Date: 2016-05-03
From: Carlisle, PA

To: Duncannon - Doyle Hotel
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

Friends - aren't they great! Today's hike was to Duncannon where two of Beth's and my closest friends (Barb & Rob Hughes) were driving way out of their way to take me to dinner. Normally the "prize"'of the day is a phenomenal view or a unique AT feature. Today it was all about people. People brought together by this fabulous trail. I do see Barb and Rob a couple times a year now but this is a one-of-a-kind visit. Beth and I have known Rob since my first job after college. After we married, we moved to an apartment complex to be close to him and then when we moved to another complex, he moved to the same complex to be with us. We can rattle off the tv shows we faithfully watched together and can relive some past moments in great detail. I can recall first hearing about Barb and getting a before and after accounting of their initial dates. Special people in our lives. The morning's hike began with dry clothes and it wasn't raining. I put on my rain gear though figuring there tree rain would fall. No tree rain though so off came the rain gear. I didn't expect the pasture walking. The path through the pasture was narrow. Rambo had warned me about cows in the field but they were far away. The surprise here was last night's rain. The pasture was very wet and soon my socks and trailrunners were soaked. "Squish, squish" was this morning's song.I met a group of hikers who recently began their hikes in Harpers Ferry. First it was Morning Song (isn't that a beautiful trail name, then Ziptie, then Nibbles and Cookie, and then Shoelace and Captain Jack. Later at dinner, I met Malachite and Misty. Most of these were in a bubble. They didn't know each other before their hikes began. Great group. Easily engaged and fun to speak with. Ziptie and I talked for a few minutes about trail legs and some initial concerns she had about miles per day. I did my best to change her focus to "fun on the trail" and let the miles come later. It felt like our conversation was helpful - hope it was. A beautiful moment came shortly after speaking with Ziptie. Two white-tailed hawks flew ahead in plain view. No picture of this but I tried to store it in my memory bank. They were simultaneously powerful and effortless as they flew. In a blink they were gone, but their moment was a real treat.Pennsylvania's rocks surfaced 6.6 miles before Duncannon. Nothing that hasn't been seen before just a lot of them. So the pace was slower than the initial 11 miles that were hiked in 2.5 miles per hour, which is fast for me. I mistakenly missed a right turn near the bottom of the descent into Duncannon. Purist that I am, I found the trail and went back up in order to get back to the missed turn. Shoelace and Captain Jack were initially confused as I approached them but understood once I told them about my mistake. Hey, it's been a while since I did this. Always good to give someone a laugh at the end of the day. Rambo had gotten a double room for us at the legendary Doyle Hotel. I fell hard for the Doyle's Vicky. She began kidding me about being a purist (Shoelace or Captain Jack must have told her about my missed turn and my hiking back to walk past each white blaze of the trail. The banter with Vicky was so warm and funny. In some ways I wish I was taking a zero day here tomorrow just to enjoy talking with her more. The Doyle - don't miss it.Dinner with Barb and Rob was over too quickly. Visits with friends like these often leave me wanting more. When I say "more", I mean "talking time", not trail magic goodies. I wouldn't be able to lift my backpack if I were to take all the food they brought. The good news is that there are plenty of hikers here who will enjoy their kindness tomorrow morning. For me, I get to go to sleep thinking about friends, just like I did all day. Steve Chapin says it right in "Let Time Go Lightly" - "Old friends know where you are, because they know where you've been." Add it to my list of why I am one lucky guy.