"It's always farther than it looks. It's always taller than it looks. And it's always harder than it looks!"
-The 3 Rules of Mountaineering
Start: Campsite somewhere woods
Finish: Boiling Springs, PA
Today: 8.1 mi
Total: 97.5 mi
Avg: 10.8 mi / day
The trail seemed to have a sense of humor today. After we woke and climbed the first mountain we came to the "rock maze" which was a lot of fun! A half-mile later we entered the second maze which was a little more interesting. We followed the white blazes like mice up and over rocks, around boulders, down, between, around, up, left, right...confused! It reminded me of a rock version of the Old Forest from the Lord of the Rings books where the trees and trail shift, drawing you closer and closer to the center of the forest, and the evil there. Finally, we emerged from the maze with no cuts, bruises...or cheese.
I continued north with thoughts of a town day in my head and the words "pizza, shower" being chanted behind (Heather). We escaped the forest and were greeted by 2 miles of scorching hot, bone dry cornfields. I thought that before long I would shrivel up like a raisin so we moved quickly to town.
When I set foot on the pavement the fowl stench of tar and asphalt filled my nose. This smell stood in stark comparison to fresh scent of honeysuckle only minutes before in the forest. Civilization?!
Heather and I considered what to do first: showers, laundry, or pizza. Without much deliberation we settled on the pizza restaurant (despite our smell). I wondered how we smell to clean people (hikers don't notice other hiker smells unless terrible). Was there a section in the pizza place for people like us: smoking, non-smoking, smelly-hikers? Oh well, we're hungry!
After a well-deserved and much enjoyed pizza break we walked a half mile to the hotel ($40 hiker price). After a shower all is right with the world. Your aching muscles are soothed by the clean, cool water and the layers of sweat and dirt vanish...you are a new person!
-Brian (Daddy Long Legs)
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