Boiling hot in Boiling Springs.

Day 65 - 6/20/10
Messed up the mileage yesterday. Total miles should have been 1100. I
had one to many 1's.

I also forgot to mention this in yesterdays post, but when I got to
the shelter Trashman was there. Not sure if you remember him, he's the
one who often packs out trash left behind at campsites. Anyway, I had
heard he was a retired Navy Seal, so I asked him about it while he,
Pyro, and I were sitting by the campfire. He told me all about it, his
career, and the places he lived because of the job. Puerto Rico,
Argentina, etc. Pretty amazing stuff really. It was a cool
conversation to have before bed.

I woke up this morning to a terrible stiff neck. It was painful enough
where I was considering not hiking, but I popped some ibuprofen, made
coffee, then started feeling better within a 1/2 hour. I was able to
get going by 8am, so not too bad. There was only 12 miles between me
and Boiling Springs, so I made pretty good time. There wasn't much
excitement during the 12-mile section, except one part where it was
very rocky and tough to climb through. Those parts are fun because
they take a lot of focus.

I made it about 10 miles, then hit some flat farmlands. I was walking
through vast cornfields for a few miles, and every so often I'd pass a
small collection of trees in the fields that shaded some blackberry
bushes. There were so many ripe ones because they had direct sunlight
almost all day, so I feasted once again. My hands were stained I ate
so many. Because I was so caught up in the awesomeness of fresh
berries I didn't notice the trail took a turn along a different
cornfield. I ended up walking at least a 1/2 mile, then realized I
hadn't seen a blaze in a while, so turned around and eventually
returned to where I made my mistake. I was a bit annoyed about all
that, but I was soon in Boiling Springs, so all was well once again.

I walked to the Mid Atlantic ATC buliding and saw Winston sitting
there. Talked to him for a bit, and found out he was waiting to see if
Churchill would show up. I told him how I'd been hiking with him
recently, and that he'd probably show up soon. Sure enough he was
there within a 1/2 hour, and Ace was with him. We hung out for a while
at the picnic table outside because they're actually closed on Sundays.

There's this place in town called The Allenberry Resort Inn &
Playhouse, and we all decided to go there and stay because they have
an exceptional hiker rate. Another reason was because the next shelter
is 14 miles away, and you're not allowed to camp anywhere in that
stretch because it's all private farmland. When we got there I was
impressed by the size of the place, so when I checked in I asked how
many acres they have. She said something like 57. It has a pool,
tennis courts, a playhouse for theater, and so much more, and I got a
room for only $20 plus tax.

I showered then hit up the pool right after. I didn't want to have a
brown dirt cloud following me around in the water so that's why I
showered first. It was very refreshing, and I was the only one in
there. Surprising considering it was like 90 degrees out. After the
dip I ended up going to late lunch/early dinner with the British duo
and Ace. We just went to the small pub here, but the food was good,
nice portions, and decently priced. It was nice to sit back and enjoy
a meal while feeling clean, and in good company.

Afterward I was able to talk with Jen for a bit, then I went back to
my room and got my stuff together for tomorrow. Planning on a 21+ day
so I can get into Duncannon early Tuesday morning. Also wanted to say
Happy Father's Day to my Dad. Hope you're having a good time in Popham
with the rest of the family. Wish I could be there with ya. Now it's
time for bed. Goodnight.

Total miles: 1112