July 15 Mile 1112

Started out today near Fry Shelter and left the area cared for by the Potomac AT Club. Really going to miss those guys. They do a super job.
Moved pretty slowly this morning. Warm, humid day. Near 90 and at low elevatons. Like hiking back home in mid- summer. Very sticky. Hiked up and down about 5 little ridges. Cisco called it the "baby rollercoaster". Then there were huge boulders to climb over. Kinda fun and getting us into practice for New England. The streams in Penn are quite beautiful and very clear. They all have sandy bottoms, perhaps alot of sandstone here? Certainly, lots of granite.
Around noon had some nice trail magic. A day hiker named Lisa gave us peaches, 7-Up, and water. It may seem strange to regular folks who have a car and the ability to go buy stuff at will, but for us this simple kindness is priceless. Hiking this trail gives you a very different view of the world and people.
Stopped for a lunch of ramen noodles around 2:00, swore we would never eat these again. Need a better lunch item- we have gotten tired of everything we try for lunch. Vienna sausage, summer sausage, hard cheese, noodles, - it all has gotten very old. Still sticking with peanut butter, but three more months of that may be impossible.
Relatively short hiking day-12.5 miles-probably a good thing cause we were kinda pokey today and my foot- actually both feet were aching- I need an orthopedic foot doctor out here! There must be a solution to my foot padding issues. I just can't seem to get it right. All else is good- knees, ankles, legs; I finally have the endurance to do 20 mile days, but I am still struggling with this foot aching stuff. I cant seem to get the right supports or boots or something! Argh!
Today, we are going to town! Boiling Springs, Pa. Wanted to go a little further, but no camping allowed. Why is that? After lunch we found out, came off the ridge and down into the Cumberland Valley. No longer in the woods- now hiking between farms! Cornfields and soybeans. So all private property along the trail for the next 14 miles or so.
Very pretty country, though, and FLAT. And hot this afternoon. Hiked about a mile this way, crossed a pretty stream and we are in Boiling Springs. First guy we see says, " I thru hiked in 1995, here is my cooler, take whatever you want." Gatorade! And Reese's chocolate.
Went to the AT office here and found there is man in town, real close by, who will let us tent camp in his yard for a dollar donation. He's home and we are set. Down the street is a restaurant and convenience store and coffee shop. Fantastic and such a nice, picturesque town. In the south it's all strip mall towns, here it's real towns. Very nice.



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