Date: 2003-05-30
From: William Penn Shelter 

To: PA183 (1400') (Deer Path Hostel) 
Miles today: 13.4

Aloha! Guess where I am? Never mind, you don't have to guess, you can read the destination line. Ok, so I'm staying in a new hostel, The Deer Path, 14 trail miles south of Port Clinton. A wonderful place! Before I tell you about it though I should start this from the beginning. I'll make it quick because the best part of the day is this place. Well, damn near the top anyway.   Knowing that I wouldn't make the 11a shuttle to the Hostel, 13 miles away, I meandered along contently in my own world. Luckily the trail allowed me to do so in what I consider my dunce nirvana state of mind. You know, the open mouth dunce look. Yep, that's the one. Anyway, it worked for me all the way to the 501 Shelter.   Wow! What a shelter it is too. Unlike any other so far on the trail, this one is a four-sided building with a huge skylight in the center. The building is large enough to sleep 12 comfortably and seats I don't know how many at the long table beneath the skylight. There is also a solar shower available. Most excellent.   Also in the shelter were all the past years shelter registers. I took some time to sit and read through the 2001 journal. It almost brought tears to my eyes reading of those I knew in the previous hike. All the personalities came flowing through. I smile even now thinking of them. I'm so very proud of every one of them. {Sniff} Such good memories.   As I was about to leave, the new caretaker Don Youngblood came to chat for a few. Nice guy. He is the replacement for the previous caretakers George and Joan Shollenberger. Sadly the selling of snacks and soda are no more but I understand that pizza can still be ordered in.   From there it was rocks. Not terrible rocks but rocks nonetheless. We all know how much I love rocks. Not! Rocks and ... snakes. Having seen two yesterday, hearing others speak of seeing rattlers and copperheads, I now consider most every step placed. Both for the damned rocks and now snakes. Along the way there were numerous lookouts with perfect sitting spots. I had even considered lunching on one particularly sunny overlook but at the last minute opted to pass it on by because of the possibility of snakes. Sad, huh. Sad but it makes me feel better and that's okay. The end result - no snakes   My actual lunch spot turned out to be the perfect spot. A lovely babbling brook just perfect for soaking stubbed toes. It was fun watching my toes "rehydrate" after ten miles of toe stubbing rocks. An ice-cold foot soak, crackers, cheese and iodined water - life is good!   With it being early in the day and only three miles to go to reach PA183 I decided to see what the new Deer Path Hostel was all about. Sure glad I did. It took but a couple of moments of walking down the highway before a neighbor of the hostel offered me a ride. Since the hostel was another three miles away I gratefully jumped in. Strange what a gal will do when hiking that she'd never do any other time. Oh well, it got me here without adding the additional miles.   I am so glad I decided to do this. Lucy, aka Roughneck, is definitely the hostess with the mostest. Not only does she offer up a comfortable bunkhouse (with sofa, chairs, desk, snacks, soda and beer), she shows you a shelf of clothes to choose from while SHE does your laundry. This is all shortly after she has finished whatever she normally does during the day (today was mowing the back 16 acres) and before starting dinner for the family and any hikers present. While all this is being accomplished the poor hiker is scrubbing themselves spotless with a hot water shower and foaming bubbles. Too cool! Dinner was served at 6p and consisted of chili, hamburgers, homemade salsa, chips and tortilla casserole. Anything left over is for all to eat the following day for lunch. Should you decide to stay an extra day there are movies available for watching and Internet access. Lucy also will run a daily shuttle to the grocery store and possibly post office and outfitter. The most fascinating part of this is that she does it all for donations. She is a wonder. A true marvel.   Lucy's story is that of a long distance hiker herself. She has done many long distance trails and will be off to hike the Colorado trail come July. In all the years that she's been hiking she's pieced together the things that she either liked at different hostels or would liked to have seen. That's why this one is the way it is. She knows exactly what a hiker needs and wants. Again, she's a marvel. Her husband, Tim, is pretty awesome too. He smiles a lot and takes in all the hiker tales with a twinkle in his eye. He may not be a long distance hiker but he's an awesome supporter. These people are truly fantastic and giving folks. I could stay here for quite some time.   Speaking of staying... Quasimoto (didn't have to say aloha after all) and Bono are trying to convince me to stay another day. Evil people! Bono is pushing for a zero day (no hiking at all) where Quasi is suggesting slackpacking back from Port Clinton after we do the mail run and outfitter. A 14-mile hike without packs, coming back to a wonderful place, excellent dinner and hot shower. Hummm.. let me think... As opposed as I was to this idea originally I'm beginning to change my mind. The radio just announced there is "100% chance of precipitation" for tomorrow and the rest of the weekend. Slackpacking is sounding better and better. I'll let you know tomorrow.   Speaking of tomorrow, I should close this down. It's after midnight and the bunkhouse is still up and going. The conversation between Quasimoto, Bono, Tubs (new young guy) is quite entertaining and it's time to either give up and join in or go to bed. Buttercup (formerly known as Red and now changed to She-Ra Princess of Power) is also here and sleeping through it all. The sleep of the innocent.   Okay, Bono is working on the zero thing again. It worked on She-Ra for today so he's trying to guilt us into it too. Tubs has already been convinced. {Sigh} It not looking good in my favor. Or it is if you look at it right! Aloha!BSandT: not today!AandPs: small blister on one toe. Think it's because of the constant toe-stubbing thing.MandGs: Rocks!... and snakes! Waah!Critter count: 14 x chipmunks, 7 x squirrels, 1 x deer, and a partridge in a pear tree. (Just seeing if you're reading to the end.)