We stopped for breakfast at a gas station. We all look great in this picture!
Today was one of the best experiences so far. We stayed in Duncannon at the Doyle, it was an epic stay. We originally went there because Maggie was having new shoes delivered because her boots aren't working out for her.
The Doyle!
When we were there we met a trail angel named Bag of Tricks. Tricks is one of the coolest people I've met in a long time. He has thru hiked the trail before and has been a trail angel for the past 25 years. He loves helping hikers and he had a lot of great stories to tell us. He hiked with Earl Shaffer in 1992!
The Three Amigos
We went to the Doyle and rented a room. It was perfect for the price and exactly what we needed. It was nice to be able to wash our clothes right down the road. The owners of the Doyle are very friendly and the food is amazing; we got burgers and chili cheese fries. There's a bar on the bottom level and the rooms are upstairs. I think there are around 30 rooms. There's a little quickie mart right around the corner too. This is super convenient!
I was so excited to get into Duncannon, Pennsylvania today! The short four miles down the steep incline were nothing. I knew we were meeting up with Ox and the thought of seeing our friend made my pack feel light as a feather and my heart flutter with happiness. I was also receiving a package at the world famous Doyle Hotel for new shoes. What a treat for me! I was so excited about the thought of getting new shoes I pretty much danced down that mountain into Duncannon.
When we got to the Doyle I was so excited I could barely contain myself. I was smiling ear to ear and couldn't wait to get inside and check out this iconic Hotel. They weren't open yet so we chilled outside with a few other people. I could have hugged all of them.
As soon as we got to the Doyle we put our crocs on
I didn't know it yet, but I had just met Bag o Tricks. One of the most righteous, stand up, coolest people I have ever met. He was a storyteller and could easily captivate an audience with his boisterous laugh and welcoming smile. The jokes rolled off his tongue with such ease and he literally had me crying with laughter and holding my sides by the end of the day with all his stories and jokes. I really respect him and his views on long distance hiking. He also educated me about the ALDHA (The Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association). The man has a true love for the trail to preserve it and make sure it's around for generations to come. I enjoyed every second of our time shared. But let me get back to the Doyle Hotel.
Bubbles and Bag o Tricks
The Doyle Hotel is rich with history. It was originally built in the 1700's as a wooden structure. It burned down in the early 1900's and was rebuilt. It's a beautiful place and reminded me of the hotel we used to stay at in Wildwood, New Jersey (The Gettysburg Hotel). It has communal bathrooms on each floor and separate bedrooms for guests. The bar/restaurant is on the first floor and the owners live on the second floor. The two floors above that are for guests. If you are looking for someone to fluff the pillows and lay a mint on them, you are in the wrong place. But if you are looking for an experience that is rich with history and whose owners love hikers, then Pat and Vickey's (the Doyle hotel owners) place is the place to stay.
How cool are these stairs?
When they opened they hadn't even had their morning coffee yet. Vickey asked me for my trail name and when I answered, she asked, "you aren't one of those bubbly, always smiling and happy types are you"? I replied, "I am a jack of all trades, I was a bartender for years, I can act however you would like". I joked with her and laughed and all the while she still hadn't finished her coffee. It made me think of all the times I opened the bar and hoped to drink my coffee and have a dance party (with myself) and then found a patron sitting at the front door waiting for a beer at 11 am. I felt like I was starting to annoy her, but I was so happy and excited I couldn't shut up. Let's be honest, I am never quiet. I am a loud person and love talking to strangers. When we got up to head to our rooms Vickey said "Hey, I need something from you, Bubbles" and came around the bar. She had her arms stretched out big and embraced my smelly hiker butt in a big giant hug. I instantly fell in love and thought again for the millionth time, I am so blessed to be living this dream.
Our room was awesome. Big and spacious. Old and worn, and I loved it. It smelled much better than the Ecolodge in Harpers Ferry. It smelled faintly of hippie oils and it seemed clean enough for me. Our mattress was soft and had a bow in the middle which made us both end up in the middle of the bed. Which was fine with us because it was cold and we couldn't figure out how to turn the heater on.
Vickey... you can tell she loves me! (or as Kathleen says, "She looks like she's been "Margareted")
After we got settled in and showered we waited for Ox to arrive. While waiting we got to know Tricks better. This man is the bees knees. He ended up sitting with us while we had lunch with Ox and he gave me one of his hushpuppies. This big man who looks faintly of Santa Claus was winning over my heart. It was amazing to catch up with Ox. I love this man and all he stands for. I feel like there isn't anyone like Ox in the world and I always praise him. His reason for hiking is so important to me and it's important to me that he finishes this hike for his fallen soldiers. I respect all veterans and believe they deserve the world. When it was time for Ox to leave I didn't want him to go. The time flew by and I wish I could have paused and talked with him all day. He got back on the trail because he is a BEAST and crushes miles! I can't wait to see his picture standing on top of Katahdin. He is a gem and I will cherish him and his friendship forever.
The Three Amigos with Ox, again!!
A little closer now!
We hung out with Tricks for the rest of the day and he was slowly becoming my new best friend (even though I miss T-bone) and he didn't even know it. We watched movies with him about long distance hiking and he gave us treats. At the end of the night I was sad because I still wanted to hangout.
We hiked four miles into Duncannon today. As we approached the town you could see it below us. It was a beautiful view. We are staying in town to to do laundry and we will also pick up new shoes. My feet are getting very sore, especially after our 18 miles! Bubbles and I are going to try the same trail runners, I just hope that our ankles will hold up.
This is what we are walking on!
See the trail down there?
Coming into town now
Worried about how my ankles will do on these rocks!
