Date: 2014-07-04
From: Ironmaster Mansion Hostel, Mile 1079.9

To: PA-641 Trindle Rd, Mile 1121.6
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: broken clouds

Roger and Kathy had breakfast ready for me at 6:30 - two frozen waffles that I put in the toaster and had with cream cheese. Not elegant, but it came with the room. Had some more good conversation, then I made some journal updates and headed out. The first few miles of the trail Sarah and I had covered on a day hike, using a blue blazed trail to make a loop out of it. I'm slowly connecting all the pieces of the AT I've hiked before. Later, after about 9 miles, I came to a road crossing with the Green Mountain Store about a quarter mile down the road. I didn't need to resupply since I'd be in Boiling Springs later in the day. As I was taking a break by the side of the road, trying to decide whether or not to make the road walk, Ken and his sons Landon and Evan came up to me. They were waiting to meet thru hiker Kolton who was coming behind me. When Kolton came along, they took me with them in their car to the store and bought my sub sandwich and Gator Ades! Nice!We ate lunch outside the store (I went back in for an ice cream sandwich!) Then Ken drove us back to the trail. Ken and his family are church friends with Kolton's family back near Columbus, Ohio. They drove out so that Landon, a 16 year old rising junior, could hike with Kolton for the long weekend. They were slackpacking from there to north of Boiling Springs and staying at the Hampton Inn in Carlisle. They invited me to slackpack with them!I accepted! There's no camping along the 14 mile stretch of crossing farmland north of Boiling Springs, so I thought I'd have to camp short of there. This means I'll get further north tomorrow before Linda picks me up.We had a fun time hiking and chatting. Landon did really well, even on the rocky parts, but said he was whupped at the end of the day. The trail goes right through the middle of Boiling Springs - a cute little town - then heads out between, and sometimes thru, farm fields. We found lots of berry bushes - Kolton called them blackberries, but someone elso calls them blackcaps and said they were a type of raspberry. At any rate, some were ripe and we had fun picking and eating them.Kolton just graduated from college and started at Springer, on May 15 - he's moving! He starts his new job on Sep 2nd, so he's trying to finish in 90 days or so. He slowed down a bit for Landon today, which meant I could keep up, too! He also had to keep stopping to eat berries along the way!Ken picked us up and took us to the hotel. They were going out to eat and then watch the fireworks. I stayed back and soaked in the hot tub! Aaaaahhhhhh! I couldn't talk on the phone with Linda since she was still having fun at the wedding reception in Buffalo. So here I am in a nice comfy bed when I set out this morning thinking I'd be in my tent on the edge of town. Cool!Head tunes: This morning it was the chorus from "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)." Linda's picking me up tomorrow on her way home from Buffalo, so that along with where i am on the trail make the words seem appropriate: "And I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door." In this case that's her car door. :-)This afternoon as I was walking pretty much in step behind Landon, "Surry with the Fringe on Top" popped into my head. Don't know where that came from except it fit well with the pace we were doing.