Date: 2014-05-17
From: Boiling Springs, PA (AnileÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs)

To: Duncannon, PA (Doyle Hotel)
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Birdman and I awoke early from a deep and comfortable sleep at Anile¢s and made our way over to the local caf©. Most breakfast restaurants in trail towns have a ¢backpacker special¢, which is another way of saying ¢everything we have on one plate¢. This caf© was no exception, and we left with full bellies and grins on our faces.Just as we were preparing to leave town, however; a jeep with the AT logo on the door pulled up beside us. The driver jumped out and asked if we were headed to Duncannon today, which we were. ¢Well, we just left the section next to Scott Farm Trail Center, and the AT there is currently five to six feet underwater.¢ It turns out he was a trail maintainer for the ATC, and he and his cohorts were running everywhere attempting to repair the damage inflicted by yesterday¢s flood. He quickly gave us directions to circumvent this section, then rushed away to find and warn other hikers of the trail conditions.Mentally prepared for the sogginess, Birdman and I set off for Duncannon. For the first thirteen miles we met not with flooding, but with some of the flattest, greenest, and most different sections of the trail so far. We suddenly found ourselves in the middle of Pennsylvania farm country, walking through cornfields and by cows. It felt more like the Midwest than the AT. At one point we were also surrounded by gunfire, and we assumed we were passing near the local shooting range. Either way we walked a bit faster until the gunfire faded.Just before Scott Farm, we found the conditions we had been warned about. The AT travels beside what must usually be a small, lazy river throughout this section. After yesterday¢s rain, the river had significantly flooded the banks and its current was very strong. We crawled up the bank to a road and walked over a bridge to Scott Farm, thankful to not be swimming up the AT today.We stopped by Scott Farm for lunch and were reunited with our friends Whiffle and Tuesday, who started the AT on the same day I did. Whiffle is aptly named, as he brandishes a bright blue whiffle bat. Tuesday, Whiffle¢s cousin, is one of the few females on the trail, so having her perspective of trail events and interactions is always appreciated. Together we all hiked on toward Duncannon, where we planned on staying for the evening.We eventually reentered the mountains, climbing up from the farmlands to a ridgeline. It was here that we found our first significant section of the dreaded Pennsylvania rocks. These rocks vary in size and shape, from baseball sized to boulders, and each cause their own special kind of pain and annoyance. After several miles of twisted ankles and aching knees, we finally found ourselves descending once again, this time to Duncannon, PA.Duncannon is similar to Erwin in that it is slightly run-down yet holds a certain degree of charm. That charm is best represented by our lodging this evening: the infamous Doyle Hotel. The Doyle was built over 100 years ago by Anheuser Busch as part of a chain of vacation hotels. Today, it is the only one that hasn¢t burned down or been destroyed. In truth, the Doyle is a beautiful dump, as its primary tenants are now AT thru-hikers. Yet the staff is absolutely delightful and the food is topnotch, so I have a feeling my stay at the Doyle will add even more character to my hike.