Day 11 (July 3rd) - DOYLE "HOTEL" DAY

"Do or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda

Start: Darlington Shelter
End: Doyle Hotel
Today: 11.3 mi
Total: 123.0 mi
Avg: 11.0 mi/day

It was easier than normal this morning since we didn't use a tent last night (slept in Darlington shelter). We were awake at 6:20 AM and off by 7:20 AM. Being the first person on the trail has it's drawbacks, though. I had the delightful duty of walking through and clearing all the morning webs with my face, ears, hair, eyebrows, arms and legs. Trying to pull them off didn't work as I just transfered them from one appendage to another. Maybe today was the day I should have let Heather go first. The morning consisted mostly of descents but in the early afternoon things turned upwards. One part of the trail rose 600 feet in just half of a mile. This steep mountains staircase was like climbing a 30 story building for each lap of a running track you walked...with a heavy pack, hiking poles, knee braces, and gators.

We were relieved to get the top until we realized it happened. We had been dreading this moment for days. The last 150 miles of Pennsylvania is littered with them. Hikers have come to call this part "Rock-sylvania" and it isn't because of all the rock stars the state has turned out. These small, sharp rocks bite right through your boots, sending flashes of pain to every corner of your foot. My feet contain 25% of the bones in my body...every single one of them hurt! We carefully moved forward. No pain...no Maine!

On the trail you have a lot of time to think. Often during these tough sections my mind wanders but today one interesting thought popped into my head. I felt as though hiking the trail was all some huge psychological experiment and I was the test subject. That up in the sky there was an advance species, dressed in white lab coats, collecting data on my progress and my mental state.

After nearly 10 miles we came to an amazing overlook. We could see so much, including the very town we were trying to get to...what a tease! Finally we grinded into town with both sets of knees hurting but Heather's right knee killing her. She saw a really nice Dr. in town who said to stay off it for a day so I got a room at the Doyle hotel ($25 a night). If I were to tell you that Doyle had character, that would be true. Many layers of filthy, grimy, dirt packed character! This building was built in 1905 as one of the original Anheuser-Busch hotels. Everything sure looked original to me from the rotten floor planks, the ceilings planks you could see through, to the paint chipped walls.

I looked into the mirror and could barely see myself through the permanent fog of the glass so I went down the hall to the SHARED bathroom and took a shower. Despite all this Heather and I were really excited to be here and are having a great time. The owners (an old couple) are hilarious and so nice. What an experience!

~Brian (Daddy Long Legs)

P.S. It may be strange putting bug spray on before going to bed indoors (no screens in windows so bugs share room). Sweet dreams!