Date: 2010-04-19
From: Port Clinton

To: Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: broken clouds

Last night the young woman who works at Union House offered to take me to the store when she got gas before going home. Thank you! So I picked up some juice and milk and muffins for breakfast and more cheese for the trail. This morning after eating and packing up I walked across the street to the post office to pick up my package and discovered my drivers license is missing! OH NO! Nothing else is missing. Just the drivers license. The post man was nice and accepted my Costco AM EX with picture as an ID and I got my two boxes. (1 fuel). We chatted a bit and I packed up wondering where it is and how I get on an airplane at the end of this trip without it. The hike itself was lovely. The guide book scared me into planning a short day but, aside from a little up and down it really wasn't any more difficult than yesterday. I told my knee and feet that we were just going on a stroll and we did not have far to go. It would be a nearo (nearly zero miles walked). And such was the case. I left the PO before 9. I moseyed up the trail and there were a couple nice views on the ridge. Other than a few rocks and some steep downhill to a couple springs, the trail wasn't bad. I had lunch near Pocahantas Springs sitting in a rock armchair someone had constructed in a lovely grassy clearing. Nice. I also made phone calls to every place in Duncannon or Port Clinton where I had stopped or bought anything asking about my license. No luck finding its whereabouts however. After a long (1&1/2 hour) lunch I walked on over really nice trail. It was about 70 degrees although the breeze was cold on the ridge before descending. There were a lot of bluets on and in the old woods road, purple violets on the side and a lot of that purple and white striped variety I saw yesterday. Two day hikers past me on the way to the shelter and about 8, including Chaos and Rcih, who stopped to talk, have passed the shelter. I got here before 3 with plenty of time to wash some of me and socks and bandana. (They are already dry.) My cousin, who is my transcriber, asked me, when I checked in at Port Clinton, if the Pennsylvania rocks were as bad as the Maine rocks. No, everything is easier than Maine (at least until I get to New Hampshire next year.) These rocks are different. Funny how rocks can be different. Actually there are plenty of rocks on the AT in every state through which it passes, just more here. The trail is often (but not always, thank you, God) rocky - big ones, little ones, sometimes scattered, sometimes very, very thickly covering, sometimes just big piles of boulders. There were some boulder piles today and some scattered somewhat thickly on the trail. But there was also good trail. I had dinner while watching a bunny rabbit or two hopping down the trail and turkey vultures through the trees soaring high above me. Look out mr bunny rabbit. I hung my bear bag. One has to be careful hanging a bear bag around here. Not only is it hard to find a branch among all these smooth trunked trees, one also has to be careful the branch is not right over a patch of poison ivy or a bunch of rosebushes with sharp thorns. But I was successful. While I was hanging up my bear bag someone dropped a pack and poles at the front of the shelter so it looks like I will be having company. Why, yes I am. JP caught up with me. He is a 26 year old whom I met at the Doyle. So I chatted with him while he fixed his dinner. Nice to have company in the shelter for the night. He did not find my drivers license on the trail anywhere, though. The sun is going down. Drivers license or no, life is good.