Date: 2015-05-17
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: light rain

I got up early as usual but there was no rush today. It was only going to be a 15 mile day. I had town chores but I figured that into my game plan. It was a hot one though!I left on my own and hiked about 5 miles to a view. As I was there, Giuseppe showed up. He was just s minute or two behind me at that time. From there we hiked together the remainder of the day.The hike had some very rocky stretches. It made footing a bit more tricky. On top of it, it was raining. It really takes concentration to stay safe. The hike also had some old stone foundations and many old woods roads. I always wonder where those old roads lead. The woods hold so many mysteries and so much history that will never be uncovered. It's amazing to think about he settlers here, the homesteads, the jobs and the struggles they may have had. The woods eventually brought us to the town of Duncannon, PA. It had a road walk right through town. Unfortunately the grocery store we needed to get to was along a busy, narrow road a half of a mile away. We walked it and made it there safely. We did our full resupply for four days. As we were leaving, the proprietor of he market offered to give us a ride back into town and avoid the busy road. We graciously accepted the offer!We asked the driver to bring us to the laundromat. It was perfect. We did our laundry, charged our phones, and are some snacks we just purchased. As we sat there taking care of our things, I couldn't help be be thankful to have a chair. In the woods we don't have anything with a back to lean on...it's those little things. Anyway, sitting down we broke down all of our packages of food and separated the items for each day. It surely takes time. It's not a five minute process. From laundromat, we walked through a neighborhood because the trail goes through it too. I followed that trail and went to a campground for a shower. It's kind of weird that a campground is located 2 minutes from a residential neighborhood. Oh well. The shower felt great and it was only $5. Giuseppe needed a shower too but he opted for the Pilot Truck Stop. It has immaculate, large showers. You pay for it though. I just needed water and soap so I opted for the campground. After being so fresh and so clean, I took a walk over to Pilot because I needed fuel for my stove. Unfortunately when I arrived, they did not have what I needed. That was disappointing but no big deal in the grand scheme of things. I ended up grabbing a Mountain Dew instead and enjoyed the air conditioning.As I was about to leave, Giuseppe was walking through store. I went over to him and we sat down in the Subway located in the truck stop. I had a bunch of snacks left so I opted for that instead of buying a sandwich. It's really easy to get in a trap of buying fast food at every opportunity. The hike is very expensive anyway. We left Subway and stated our hike to camp. It was only 2.4 miles but there was a really big climb we needed to conquer first. I can say that my freshly laundered clothes were no longer fresh and clean after the climb.At camp, the Rhode Island Express (Frodo, Chef, Cruise), Giuseppe and I are tenting...on a hill. I think we are all planning on doing 25 miles tomorrow. I just hope the weather cooperates or it will feel longer. I'll see what happens!