Date: 2013-07-09
From: Stealth camp at Clarks Creek, PA 325

To: Stealth camp at Swatara Gap, PA 72
Miles today: 17.4

I slept like a rock last night. When I got up an early morning fog hung over the creek. And the water smoked like a witch's cauldron. It was eerie and romantic. Pantry headed out ahead of me, and I never caught up with her. The gnats had no problem keeping up. They swarmed my head in impossible numbers. I covered myslef in Deet, but only seemed to get them more excited. By the end of the day I had gotten 4 in my eyes, 2 up my nose, and 4 in my ears. I ended up draping my handkerchief over my head and topping it with my caps. It kept the bugs out of my ears, but concentrated them in front of my face. I took to swinging my left arm in front of my body like an airplane propeller. With each rotation I would hit a half dozen or so. I'm going to have to get a head screen. I cursed myslef for being too stubborn to take the one Redspecs had offered up a couple of weeks back.The trail took us through an abandoned mining village. Piles of rocks in rectangular-ish forms were all that was left. There was a mailbox, with flag raised, standing in the middle of it all inside was a trail register. The area is dotted with giant uniform mounds. At first I thought they were monoliths, but then I realized that it was leftover mining debris. There were huge trees growing out of them, the only indication to their possible ages. All day I thought I heard thunder, but the noise came at too predictable of intervals to be natural. I found out later that there is a military facility nearby, and most likely what I was hearing was artillery. Crazy. I slipped and slided down the loose, rocky hills. Sometimes it felt more like I was wearing rollerskates than hiking boots. I stopped to eat some blueberries and blackberries. My gnat friends, ever loyal swarmed my head. I stopped at a campsite right beside a flowing creek. I was hot and sticky and covered in Deet. I took advantage of the solitude to strip down to just my crocs and take another river bath. I'm loving these river baths. My feet and knees ached with happiness. I wanted to stay in the creek, but I could feel the cool water sucking the heat from my body. I started to shiver. I headed back to my clothes and my pack. The mosquitoes were right behind me and took advantage of my Deet-less body. II knew I wanted to go a few more miles, so much to my shagren, I covered myself in another layer of poison, and I hiked onI had hoped to get several more miles in, but as I was coming down into Swatara Gap, a minivan passed in front of me. The driver jumped out and waved at me. I couldn't tell if it was a generic 'hello' wave or if she was trying to get my attention. I lingered awkwardly and then started to set off, when she called me back. She introduced herself as Sharon, president of the local hiking club. She handed me her card and we stood talking for several minutes. She said that she was going to be hiking in New Hampshire in a few weeks and asked me what my plans were up there. I confessed that I hardly knew what I would be doing in two days, much less two months. Only afterwards did it dawn on me that she saw me as an expert and or good resource in terms of long distance hiking. I still didn't see myself that way, but it was flattering at someone else might. She offered to give me a ride into town, but I just said that I was looking for a place to camp. She walked down with me along the banks of the river as I chose a flat spot with decent water access. I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to get in the water. In the last 24 hrs I've had three dips in my birthday suit, and I'm pretty pleased with myself. I watched the evening light as it turned tangerine and slid through the trees. The lightning bugs came out and put on their show, bobbing above the black waters of the creek. It babbles to my right as the traffic of I-81 roars to my left. The yin and the yang. Hopefully it makes for sweet dreams.