Date: 2015-06-18
From: Darlington Shelter, PA

To: 1,160.0 campsite, PA
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Rain fell all of last night starting around midnight. Luckily a few stray drops splashed on my face through the mesh of my roof and woke me so I could put on my rainfly in time. Moosehead and I slept in an hour later due to the rain before getting up and slowly packing up, rain dropping on our tents from the windblown trees above. We both downed a quick breakfast and used the Tajmahal privy (a 2-seater in a spacious outbuilding) before hitting the trail at 8:30am. Moosehead and I fell our own rhythms with me leading the way and soon had passed all of the other hikers that had left camp before us. I exchanged a few comments with Waiting as I passedmher, thinking it'd be the only time I'd see her today, but she later caught up, along with Moosehead, as I sat at Hawk Rock overlooking Duncannon, PA sitting along the banks of the Susquehanna River. The first ~10 miles had been rather uneventful and void of views due to a lingering fog, but Hawk Rock provided a decent enough, though limited, view of the valley we'd be crossing through today. Moosehead, Waiting, and I all missed a hundred foot section of the trail, assuming a steep downhill to Hawk Rock was the trail. Realizing our mistake, we each ran back up the hill to cover our ground. On the way down into Duncannon with me leading, I decided to play a poor joke to see how my hiking companions would react in a crisis situation. I got just enough ahead of them so that they couldn't see and, once on a downhill, laid down and tossed my trekking poles ahead making it appear I had eaten it. Moosehead was soon running up to see of I was alright, concern noticeable in his voice. I then got up and said I was joking. He half laughed, half slapped me around showing his disapproval. It was understandable. Although there's never an appropriate time for such a joke, I was happy to see I could trust Moosehead not to freak.We continued into Duncannon, another quiet, quaint river town, and began looking for a place to relax and grab lunch. Our first stop was a BBQ place that I commented probably wouldn't be worth it due to me not being able to smell that smoky flavor from at least a block or 2 away. We glanced at the menu and decided we were after quantity over quality - anything cheap and filling. We headed through the downtown until we reached The Pub, a darkened, yet relaxing oasis from the midday heat outside. We ordered a variety of things, including our own personal appetizers and entrees to compliment our Lagers (and of course a Coke for me.) We spent over a lazy hour eating, drinking, chatting, and wishing the day was done instead of only halfway complete. As we were preparing to pay pur bill and leave, our server said that our meal had been covered and she wasn't allowed to say who. We were stunned for there had only been a handful of other customers during our time there and none that we exchanged any words with other than a hello or simple greeting. It turns out a lady next to us, caring for her elderly mother, had paid for our meals without saying a word. Our bill alone would've been in the neighborhood of ~$50. We simply couldn't believe a random stranger would do such a thing - so awesome.With the money we had saved and, as always, not quite full stomachs, we decided to head to 3B's for some ice cream. On the way there I stopped into a local garden center to inquire about some wire in order to wrap around my boot to keep the sole secure as I cover the next ~60 miles into Port Clinton. They only had a 50ft roll in stock, so the friendly cashier said she'd buy it for herself to use around her home and that I could take what I wanted free of charge. I took 2-3ft and couldn't thank her enough. It was a rewarding afternoon receiving a big and small form of trail magic, each as equally meaningful to me.I caught up with Moosehead and Waiting sitting outside already enjoying their ice cream. A small size is actually quite large and the first few minutes had to be spent mustache-deep in my ice cream cone getting a jump on it before it began melting. It didn't take long before Moosehead and I had facial hair covered in sweet, sticky goodness. I also bought 2 Coke's for Waiting and myself and Moosehead enjoyed a Sprite. I just haven't been able to convert him yet.After killing around 3 hours in town, we began heading back out, crossing over 2 long bridges spanning the river in the process. The remainder of the evening would be spent climbing ~900ft back to the ridge top and then powering our way the final ~10 miles to Peter's Mountain Shelter. The final ~6.7 miles alone would take only 2 hours. With feet aching, we rolled into the shelter to find Yoohoo, Whisper, and Drugstore, who we hadn't seen since Harper's Ferry, already bedded down for the evening. They mentioned that Safari was also camped nearby on a hilltop. Not feeling up to climbing a hill to see him, I instead hiked further up the trail in order to find a spot to camp since the flat spots were already claimed. It would take me another mile of hiking, struggling to see with my headlamp, to find a flat spot just large enough for my tent.I'm currently horizontal for the evening as it nears 11:30pm. Lightning and thunder have been gradually nearing as I wrap this up. A steady rain has just begun falling. The thunder grows louder. Looks to be a good one.Here's to running out of toilet paper ~3 days from the next town, remaining dry as rain beats down on my rainfly, and the 2 examples of trail magic today that truly help make this experience what it is.