Date: 2006-06-15
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I was one of the few who got out of town today. The Doyle take hold of lots of people. Poles had been there for 4 days. I'm now ahead of people I've been following for a while.It's interesting to watch the pull of town on some hikers. I don't know what holds people. They're tired and they want company. They want to forget about the trail and the miles. They're all committed. They wouldn't be this far if they weren't, but the treat the hike casually. Maybe they want to forget it's there for a while. Also, we've been out here a long time. We know what to expect from a day. I'm still not sure. Maybe I'm just watching one set of hikers, not a cross section. I can watch it, but I really don't feel like a part of it.I came to the Doyle Hotel because its famous on the trail for being such a dive and so hiker friendly. It's something I wanted to see. Most others are there to fully participate. They create the show I came to watch. I saw what there was to see and moved on.I see how some people treat their hikes at this point. I know how I feel about mine. The hike is why we're all out here but it changes and your feelings for it change. The Doyle is a refuge. Several people have been here for days. The newness and novelty have long since worn off. Those who absolutely don't love teh day after day of effort settle in. This thing is a huge burden and at the halfway mark all you see is three more months of it ahead of you. When I walked in I just threw my pack on the floor. I'd just been walking the streets of Duncannon yelling "where is it?" My excitement for what I'm doing is gone. Now it's determination and achievement that keeps me going. From the start I haven't loved every day on the trail. At this point my love is for the experience as a whole but not for the daily grind. I've settled into my hike that has become my life. It's routine. It's a routine with a high level of satisfaction and I know how to do it now. The freshness of discovery is gone. It's the same for most of us. Now we inject new challenges or change styles to add variety. I have capabilities that I didn't have in Georgia. I'm more efficient in all my activities and pay less attention to the details. I know how to do it. To me, steps like this interrupt the flow. The chance to rest and visit is always good. Getting back in the trail soon after is good.There's no mistaking hikers here at the Doyle. First, there is no one here but hikers. It's such a dump no one else would stay here. But we all have the hiker face, happy and laid back and weary. Most of us are in the same set or only set of clothes we wear on the trail. We're 2 or 3 or 4 per room. It's kind of like a commune with bar stools. I shared a room with Happy Feet, a younger college guy on his second thru-hike. His girlfriend Swiss joined us when she got off trail later in the night. You don't really notice it on the trail, but damn did that room reek of hiker.Last night, sleep in a real bed.Today, the usual running around and then the hike out.Tonight in the shelter, Hobbit, Water Wings, Welsh Hobo, Don Quixote. Hobbit brewed tea from sassafrass bark. Water Wings just picked up the trail in Harper's Ferry and is 23 today. Welsh Hobo reminisced about all the acid she did in the 70's and about tripping at an Eric Clapton concert.I love it here.