Date: 2014-06-16
From: Boiling Springs, PA Allenberry Resort

To: PA 850
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

RW MEANST Rotgut Whiskey --- Name given to me by the bartender at the Doyle Hostel.After breakfast, Hawg Driver and I hit the trail. The breakfast at the Allenberry was awesome and only $6.00. I said yesterday that most of the trail would go through farmland. That is inaccurate. While we did hike through farmland today often we hiked in the trees adjacent to farmland. Hawg Driver is 51 and a former military A-10 Tank Killer pilot and thus his name. The plane is called a Hawg. Currently he is a Delta Airlines pilot and hiking the trail between flights, which seem to be weeks apart and he easily trades his flights with other pilots to extend his trail time. He refers to himself as the executive hiker. He plans his days to take maximum advantage of slackpacking (not carrying a pack). He pays shuttle drivers to take his pack to his next stop, usually a motel or hostel. My pack has two days of food because I plan to do lower miles to heal my feet. During the day Hawg convinced me to hike a little further because he had a shuttle arranged to drive him to Duncannon, PA and then slackpack several days. Given my aching feet I agreed to participate in the slackpacking hoping the lack of a pack would give my feet a break and allow some healing to occur. After 10.3 miles we stopped for lunch at Scott Farm Trail Work Center. There was a Ridge Runner there and he agreed to take our packs to the Doyle Hostel in Duncannon, so I could slackpack the next 6 miles. Unfortunately, the shuttle driver scheduled to pick us up really wasn't confirmed. Hawg tried to confirm the pick up, but couldn't connect. At 3:00 the shuttle driver didn't show. I didn't have any gear, was out of water, and really not able to physically walk the remaining 10 miles to Duncannon. Trail magic to the rescue! After a few minutes I asked a man who had been sitting next to me and who I talked to for a few minutes for a ride to Duncannon. He had been listening to our conversation and agreed to drive me to Duncannon.   On the way we talked about the trail and as it turns out, Dennis, was a former trail maintainer. Dennis also has hiked some sections of the AT but dreams one day of hiking all of the trail in Pennsylvania. We had a very enjoyable drive and I told him about myself and my hike. Later that night, while getting ice cream at the local ice cream stand I ran into Dennis. He was there with his family and I told them of my encounter with Dennis. I am at the Doyle Hostel. It is a 4-story hotel downtown Duncannon, over 100 years old. I am on the 4th floor, with no elevator. The hotel/hostel is very worn out. It has old worn charm when hotels had small rooms and everything was made of dark wood and blue peeling plaster.   I write this with the only light being a pull chain to the bare ceiling bulb on a heavily beat up dark wood dresser with a mirror faded and missing a lot of its silver backing. The Doyle's main attraction is the bar with good food and cheap prices. The place is packed with thru-hikers and sold out because there really is nowhere else for thru-hikers to stay in Duncannon. Many hikers I know are staying here and the conversation is fun. At about 7:00 Hawg walked in. At the failed shuttle location he decided to hike the 10 miles to town.My feet hurt so much that I do not plan to hike tomorrow. The blisters still hurt, but my Achilles is so sore that I limped hard the last 4 days and I can hardly walk at the moment. I plan to put it into cold water tonight and tomorrow. No ice here.