Date: 2008-05-14
From: Boiling Springs PA

To: Stealth site 1 mi. from PA-944
Miles today: 11.3

Start: Boiling Springs, PAEnd: Stealth site 1 mile from PA-944Miles: 11.3HammockSo today was the day, back to hiking, only Incessant is with me for a bit. It wasn't the best nite's sleep, trains, cars, other hikers walking around, but we were up by 7:15 a.m.Breakfast was muffins, OJ, and coffee and after getting everything ready, we were off by 8:37 a.m. Outside, a hiker had opted to camp in the backyard, and then we met Giddyup, a man from IL, before walking a step.Beautiful day! Warm, semi-sunny, just perfect. It got up to the high 70's today, which we both loved. So all 11.3 miles today were totally flat. I think the toughest climb lasted about 25 feet. It was perfect for Incessant's first day, and wow, she's not even conditioned like me, and she pulled an 11.3 miler!! I could only handle 4.9 my first day, which was also flat by the way! There were tons of roads as usual, but today was mainly hiking through or next to farm fields. We went past this gorgeous huge corn field, and we couldn't resist, standing in it and taking pics. About 4 miles into the day, we came to our first stream, so we had to partake in the inaugural foot soaking. Ahhh...it feels so damn good! Incessant loved it as well, and we had a hard time moving on. She was amazed at how refreshed and new your feet feel after soaking them in ice cold water. It was endless fields then little patches of trees, then fields. One place was hilarious to us. Both sides of the trail were surrounded by dead recovering farm fields, with this 15 ft path of total green (the trail) shooting through it. One thing that stood out though was the smell of honeysuckle and jasmine. It was so fragrant and yummy! At places, the little white jasmine blooms fell from the tree and lined the trail almost like some sort of wedding processional.We met a couple, Snickers and Energizer Turtle, from Colorado. They're hiking for a charity related to hungry children. They're doing a flip flop. Actually, I've met a lot of flip floppers this year.We headed on, and stopped for lunch around 1:00 p.m., just before hitting the I-70 Turnpike overpass bridge. Lunch today was tortilla w\pepperoni for me and tortilla w\tuna for Incessant. Can you all believe I still can't eat tuna from when I bought like 6 days worth hiking out of Hot Springs, NC last year! I was begging people to trade lunch with me (like being back in grade school).So in another beautiful forest patch, Incessant started a very serious philosophical conversation. She goes, "So, do you ever get to see where Wonder Woman lives?" I, being the proud owner of all 3 seasons on DVD, said, "well of course, it's Paradise Island, but you've watched that episode right?" Incessant then explains that she's talking about Wonder Woman's apartment in the U.S.So by now, I'm stopped, turned around, making grand gestures with my hands, and I'm explaining the whole episode where Wonder Woman's little sister (Drusilla) shows up and they have dinner @ Wonder Woman's apartment, etc. Incessant and I are completely into this conversation (we're not even hiking now, we're standing and talking!) when we realize this guy had been hiking towards us for a long time and had probably heard most of this important life changing conversation. We immediately start chuckling, and I looked @ the guy and said, "We're having a philosophical conversation about Wonder Woman." He then replies, "Oh, is there anything I can help with?" which of course made us dye laughing. I mean, it's one thing to be talking about some serious issue like world hunger, when someone walks into your conversation, but Wonder Woman's apartment? Really? Incessant and I laughed the rest of the day about this one.Yesterday when we got our shuttle ride to Boiling Springs, we were on I-81 and Incessant noticed this 1 house with an immaculate yard that was mowed like a baseball diamond. It prompted an entire conversation @ the time. Well, oddly enough, today, the trail took us over I-81 and we ended up hiking right past this SAME house! I couldn't believe it. It was funny, they had a giant statue of a grizzly bear in the front yard! So about 2.5 miles before getting to Conodguin Creek, we decided if it was at all feasible, we'd stealth camp before climbing up to Darlington Shelter. We got to the "creek" which was more like a river, and part of the path is a wonderful boardwalk that protects the wetlands below. We saw a snake all coiled up and relaxing in a dry spot. Not sure what it was, but it was grayish with very faint almost blue rings? Just over the bridge is the ATC's trail maintenance base camp called Scott's Farm.So we just happen to show up to take a break on the first of 2 days of Ridge Runner training. I asked the guy I talked to if Erik (the awesome ridge runner who wants to be a friar) was here. HE WAS!! So I found him, and I asked if he'd heard anything yet. Would you believe he had heard the news only 1 hour earlier? He was accepted and in August will leave for NY to start his friar training\life. I'm so happy for him!!So Incessant and I took a long break, rinsed our shoes from having been through very muddy and cow patty infested trail, and ate a snack. We weren't sure where we'd end up. A guy passed us heading to the shelter, but I didn't want to push Incessant to hard, afterall, she'd been keeping a pretty great pace. The plan was to be mentally prepared to go the 4 miles to the shelter, but if we found a place to stealth hang, we'd do that first.We hiked along side the Conodoguin Creek for awhile, which was moving quite swiftly. There was a family of ducks, 2 parents and 4 fuzzy yellow ducklings ZOOMING down the river! It was actually hilarious to watch.Finally I started seeing the kind of tree cover and terrain that told me we'd find a stealth site, and we did indeed.It's way off the trail, but we're both literally hanging about 4 feet apart! As soon as we got here, we put our hammocks up with our new Bruce Strap\Buckle system, and it was AWESOME!! Then it started sprinkling, so I helped Incessant secure her tarp, and I got our bearbag rope thrown.We cooked dinner while sitting under my tarp, and the light rain eventually stopped. Dinner was mashed potatos...mmmmmmm. When I walked over to hang the bearbag rope, I looked down to find a huge tick on me. YUCK! I do know to be on the lookout though. After dinner, the rain had stopped, so we just got everything situated and just before crawling in for the nite @ 8:30 p.m. the sprinkling started again. It is lulling me to sleep, so @ 9:45 p.m., it's 65 in my hammock, but a chill in the air. I've already heard snoring from Incessant's direction, and I'm about to follow her lead. Tomorrow, we climb a bit, so the easy stuff is over.~Certain