Date: 2018-05-16
From: EagleÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 8.6

The thunderstorm last night was quite intense, with up to 1/2¢ hail pelting the metal roof of the shelter. I had set up my ground cloth, sleeping pad, and sleeping pad on the left side to catch the breezes, but when the rain started blowing sideways, I moved everything to the other side. By coincidence, the Gospel for Evening Prayer was from Matthew, about the disciples in a boat about to swamp in high seas. They feared for their lives and awoke Jesus who was calmly sleeping. He chided them for their lack of faith and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a dead calm. I wasn¢t actually afraid because I knew I was in a sturdy structure, but nonetheless felt quite relieved when the storm passed as quickly as it had come. In its wake came three GAME thru-hikers, Transformer (from Australia), Willow (another Willow, from Berlin, Germany) and Landfill ( homegrown). We cooked and ate our dinners, then they all tented, leaving me the entire shelter. Such luxury!The tent I saw yesterday when I arrived proved to be empty and appears to have been abandoned. I reported it to ATC so someone can remove the tent and garbage. It¢s waterlogged and much too heavy for me to carry! I¢m sure the local maintaining club has nearby road access. I started hiking at 6:15, hoping to do the 8.6 miles to Port Clinton by 10:00. The trail had other ideas. It rained all morning but it was in the upper 50¢s, so that my rain suit felt good over shorts and t-shirt. The trail itself was in good shape with just enough long stretches of sharp, jagged rocks to remind me that I was still in Pennsylvania. There were lots of fresh blow downs from last night¢s storm, but I could step over all but three of them. I took one tumble creating a bypass route, but it was more of a controlled fall. Highlights were seeing three does, that while wary, continued to browse as I passed by and two more pink lady slippers growing right alongside the trail. The final few hundred feet of descent into Port Clinton was steep with lots of stone steps. In less than three weeks on the trail, my starting pair of Scarpa Rapide were nearly smooth on the bottom. They were as useful as ballet slippers in navigating the steep, slippery terrain. When I finally completed the descent, I found myself facing several sets of railroad tracks without a white blaze in sight. I tried using Guthook, but my cold wet fingers were unable to activate my iPhone. I crossed the tracks and turned left on a pedestrian walkway painted on the asphalt. I flagged down a slowly approaching pickup truck and confirmed that i was on the trail. After crossing two rivers, fortunately on bridges, the blazes were back. An SUV stopped and the driver offered me a ride to the hiker pavilion that Port Clinton built for hikers. I thanked the driver, but declined, explaining that I had to walk the entire trail. Yes, even in the rain. I arrived on the porch of the Port Clinton Hotel at 10:50 to find that they don¢t open until 11:00. By the time I had stripped off my rain gear and shoes, they were open. For $8, I showered in a clean bathroom with soap, shampoo and a fluffy towel and put on my cleaner hiking clothes. I had a bacon cheeseburger, their truly excellent hand-cut fries and a Yuengling Lager. My friend Mike, who is among other things, an architectural historian and advocate of urban communities, arrived at 12:15 like a knight on white charger to rescue me from Port Clinton. I had him stop at the nearby Cabela¢s, supposedly their largest store. I didn¢t find what I was looking for, a picaridin-based insect repellent supposedly more effective than DEET against black footed ticks, but we did find a paradise of taxidermy, at least for the hunters. No need to walk through the rainy woods for the sighting of three measly white-tailed deer! Come to Cabela¢s and see elk, grizzlies and wolves! All in air-conditioned comfort. Feast in the carnivore¢s delight restaurant! Mike was appalled and more than willing to run through the rain to his car. I had had my fill of walking in the rain today and waited in the porte coch re.  The Holiday Inn Express in Lititz is luxurious especially by trail standards. I bathed and showered again during the wash cycle. During the dry cycle, I spread my gear all over the room to dry. I¢ll tidy up in the morning so I¢m not exposed as trail trash. We dined at the Bulls Head Public House in Lititz, an award-winning beer pub, and a far cry from my usual Knorr¢s side and tuna pouch.  I had planned only one zero day, tomorrow, but the forecast for Friday is so dismal ¢ up to 3¢ of rain and possible flash floods ¢ that I¢ve decided to extend it to two zero days! It¢s a justification, however meager, for what I really want to do! The new Scarpa Epic Lite shoes fit well ¢ I replaced the insoles with my green Superfeet ¢ but they could do with a little breaking in. They are substantially more rigid with a much gnarlier Vibram sole. The worst of the Pennsylvania rocks are still to come. Yippee!