Date: 2010-06-05
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

Woke at 6:00 and wrote up a couple of entries. All of a sudden an alarm went off that was loud enough to wake everyone for miles around. It was a fire alarm that probably was Intended to draw the volunteers to the fire station. When the alarm sounded I went to the window as did shadow when he bolted out of bed. The fire station was in view of that window as was the fire burning up in the hills. After way to long the alarm fell silent. I knocked on Bloodshots door and we agreed to get across the street and get breakfast. It turns out that Toss'm had trouble with what he ate last night and it was obvious that we had to come up with planB. It was decided that Bloodshot, Toss'm & Shadow and the boys found a ride to Harrisburg where they would rent a car and get a hotel room in the area. I lightened my pack and planned on getting into Daleville early on Monday where they could pick me up. I rolled out of town at 11:00. The Peters Mnt Shelter was just over 11 miles and that was my only covered option for the night. My hike out of town had a couple of miles that went right down the street and through the meat of the town of Duncannon. The heat and stickiness was already in the air. Getting to the outskirts of town I crossed the Juanita & Susquehanna Rivers. The bridge I was crossing on had a highway on one side and the river on my right. The footbridge followed right along side the traffic on a seperate and detatched section of concrete and steel. The sun was high overhead and the glare from the sky and the water made it hard on the naked eye. I kept hearing a screeching sort of noise as I walked along. I didn't notice the Perigrine Falcon swooping down and doing fly by's up over my head until I saw a shadow. I don't know how close it actually got to my head but she was not at all happy about me hiking in her area. She wasn't at all satisfied until I was 1/4 mile away. I crossed a set of railroad tracks and then entered the woods. I knew that if I could do better than 15 miles today I could possibly be in Lickdale tomorrow night. On the other hand my only shelter option was at 11 miles and again t- storms were in the forecast for later this afternoon. I toyed with both ideas as I hiked my way out of Duncannon. My legs felt good as did the rest of me and I moved right along. The climb up to the top was one of the steepest that I have had in quite a while and I was thinking about Toss'm still not right and having to deal with it. We made the right decision. Once on top of the ridge I hiked around some rocky ledges and stone cliffs. Here and there I got views of the openning country below. The rivers and the town of Duncannon slowly disappeard as I moved north. The trail leveled out and heavy clouds began to roll in. I made it to the Peters Mountain Shelter just before 4:00 and decided to stay and be able to leave nice and dry. Instead of getting to Lickdale late on Sunday I would arrive early enough on Monday. There was a group of boyscouts already there and gear was scattered everywhere. I asked if there was space and they organized their stuff and made room. There was actually plenty of room as the shelter had 2 levels. The water source was down a very steep blueblaze and before I had my sleeping bag layed out someone came up with 2 gallons of water and offered me to help myself. I accepted. After I ate I sat down to journal and I was listening to music when a text came in from Bloodshot "Call Me". I did. He said that Gator had arrived in Harrisburg and rented a car. They want to meet me on the trail at the next shelter. They could hike in 6 miles from Lickdale and I would have an 18 mile day. We would then hike the 6 miles back out the following morning. Plan B now became Plan C and I planned to get up early and try to get to the next shelter as early as possible. The rain eventually did fall but not hard and not to long. A couple more hikers showed up and the shelter inhabitants made room.