Today was a nondescript day, about 50% rocks, and 50% soft trail. The elevation was relatively flat, but it was both an easy and a hard day. It was easy in that the trail was relatively forgiving, but the rocks were terrible. There were at least four boulder fields to cross. The weather was dry and cool. When I got to the shelter, which was Eagles Nest Shelter, it was full of mosquitoes, so I set up my hammock in a nearby cleared space. A number of through hikers have either been here and left or are staying the night.

 The reason the day was terrible was because I spent most of it trying to figure out why I am here. I briefly spoke to Allyson earlier today to make arrangements to stay in Port Clinton tomorrow, and I asked her why I was here. She replied, “Because you love it, and because you spent a lot of money to get there.“ That’s not a “why” – that’s a “how.”

I can think of two reasons why I’m here. The first is because I wanted to discern whether or not I want to become a deacon. So far, I haven’t gotten an answer, and I don’t think I’ll get an answer until maybe next year. In fact, my buddy in Harrisburg gave me several reasons for not becoming a deacon so maybe that’s the answer. Unless something happens in the next week, I don’t know that I’ll be able to figure this one out yet, and that’s probably the way it ought to be.

The second reason is that I wanted to put a period at the end of this phase in my life. I wanted to definitively end my IT career, hit pause for a month, and then start to do something new in August. I think I’ve accomplished this one. It’s not that I wanted to just leave everybody, the break was more for me than anybody else.

I heard those 30- somethings several days ago talking about “finding themselves” on the AT. i’m not trying to find myself, I know who I am. I don’t believe the AT can help you find yourself. What the trail does is it magnifies those things that you don’t have time to think about in the real world. So anything you “find“ on the trail you already brought with you.

My cough has gotten worse, and my feet are killing me on these rocks. I’m not ready to quit, but I’m taking it one day at a time. Please pray for me.

Today’s mileage: 9.8

Total trail miles: 185.6

I want to start this post by giving a shout out to eBunny, who is on the trail starting tomorrow at Harper’s Ferry going north. She’s leading a crew of three women to complete Maryland, and parts of southern Pennsylvania. When eBunny first met me, she was not a hiker, but I soon changed that. Not only is she a hiker now, but she’s a crew leader and I’m very proud of what she’s learned. Follow her crew here.

Last night was very weird. The evening sky was clear and the air was crisp, so I walked across to the Wendy’s to get a burger and some chili. The sales person was having trouble with one of those multi soda machines, you know the kind that’s got a screen with 100 different flavors and you select your flavor and it pours it. She said she just got it and it just wasn’t working right. We had a little conversation about the woes of IT.

On my way back over to the hotel, there was an ambulance in the porticache of the hotel. Apparently one of the hotel visitors was leaving, got in his car, and promptly expired. His wife, of course, was very upset. She said that he had cancer, and that it was not unexpected. But it’s a little unsettling to come back to your hotel to see a dead body on the ground. My first thought was that he was probably a hiker, and he was just sick of hiking.

Even though I was in the hotel, I didn’t sleep very well. I woke up this morning with a slight cough, and I hope that it’s just a temporary tickle in my throat. My shuttle driver Manipedi was right on time. He had hiked the entire Pennsylvania section before and was a local. I got a ride back up to the trail for $20. He also gave me knowledge of the trail going forward and put my mind at ease that the rocks didn’t get really bad until a little bit later on.

The trail this morning was beautiful, gentle ups and downs with soft tread. It quickly turned rocky. It began to run the ridge I would say 60% of the trail today was rocky and 40% was soft.

2 miles in, I came across the famous 501 shelter. This is more like a cabin than a shelter. It’s enclosed on all sides with a roof and two doors. It’s large with bunks for 12 people, shelves with books and games, a large central table and an octagonal skylight centered in the ceiling. Nobody was there, but I could see how this could be a party central to some kinds of hikers. Pizza boxes were stacked in the corner. Apparently, the shelter is so close to the road that you can call and get a pizza delivery to the shelter. I got some video of it.

It was a short day, only seven miles or so. When I got to Hertlein campsite, it was everything they said it would be. At the top of the ridge are three separate mountain streams that converge into one larger stream further down, and settle in a large pond that is held by a cement dam with a waterfall. I set my hammock up right next to the waterfall. When chores were done, I used a rope swing to swing out into the pond, which is essentially a large swimming hole. I got it all on video so if you wanna watch something funny. I’ll post it in a few days. Needless to say the water was pretty cold. I didn’t stay in very long.

It’s still pretty early in the day and I’m laying in my hammock composing this note. I’ve been thinking a lot about Allyson today on the trail. Our 32nd anniversary is next week. It’ll be the first one that we’ve celebrated apart. Today I was thinking that on the first Sunday of July, I’m sure she went up to the front of the church during Mass and received an anniversary blessing without me. That hurt my heart a little bit. You see, Allyson and I have the most blessed marriage on the planet. My marriage has convinced me to a certainty that there is a God and he loves me because that is the only explanation for how blessed we are. I miss her and I’m tempted to come home now. The only thing that keeps me from doing that is knowing that she would want me to stay and finish what I started. That’s how much she loves me.          

Today’s mileage: 7.5

Total trail miles: 176.3