Date: 2008-07-06
From: Duncannon - Doyle Hotel

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: light rain

After a zero day at the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon, you need a zero day to get some sleep. There was a party going on in the next room until 3:30 am. Still habits are in place and Peregrine and I were on the trail walking through a sleeping Duncannon on a Sunday morning. I love this time of day. The trail took us right by the Old Sled Company. They were manufacturing kids sleds from 1904 until 1988. I had one just like it as a child. They produced more sleds than any other company in the US. During 1920 they were making 1600 to 1800 sleds per day! Seems a shame they closed in 1990. From there we walked across the Susquehanna River on a steel bridge, where there used to be a ferry. When we first walked out on the bridge, I started to run into spider webs. This is not new for me because if you are the first one down the trail in the morning you sweep them all the time. Then I ran into a bigger than single thread. Peregrine said, "Let me sweep." Several steps more and we both realized this was not just a couple of spiders, but hundreds on them with webs in the railing. Between the two of us, we were madly swinging our poles and my wooden stick to clear a path of webs and spiders. The passing cars on the bridge must have thought we were a couple of crazy women. It was a big relief to get off that bridge. Once we crossed the railroad tracks, it was a steady 900 foot climb, but not too difficult. On top we followed a ridge. In Pennsylvania you have up and down gaps with very long walks along ridges usually under trees. When we crossed PA Route 225, we decided it was time for lunch. Found a couple of large rocks to take a rest. As we were eating, two smartly dressed gentlemen came by asking about our hike. One said he owned the cabin right down the hill. Their wives were right behind them and they invited us down for a soda. This was the Fogarty cabin. He started with sodas and then began to bring out all this food starting with watermelon followed with cheese and crackers and pecan rolls. They were leaving the cabin and wanted to give us as much as we could carry. Within minutes, we were loaded up with fresh apples, nectaries, cooked steak and bars. I must have gained five pounds in food. Since we only had three miles to go decided to avail ourselves of all their trail magic. They were birders and able to point out some species that I'd seen but couldn¢t identify. Thank you all for being so generous with us. The Peters Mountain Shelter built in 1994 was an up-to-date shelter with double floors, picnic table under cover. The worst part was the water source was down 300 plus stone steps. Slayer volunteered to go get water...what a gal. I was able to make a big enough fresh fruit salad with all our goodies from the Fogarty's. Sliced steak was our entree. Mathewski was there and had brought the most delicious homemade chocolate cake to round out the best trail meal I have had. There were so many of us out of Duncannon and Hikerfest that we had a lot of tents. A short distant from the shelter was an original small shelter built by Earl "Crazy One" Shaffer (1918 to 2002). He was the first to hike the trail south to north in 1948. Then in 1965, he hiked it from north to south. To celebrate the 50th anniversary in 1998 at age 79, he hiked it again. There is talk of removing this tiny shelter and putting it in a museum. All us hikers were serenaded by a religious rally taking place down the hill. To me it sounded more like a pep rally. Fly right,Ravon