Date: 2014-05-16
From:  Birch Run Shelter

To: Boiling Springs, PA (AnileÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs)
Miles today: 29.1
Weather: broken clouds

And then the rains came. And then they continued to come. All night and into the morning.And then the Appalachian Trail became the Appalachian River.I didn¢t know exactly how badly it had flooded until Birdman and I left the shelter. Within a tenth of a mile we came to a bridge crossing, and the stream beneath had risen almost three feet, only inches away from washing over the bridge itself. The power of the water had also created another creek on the other side, too wide to jump over and too deep and too swift to ford. We ended up having to lay logs and step on entire bushes to finally cross the torrent.And that was just the first tenth of a mile.The trail had literally become another creek, and for nine miles we continually had to jump, crawl, and wade our way over and through knee-deep water. At one point the current had become so strong that it washed the trail away all the way down to the bedrock. It made our already long day much more treacherous, but we just kept moving ahead in hopes that conditions would improve.And slowly they did, if only in terms of AT milestones. Today we officially crossed the halfway mark (meaning it¢s all downhill from here, right? Right?). We also made it to Pine Grove Furnace State Park, home of the much anticipated Half-Gallon Challenge, where participating hikers must devour an entire half-gallon of ice cream in under an hour. This means, of course, that the store just happened to be closed ¢ despite advertising that they were open on Fridays! Birdman and I were heartbroken, but after pouting for around an hour, our resolve was solidified: we were making it to Boiling Springs today, no matter what.And it¢s good that our resolve was so strong, as half of the state park was under water. Situated directly next to a river, the section of the AT running through the park was underneath 3-5 feet of water. We were rerouted to a section of high ground directly next to the trail, meaning we walked the same distance and saw the trail directly to our right. Still, I was saddened and disappointed to know that I would not walk on the exact path because someone didn¢t realize that ¢ Guess what? ¢ Rivers rise when it rains.Our day continued like this for the majority of our day, with constant obstacles trying to derail us from our goal. Yet with each roadblock our determination grew even more resilient, and at 5:30 PM, we found ourselves standing in the cornfields just outside of Boiling Springs. We were sore, soaked and tired, but we had finally made it.Boiling Springs is a beautiful little hamlet situated around a small lake in the middle of town. The afternoon sun reflected warmly off the water, and everywhere people were enjoying the beautiful weather after last night¢s downpour. Yet Birdman and I were on a mission, and we soon made our way to Anile¢s, the local pizzeria. Since we missed out on the half-gallon challenge, we decided to have our own little contest: a full large pizza challenge! Together we devoured two entire large vegetarian pizzas and several rounds of root beer. After such a long day, it was immensely satisfying.As we were finishing our pizzas, Birdman posed me a question: if we asked nicely do you think the owner would let us stay here? I laughed and said no, but said I would buy him a beer if he could prove me wrong. Alas, I had forgotten how resolved we had both become, and within 15 minutes Birdman had secured us a place in the warm, dry supply shed behind the restaurant. After our day sloshing down the trail, I was absolutely thrilled and gladly fulfilled my end of the bargain at the tavern door. Now I am settled into my sleeping bag, comfy and warm in a pizza shed. I can honestly say that I never would have seen that one coming.