0845. Allenberry
It was a great night at Allenberry. The blog was better off, I had talked to a few of the other lodgers, I was clean with a full belly and most of all I was rested. I had talked with Jan and she had checked that I had hiked 23 of the last 24 days. It’s time to take a zero and give these legs a bit of a rest. We need a good resupply point with restaurants a bunk and at least some semblance of quiet.
Allenberry became more personal for us when we met the owner the next morning. Katie Kennedy is the proprietor of the facility and her personality alone would make you want to stay. We had breakfast there and spent quite awhile talking about family, her business and our hiking. She is on the left in the picture. The girl in the middle is also Katie and attends Florida State. The girl on the right is Katie’s daughter Grace (my mother will be pleased) and she attends the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. Folks like these let you know that there are plenty of wonderful people in the world.
0935. The Day Promised Some Great Hiking Up to the Last Mile:: Then a Climb
The hiking for the first 12 miles was a pleasant reprieve from our first month of winter hiking on the tops of mountains in Virginia. It was going to be warm so we moved along at a steady pace.
0953. Scenes of Pennsylvania Hiking
This was indeed pleasant hiking. It was the flattest land we had seen. I saw an occasional day hiker but no one either NOBO or SOBO made an appearance. I trailed A & A by as much as a quarter of a mile and, as usual, I’d catch up whenever they found something of interest or someone to talk to.
So there were three people who stopped at a restaurant along the Appalachian Trail. They all ordered the soup of the day. One was a day hiker, one a section hiker, and one a through hiker. When they got their soup each had a fly in it.
In disgust the day hiker pushed the soup away refusing to eat it.
The section hiker calmly picked out the fly, flicked it away and ate the soup.
The through hiker grabbed the fly and screamed at it, “Spit out that soup. It’s mine!”
1332. Hiking Along the Conodoguinet Creek
After several miles of relative flat we worked our way down to a large creek that feeds into the Susquehanna River. Folks were out kayaking on it and the feeling was peaceful especially in the heat of the day. The rivers name is Native American and it means “river with many bends.”
The Peaceful River Caused This
Already posted on a previous day you all already know what befell me because of the peaceful river. I was forced to take a birthday nap in order to dream of cake and ice cream. This was at Scott Farm a homestead once close to collapse but now preserved by the Appalachian Trail group from the area
1532. From Scott Farm the Climb Began
We had another two miles after the farm of relative flat but then we had an 1,100 foot rocky climb to our shelter of the night. The river was left behind as we worked our way up a series of switchbacks to the peak.
Along the way we came upon an old car frame which signaled the location of a strong spring with a large pipe in the ground which made gathering water easy. There was no water at the shelter so I had to carry the unfiltered water for the remaining mile to the shelter.
1651. It’s Keener Again!!
The last time we saw Keener was on 27 April with Spoiler. That was back in Maryland. Today she was hiking with another friend once again hiking SOBO.
1711. Our Last Climb of the Day
One more 1,100 foot climb and we would be at Darlington Shelter for the night. The next would involve only 1,700 feet of climbing and 11 miles into Duncannon where we planned to take a much needed zero.
Along the way a seat had been built at an overlook which looked back on the last 80 miles we had hiked. Off in the distance we could see Boiling Springs. It’s really quite amazing when you realize just how much you’ve managed to hike. 435 miles behind me. Only 1,765 miles to go. Hike on!
Wanderings With Wayne 