. The restaurant was closed today, thus the hikers had to walk the half-mile into town in search of dinner. The AT goes directly through town, and the ATC has it¢s Mid-Atlantic Office here in town, so I guess it¢s destined to be a trail town. But I think the good citizens of Boiling Springs need to pay more heed to what it means to be an AT Trail Town.