I had my alarm set off to go at 5:15, but I pushed it off and fell back asleep. I was laying there in and out of consciousness for a minute then bolted away because today's a town day! This is no time to relax; this is time to get going so I can get some good food, a shower, and do laundry. Kelly is also awake bright and early and we hit the trail as the sun rises over the ridge.
The trail meanders in and out of woods and pastures. The pastures are so pretty; the wheat is silver blue in the morning light, covered in dew.
We are hiking over a series of small wooded ridges separated by the fields. We hear the steady hum of the cicadas (we found out they are cicadas yesterday), but they are not nearly as loud as they were a couple days ago.
The Temperature is cool when we woke up, but now it's starting to warm a little. I stop and shed some layers as we enter another wooded ridge. We cross a small bridge over a narrow stream and can see couple of men packing up their campsite. This is a great place for us to stop and get water, so we chat with the young men as we filter our water and eat a heavy snack, which is what I consider my breakfast.
The young men are definitely not thru hiking. They have camp chairs and a considerable pile of empty tall boy beer cans. But they are friendly and they ask us questions about long distance hiking. We talk a little bit about gear, and then Kelly and I say goodbye because we have miles to do before town.
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| A bumble bee on a pea |
The hike up the next ridge is a little steep but thankfully short. We climb 1,000 feet and then have a lovely ridge walk for several miles. We see very few peopleup on the ridge, but we are passed by a fast-moving thru hiker. He has on a pair of fanciful shorts made for the trail. I tell him I like his Chicken Legz and he says thanks. Kelly is aghast; she thinks I said his legs look like chicken legs. I explain that his shorts are called Chicken Legz. They are really cute with big giant bunny rabbits on them.
We pass the blue-blazed side trail for Cove Mountain Shelter, and we have no intention of stopping there, but we do take off our packs for a minute for a pit stop and a stretch.
The trail has been quite easy in terms of slope. There are some rock fields here and there. I know From experience that my feet will ache by the end of the day with all the rocks, so I take prophylactic ibuprofen.
We start seeing more people on the trail and reach an outlook called Hawk Rock. It is obviously a popular day hiking spot because we see many people milling about. The view down the valley is really pretty. We take a couple pictures and continue down to town.
Now I am very happy I decided to take that ibuprofen because the rocks are pretty intense for the next mile or so. We take giant steps down a steep rocky incline, passing many groups of hikers going uphill. The trail is very narrow in spots, and with the steep incline it's hard to find a spot to step off the trail so they can pass.
We make it down without incident, and my pack is a little heavier because we've been picking up trash on the way down. I certainly don't mind carrying anything extra since we're heading into town.
We get to the road, and the nearby parking area for Hawk Rock is full of cars. We turn left and follow the white blazes into Duncannon.
Today is Sunday and many of the businesses are closed. We pass a car dealership and gas station on the edge of town to offload our collection of cans and bottles.
We arrive in town proper about 10 minutes later and arrive at the Doyle. We are ahead of check-in time, but we go inside to see if our room is ready before leaving to go get Kelly's car. The bartender is very amiable and he runs upstairs and returns to let us know that our room is indeed ready. We follow him up the stairs to the next landing and drop our things in our room.
The Doyle Hotel has exchanged hands many times over the years. It was originally in the center of Town directly in front of the train depot, the river only one block away.
Our room is spare but perfect for us period. We each claim a bed comma. I push on each one, wanting the softest mattress. The bathroom is spacious and clean. We plug in our electronics and then head out to drive back to Boiling Springs to collect Kelly's vehicle.
We return a couple hours later and go to work showering, doing laundry, and repacking our food bags for the next few days until we can resupply once again.
We stopped at Arby's earlier and ate a massive late lunch and we're not very hungry right now but we know we will be later. So at 6 p.m. we go downstairs to the bar and restaurant. It's really cute and I love the old woodwork and trim of the historic building.
We order a couple of beers and appetizers. The bartender was at the Ed Garvey Shelter when GG and I were there last week. He said if we stop by the Doyle he would be happy to buy us a beer, so I take them up on his offer.
The bartender is super nice. His trail name is One Speed and his parents own the hotel. He brings over a photo album that is thick with newspaper clippings about the history of the hotel, as well as pictures taken over the last 90 years. The hotel has been the epicenter of the fascinating history of the town. The pictures show a massive flood in 1936 that devastated the lower town.
I am flipping through the book and I am enjoying the heck out of my beer. I inhale a salad and then we share a couple of appetizers.
Locals at the bar getting a little rowdy in a fun way. They are singing along with Hank Williams Jr, talking about family traditions. A gentlemen comes in and I realize it's Daddy Long Legs. I joke about how we are stalking him.
We finish and say goodbye and head to our room. The air conditioner made the room delightfully chilly and dried out all of our things. We are asleep by eight o'clock.
Today's Stats: 11.4 miles, 1,273 feet gain, 2,165 feet loss
Trail Stats: 1,150 miles, 243K feet gain, 249K feet loss
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