We got a later start than normal today. We busted out 18 miles yesterday and only had 7.3 today so we took it easy getting out of camp. We slept in until 8:30, made a batch of coffee, and called to talk to family until a little after 11:00. I bet if we knew that there would be a rain storm coming later that day we would've left camp earlier!
About two miles out of the shelter Bubbles and I heard thunder off in the distance. Not too long after the thunder we felt the rain. It started off slow but by the end of the storm it was really coming down and raining really hard. It was so hot and humid earlier in the day that I didn't even bother with a rain coat. I just put my pack cover on and kept on walking. Shortly after the rain the sun came out and it felt really good.
There's a warning that porcupines like to party in this shelter! They took the stairs down because they were so bad. I don't know what a porcupine sounds like but as I'm writing this journal there's a weird noise outside. What sound does a porcupine make? We're staying in the shelter tonight because there wasn't a good spot to put a tent up here. Maybe the noise is a porcupine, haha, I don't even know what I'd expect one to sound like.
Partying Porcupines!
Earlier in the day, before the rain, it was a perfect, unforgettable hiking day. The mountains were rolling hills through this part of the trail, huge rolling hills. The sky was blue and the clouds were big and puffy. The sun was shining bright and you could see how fast the clouds were moving from the dark shadows on the trees. It was a beautiful sight to see. At one point Maggie even said, “I'll never forget this day.” Funny coincidence, as soon as she said that we got a huge whiff of what could only be a dead rotting animal! We later found out that it was a rotting deer next to the trail, haha. even with that awful smell it was a great place to be!
Not too many animals to mention today. We had a toad and a bunny at camp right before bed. We also saw an inchworm while we were taking a break on a log.
Tomorrow we are hiking into Duncannon. We are picking up a special delivery from Poppa Lip. We were hoping and thinking that getting a bigger size boot was going to help Maggie's feet feel better but it didn't help at all. Poppa Lip ordered her a couple of different hiking shoes to try and had them overnighted to the next town. Hopefully one of the pair work for her. I know she's not liking the boots. We are also going to stay at the Doyle. It's an iconic stop along the AT and has been a hikers stop for many years. If we are stopping in towns I would prefer it be at a stop like tomorrow (staying at a hostel or traditional hiking spot rather than a chain hotel) or anywhere if we are meeting family! We also got a message from Ox. He is going to be passing through Duncannon tomorrow! He wants to have a late lunch so we are super excited. I'm glad he's back on the trail and is doing well and I can't wait to see him tomorrow!
The day started out just beautiful!
Bubbles with her darn boots back on. You can tell how miserable she is by her face!
The clouds started to roll in
It was fun to watch the shadows move across the fields
It would be interesting to see what the trail will look like when the bubble
walks through (those coming from Springer in Georgia)
Trail to boardwalk to bridge to boardwalk
Inchworm
The trail is beginning to get very rocky in some areas
This looks a little bit like a roller coaster. You can see the trail ahead.
Again, the trail can be seen off in the distance
Here comes the storm! You can see the rain in the mountain ahead.
We walked 7.3 miles to the hut. It was a great downhill climb until I realized that I ran out of water (for the third time!) To make matters worse the mountain I had to climb up took forever. It felt like it kept going up forever, then it got very rocky. At the top of the mountain there was a pipeline that I had to walk over. It was weird! Now that I'm at the shelter I'm going to spend the rest of the day suntanning, hydrating, and taking it easy.
I love the little bridges over little streams
It was a beautiful day
Some of the trail looked like it would make a perfect puzzle
We broke a group and personal record with an 18 mile day! It sure feels good laying in my sleeping bag writing about this now that it's over. I have such a huge sense of accomplishment right now. I am so proud of the Three Amigos tonight. We worked together as a team and were there for each other. When we are a team we are a strong team! Good job Bubbles and Smudgy you guys killed it today!
Well I guess tick season is here because I just felt one crawling up my arm! I had another one on me earlier today. I'm glad we got our hair cut. The good thing is you can feel them crawling on you right away if you’re paying attention. Once they bite you I think their saliva releases a chemical that numbs the area so you can't feel them digging in. I hate ticks! Bubbles is freaked out right now but there's really nothing we can do. We will wake up and do a thorough check in the morning.
Center Point Knob
Explorers
Sign explaining that the Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club maintains the next 17 miles of the trail
You could see so many fish
This is a man made lake (Children's Lake) in Boiling Springs
Most of our hike for the day was through farmland. We had to cross a fenced in area with a few horses in it. The trail went right through the pasture with the horses. There were steps that went right over the fence and boom you were right in the middle of the horses it was pretty cool. Later on we came across another fence with the same looking steps going over. This spot had a bunch of cows fenced in. Some of the cows were right on the trail looking at us, probably wondering what we were doing! We kept walking on and a couple of the cows wouldn't move I had to give them a little yell and they took off!
Bubbles being cute
You can kind of tell why Jeff's trail name is Smudgy Cheeks!
Smudgy Cheeks going up and over a fence
Farms
It is peaceful out here
The horses were very close to us
Bubbles on steps
The cows were on the trail with us!
As we were walking down the road a truck passed us and gave us a thumbs up out the window. It felt good! Every day that I'm out backpacking I feel more and more like I'm doing the right thing. I feel like I'm supposed to be walking the Appalachian Trail right now. I've met some amazing people and have seen amazing views and we're still in the beginning of our hike. It just feels good to be here and it feels even better to know that I'm experiencing all of this with my wife and brother in law. The AT brings people together. Every thru hiker shares one common goal, to get to the finish line, to complete the trail.
