Date: 2003-07-07
From: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA

To: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

"The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused."--Shirley MacLaineThe Hotel Doyle sucked us in for another night of ¢luxury.¢ Our feet needed a ¢zero¢ day¢Hoover is having serious heel pain, and my dogs are just plain tired. And I need to replace my hiking poles, as one broke during the decent into Duncannon, so a day off the trail seemed justified.Since the closest outfitter selling poles is fifteen miles away in Harrisburg, we needed to find a lift into town. Right after breakfast, we approached one of the Doyle¢s few employees about locating someone to shuttle us to the outfitter. We explained the dilemma and asked if she new someone who¢d be willing to drive us to Harrisburg for a reasonable price. Without hesitation, she reached in her pocket and handed over the keys to her private vehicle, saying ¢Just add a little gas when you¢re done.¢Now you have to understand that this woman did not know us. The Doyle accepts only cash, minimal registration information, and she¢d never even laid eyes on us before yesterday. All she knows is that we are AT hikers in need, and that was good enough for her. Such trust and generosity stunned me.Her vehicle was an old Bronco with 716,000 miles on it. I have no doubt that it¢s her prized possession, and her generosity took on a new dimension for me. This act of kindness was not the only instance of trail magic we experienced on our hike, but it was certainly the most memorable.Yesterday we met another patroness of hikers in Duncannon. ¢Trail Angel Mary¢ fed us ribs, beans, and corn on the cob. She delivered it to us last night at the Doyle because she¢d heard that we¢d missed out on the feast she¢d served to hikers at her home earlier in the day. In talking with Mary we learned that she fed over 800 hikers last year and is on track to beat her record this year. She is also the angel who stocked the soft drink cooler we found on the trail south of Duncannon yesterday. Mary¢s benevolence is all the more remarkable because she works fifty hours a week at two jobs so that she can afford to be a ¢trail angel¢ to hikers.A big bonus today was the ready availability of computer access. Usually I have to wait my turn, and then contend with impatient folks who are waiting behind me. Today I got close to an hour of uninterrupted internet time and was able to update my trail journal through yesterday. I really have lots more I want to say with every entry, but have to satisfy myself with ¢just the facts, ma¢am¢ and hope I can amplify on my entries in the future.   Our remarkably peaceful day off in Duncannon closed with some phone calls to some personal Pennsylvania trail angels who had offered us help. Jack and Shelley offered to pick us up off the trail Saturday at any road crossing north of Duncannon, and take us home for a night off the trail. And Brandi agreed to accept our bounce box and a resupply box and deliver them to us when we hit Delaware Water Gap. We are excited about meeting Jack, Shelley, Brandi and her husband and their friend Joe, all of whom have been emailing to us since last winter.My last call of the night was to my brother. Ever full of encouragement, Mark and his wife Karen always make us feel terrific. Mark does tell me of some adjustment problems that our recently widowed mother is experiencing, and I am frustrated about being so far from her while she is lonely and grieving. I am hit with a dose of homesickness that I have, thus far, largely managed to avoid¢¦