Date: 2003-07-04
From: Boiling Springs - Duncannon, PA

To: Boiling Springs - Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Boiling Springs - Duncannon25.6 miles (1131.5 total miles)I liked the little town of Boiling Springs, PA. But I didn't spend a whole lot of time there. We got in on day 91 late enough to only find the pizzeria open. I braved ordering a pizza, and it was tasty. We walked around the friendly little town and watched the ducks on the lake. A local asked me if I needed a ride anywhere. I can't get over the kindness of some of the strangers I have met on tis trip. I was awakened many times on day 92 by the train that passed right by our camping field. It was my 3rd month on the trail. I hardly slept, so was up and out early. I stopped briefly at the regional ATC office, then hiked on. It was 7.7 very flat miles through Pennsylvania cornfields. I thought of all the different terrains I had passed through - bald mountains, dense forests, grassy hills, boulder fields, river gorges, small towns, busy highways, and now cornfields. What an amazing trail this is! We even got a little trail magic in a cooler full of sodas (thanks Flyby!).We got into Carlisle, and immediately did laundry and took showers. Last Minute's sister Brooke showed up, and drove us all around town. We went to Chinese AYCE, Walmart, then out for ice cream. We sat around by the pool, and napped. Then we hit the local diner for dinner. It was another lazy day, but it felt so good to be inside air conditioning.We took full advantage of waking up in town on day 93. We hit the free continental breakfast, and stayed in our cold motel rooms until checkout time. It was another hot day, so we decided to wait out the heat at the nearby truckstop. I ordered the buffet at about 11:30, and we didn't end up leaving until about 5:30. I sure got my money's worth! I sat and caught up on email, caught up on my journal, and planned out approximate mail drops all the way to Maine! Wow, an approximate schedule all the way to Katahdin. How exciting!We finally hiked out at 5:30. It was overcast, and actually threatening to rain. The first 3 miles were flat, through farms fields and across country roads. Then the trail rose steeply up to the shelter on top of a ridge. For the first time in a while, the shelter was full. I was forced to tent out. And for the first time in weeks, it rained. I packed up my wet tent and left by 8:00 on day 94. It was especially buggy. The mosquitos were thick, and everyone was finding ticks (I found 4 in one day!). The trail was fairly level, but the rocks were killing my feet. We hiked 11 miles to get to Duncannon by 2:30. We headed right to the post office for our mail drops. I really can't explain how much fun it is to get packages. Thanks to my mom for sending some goodies from Maine - incentive to keep going. Thanks to my sister for sending an excellent package full of treats, as well as my new summer sleeping bag. Cool! And thanks so much to Aragonia for the package. I love rice krispy treats! I am always amazed to get trail magic out here, but when people send me stuff from across the country, I am truly in awe. Really, thank you all!The mail packages were a much needed bright spot in the uninspired town of Duncannon, PA. The only motel in town (the Doyle) is dirty and run-down. If you check in early, you may be lucky enough to get a room with a lock on the door. We decided to tent at the campground, which was equally unappealing. The hiker section was a dirty parking area right behind the smelly bathhouse and next to the railroad tracks. The locals seemed friendly to the hikers, but the town itself was dirty and depressing. This was NOT the town I wanted to take a zero day to celebrate the holiday weekend. Day 94 was hot and steamy.   We ate breakfast at the truck stop. A newspaper told me that there were no fireworks in town, nor in Harrisburg. I sent some post cards and hung out in the air conditioning. I thought it was funny to be spending the 4th of July in a truck stop in small town America. It wasn't the ideal way to spend the holiday, but it was just part of the experience.We packed up our stuff at about noon. We wanted to leave town, but had to mail stuff home when the post office opened the next day. We packed our boxes and went to the Doyle for lunch. We met a bunch of hikers there who agreed to take our stuff to the post office the next day when it opened again. (Thanks Shifty!) Despite its reputation, we had a good lunch at the Doyle, and decided to hike out in the evening when it got cooler.It's amazing all the obstacles the trail hits you with. If it's not months of rain, its 100 degree heat. If its not steep climbs, it's sharp rocks. Just when you think you have mastered the trail, it throws a new challenge at you. But that is what keeps it fun. Onward to Maine!