Date: 2019-07-04
From: Near Black Swatara Campsite

To: Hamburg, PA
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

July 4: We got up at 6:45am. We ate a hot breakfast and packed up wet everything. Wrung out our clothes as best we could and got dressed. I always wear long pants because of how sensitive I am to poison ivy, but the thought of putting on long, cold, clammy wet pants was not appealing. I unzipped the bottom section of both legs to make them into shorts. I put on clean, dry socks and stuck my feet into my boots. My socks were instantly soaked. One thing about Braveheart that always just impresses the heck out of me is that no matter how crappy things seem, she is always upbeat and positive. Every morning she greets all of us with a smile and a "Good morning!" Even today when everything was wet, she was smiling and cheerful. I know I really needed that as I put on all those wet clothes.We saddled up and headed out about 7:30. The trail was a muddy mess! We spent a lot of time trying to walk on the edges of the trail to avoid the deep mud, but sometimes walking through it was the only choice. Well, our boots couldn't get any wetter.One thing I don't think I've mentioned much are the insect bites. I don't know what the bug is because I never feel it bite me, but it leaves the biggest welts on me. The bites are large, circular, hard red, welts. And they itch like crazy! David doesn't get them. I should probably wear bug spray but I hate the greasy feeling. As David would say "It's all part of the experience." But then, as I said, he doesn't get bitten.We did hit a really rocky uphill that was brutal. We took a well-needed break at the top.While we hiked we talked about what we were going to eat at the Logan's Steakhouse in Hamburg, the town we were hiking towards. Steak and baked potato were top of the list.During one break we ran into K-Town and Viking. They bragged about the hostel they stayed at and the homemade waffles they had had at breakfast. We just groaned about how good that sounded!We stopped for a quick lunch at an overlook and enjoyed the view of the beautiful farmland below. The walks in the forest were beautiful. You could see lush, green ferns for miles.We still had about 2.8 miles to get into town and my feet were really hurting. I knew I would have blisters. It felt like I was walking on pins and needles. Wasn't sure what that meant but I figured it couldn't be good.The downhill in Port Clinton was really, really steep. There were some rock steps but also areas with nothing to keep you from sliding down the rocky dirt of the trail. It was almost to the point of dangerous, but we made it down.We walked through the little town and under I-81. We were looking for a small path that we were supposed to be able to follow into Hamburg. After going under the underpass, the only trail we found was to take us back onto the AT NOBO. So we headed out to the 4-lane highway that we knew went to Hamburg and the Microtel hotel and Logan's Steakhouse.It was a mile down this busy highway with traffic rushing past. We saw a McDonald's and headed for there. We were starving and out of water. We couldn't wait for dinner at Logan's! We all ordered meals. We just imagined our hamburgers were steaks and the french fries baked potatoes. Ha! Cowboy got the ice cream that he had been craving. Two cones!We did hike 15.8 miles today.Coffebean and I are calling it. This has been the adventure, challenge, and journey of a lifetime but the AT will always be here while our two youngest daughters will not. They are both moving out and on to new chapters of their lives. We are pausing, not quitting, our thru-hike. We will go back and finish our hike in sections and summit Mount Katahdin, just probably not this year. We have hiked 700 miles and had the most amazing time, met the most wonderful people (some that we will keep in touch with for the rest of our lives), and learned more than we could ever have imagined. We have walked up and down mountains in the freezing cold, the rain, the heat, the mud. We have seen breathtaking balds, wild ponies, boars, bears, porcupines. The trail magic was unbelievable and so very appreciated. Thank you, Trail Angels, for the food and rides into town! Thank you to all the friends and family that have supported and encouraged us. You will never know how much that has meant to us.