Date: 2006-06-28
From: Duncannon

To: Clarks Creek
Miles today: 17.2

Wow! My trail has turned a corner. It's a switchback that I didn't see coming, but I'm now teamed up with a hiking partner! Last night, going out to pizza with Bare Bear, He was telling me how much he hated hiking alone. He had been hiking with Dick Tracy and that relationship had just about put him in the hospital with a broken foot trying to compete with each other. Somehow the two testoterone driven hikers were pushing each other to the limit. Dick Tracy had had enough and wasn't even in the mood to share rooms with him at this point! Thinking it over in my head, I realized, I really enjoyed the trail a lot more when there was someone hiking with me each day. Maybe not every mile, but especially at the highlights. I thought about all the overlooks that I went to see by myself, all the self portraits at major landmarks, and thought maybe it's time to stop chasing a chosen solo hiker and hike with someone who really likes hiking with company! My biggest hang up-- Could he keep up? But then again, it's coming into the hot season, where I won't be going all that far each day myself, So, I did it. I agreed to hike my own hike with my new hiker partner as long as we both so chose! Not much of a commitment, but we'll see! So, anyways, Off we went! Come hell or high water, both would indeed play their part too! I wanted to see this flooded so called impassable Clark's Creek for myself! To complete the whole AT, we had to go back a street from the main street and you know, it just happens everytime, that when there's a shorter way, It pays to take the AT! Today, we ran into a yard where the flood waters had completely washed it out. Leaving a hole the size a truck would fit totally underground. The residents were standing outside and related a story that would make you have nightmares! Their little boy, 4 yrs old, had walked out into what looked like a normal puddle and completely disappeared underwater. Fortunately they grabbed him by the hair right away or he would have dissappeared in a raging underground river! Now that the water was down, we could see the remaining tunnel and it was incredibly terrifying to imagine a boy being drowned that way. We walked on! the damage caused by the raging creeks overnight had left debris everywhere. We paused at the underpass to take photos at the "Road Closed" sign and flooded road, but managed to get by on a raised dry sidewalk. We ran across a deadly highway to get breakfast at the truck stop and I grabbed a sub sandwich for my lunch. We posed for photos on the Susquehanna. Already, I'm glad to have a subject for my photos of yet another milestone. I know looking at my own self portraits are getting as dull as dirt. The trail crossed the river on a bridge and now the trail IS a river, not really a surprise to us, but hard on the feet nonetheless. We stopped to eat our sandwiches at a powerline, checking for ticks, then at PA 225 we ran into trail magic by Windtalker and Mom's parents. Mike and Zan were already there and we stopped to enjoy the orange soda, Reece's peanut butter cups, and fruit. My favorite of favorites. There were lots of gallons of water by the trailhead, and remembering the trail angel from last year, I talked Bare Bear into carrying a gallon and I carried one to Peter's Mt shelter. It has a steep water source trail and with the flooding and all I wasn't sure if we wouldn't need it ourselves. Well, we made it to the shelter, but there was lots of water already there, so we carried it a bit farther. Finally, the extra weight proved to be too big of a burden. We topped off our own containers and left the rest for future hikers. We reached Clarks Creek and it was raging. I like swift water, but this was a torrent. We'd heard there was a safety line, but it was in shreads. Large trees were floating in the current and there was no way I was going to risk getting swept into the whirlpool washing machine hole formed by the water as it dropped off the roadway over the culverts and formed a nasty hydrolic. So, that was that. We hitched back to the Doyle. The Vortex wins! Though I can't say that's all bad! Another shower, soft bed and good food plus a chance to visit with more hiker friends that were technically a day behind now! Sleep Walker and I took a stroll to get photos of the flooded town. One yard in particular stood out as the whole back yard was flooded and a kids swingset stood in 5 foot of water! Went to dinner with Holly Trout, Belouski, Sleep Walker and Bare Bear, then back to the Doyle.