Date: 2006-07-03
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Doyle Inn, Duncannon
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I thought it had cleared off for good as I wrote yesterday's entry, but at 1:00am, I heard or sensed thunder, or perhaps a change in the wind along with a few stray drops. Thought to myself, Now is the time to clear the clothes off the drying line and to make a last "bathroom" visit. Got the nearly dry things in and did the visit before the storm came, then I closed the tent fly door and went back to sleep. There was quite a quantity of rain that fell. Of course, I had to put away a wet tent. When I got to the shelter, everyone had gone or was fixin' to go, except for JohnnyK, who came in about 10:00pm from a 26-miler and was sleeping in today, I was the last to leave. Johnny K and I agreed to split a room at the Doyle with whoever got there first registering.A short day into Duncannon with only a few climbs. The ascents here are becoming less in altitude gain, but sometimes are a little steeper. Today there were only two such ups scattered among field walking and ridge walking, and a final long, steep section of sidehill trail leading down to town's edge. Just before the final descent, I was treated to a bird's-eye view into the Susquehanna River valley from Hawk Rock.Earlier in the day there were pleasant walks along or through wheat, oat, soybean, hay and corn fields. There were several muddy spots and some water-covered trail sections to give evidence of last night's rain storm.The Doyle Hotel is quite a legend on the trail. I must say it is very friendly. The hotel might have been at the relative standard of our Holiday Inns in its heyday during the first decade of the 20th century --- without any intervening makeovers, remodelings, etc. There is no central air, but each room has a fan, and I am very comfortable. There were no two-bed rooms left so I'm in my own room, a corner-room on the "penthouse level" (4th floor walk-up).I had two great meals in the barroom. Memo to all hikers: definitely order one of the salads - the side salad was large and very good, really a bargain at its cost. They have great cheeseburgers, fries, coleslaw, hushpuppies and 1/2 fried chicken special based on my limited sampling.The barroom was crowded with the hikers from the shelter last night plus some others I hadn't met, but whose names I recognized from their register entries. I had a reunion with The Aussie girls who I met back in Georgia, with Mudflap and Daisy who I met just north of Hot Springs, as well as with WoodChicken&CabinMan, the newly-wed Kenny and Julia, who I met when I came back out on the trail. Forty-two and her friend, Spitball, Weatherman, Rapunzel&Samurai, #2, and JohnnyK are here from the shelter. New faces include Rainmaker (I asked him to stop), Moonbeam, KnockKnock, Hawkeye, and PuffyNipples. All of these hikers enlivened the barroom through about 8:00 or 9:00pm.After dinner, I excused myself to eat the ice cream I'd bought about 5:00pm on the grocery store shuttle. It got a little soft even bundled up in my sleeping bag, but it was so good. A couple other hikers were eating their ice cream on the balcony also. After I returned to the bar, CabinMan was downing his 3rd order of fries. I came up to my room about 8:30pm, straightened up my stuff, put away the clean clothes, called Carol on my recharged phone, and now I'm closing the journal about 11:00pm. I'll be sleeping in a bit tomorrow to make the trail magic breakfast at 8:30am, then I'll slackpack 17 miles back to town --- my first slack pack. All-in-all, a good town stop, an overnighter with a nero in and a nero out the next day.On! On!