Crossing Cumberland Valley in Central PA: AT Flip Flop Days 15-18

Day 15

I woke up early to get breakfast and get ready to hike. I had planned to hike 15.3 miles, what would be my longest day on trail so far, due to an upcoming no camping zone.

I set out alone, and the first mile or so was magical. The sun broke through the trees and early morning mist, making the path glow among the shadows of the woods. Birds chirping and the gentle babble of the creek added a peaceful soundtrack. The ambiance reminded me of one of my favorite songs, “Rainbow Mid Life’s Willow” as recorded by Willi Carlisle. The echo of his voice and fiddle in that song always brought up a mental image of the sun breaking through a misty forest. Since no one else was around, I played the song out loud. Adding this song to the natural ambiance created an overwhelming sense of peace as I walked, sending goosebumps down my arms and bringing a smile to my face.

However, the feeling didn’t last. After climbing a hill, the trail began to narrow and the sun was directly in my eyes. My snake anxiety in these conditions was high, especially being in Pennsylvania, where there are a lot of rattlesnakes. I tripped a few times on rocks, roots, and branches, and at one point I yelled out in frustration. I rage hiked the rest of the way to the road crossing where I was going to get lunch.

Lunch came from a deli just down the road. The other hikers told me to get the wings, and they did not disappoint. Fellow flip floppers Trillium and Hilltopper got ice cream, so I copied them. I hiked with Trillium and Hilltopper after lunch and had a much better afternoon hiking with them.

After getting to the shelter and getting set up, a homeless man passed through camp with a bundle of sticks and let us know he was camping down by the creek. He came back up a little while later with a warning that had been placed on his tent by the rangers. He asked us what the rules were, and I tried to interpret the warning for him. He thanked me and went back down to move his camp. We were a little on edge that night staying there with him around, but he never bothered us and we never saw him again. We three were all grateful to have been there together.

Day 16

I slept well despite being concerned about the homeless man in camp. We got on trail early, since we were planning an 18.2 mile day through the Cumberland Valley, where there is no camping allowed except at a site in town right next to some railroad tracks. This would also make two days in a row of setting a new longest day on trail.

It was a cool, foggy morning and the hiking was easy into town. The last mile was through a pasture, and my feet got absolutely soaked in the morning dew.

We stopped and ate breakfast at the Caffe101 in Boiling Springs, which was incredible. We each got an omelet and coffee. After Trillium and Hilltopper stopped at the outfitter to get fuel cans, we set out to hike the rest of the 14 miles across the valley together.

The cool, overcast morning quickly turned into a hot, sunny day. Leaving town, I had put my trekking poles away expecting an easy flat walk. However, the mud on trail was so slick I had to get them back out right away to be able to move forward. The mud continued constantly for the first 3 or so miles out of town before reaching firm ground. We alternated between open field crossings and thick, scrubby stands of trees and bushes. It felt like we were hiking in the Midwest.

Just as we were losing steam, we came upon a Mennonite farm stand selling Gatorade and other goodies with a picnic table in the shade. We stopped and bought a Gatorade each. A polite boy from the farm rode up and talked to us as he tidied up the store. He was a gracious host and acted very mature for a 14 year old.

Fueled by the Gatorade, we set out on the final push across the valley. With our minds and bodies tired from the walk, Trillium stepped on what she thought was a stick, but turned out to be a milk snake. Having a better view of the snake from behind, I assured her it wasn’t venomous.

We finally made it out of the valley and back into the woods. We stopped at the last stream before the climb up to the shelter to soak our tired feet and wash our legs. It felt great, but we still had a climb and mile hike to camp.

We stumbled into camp to find a bunch of our friends from the Pine Grove Furnace hostel, so we had a great evening hanging out. An overnight hiker had carried up a liter of Jameson in a SmartWater bottle to share, so those who wanted took a cup or two. It was a really pleasant end to a long, hard day. 

Day 17

Since I was so tired yesterday and the forecast was favorable, I slept in my hammock without my tarp for the first time last night. It was great to be able to look up and see the night sky, and it made packing up easier in the morning. A lot of the hikers were envious of my setup. 

It was another hot day hiking, but only 10 miles to Duncannon, where we were staying inside for the night. I hiked with another flip flopper named Barfight, who wouldn’t disclose the origin of her trail name, for a while, then I hiked with Trillium and Hilltopper again for a while. We were on high alert for snakes, and we apparently just missed a massive rattlesnake on trail. I finished the day walking with Barfight again and rolled into Duncannon in the early afternoon.

I checked into the Kind of Outdoorsy hostel and immediately got a shower, with water pressure this time! Between the outfitter and the convenience store around the corner, I was able to get enough food for a resupply. All of the long distance hikers from the shelter the night before were staying at the hostel, and we hung out in the hiker lounge until dinner time. We rolled over to the iconic Doyle Hotel for dinner and beers, and then most of us got ice cream from the convenience store on the way back. I climbed up to the top bunk (they were three high!) for a warm but restful night’s sleep.

Day 18

I slept in too late to have breakfast with everyone. I quickly decided that I wanted to take a zero (a rest day with no hiking), and just hung around drinking coffee while nearly everyone else packed up and left. The McGees were getting into town this morning, so I delayed getting breakfast, but just as they got in, the whole town lost power. 

We waited around the lounge a few hours until the power came back on just in time for lunch. After wolfing down some calzones and pizza, we did laundry and chilled until dinner. The wonderful people at Christ Lutheran Church in Duncannon have a free spaghetti dinner for hikers every Wednesday during hiker season. The food was incredible, but we were all blown away by the fruit salad.

After dinner, we went to the Doyle for drinks and were joined by another flip flopper, Perch. After a while, the McGees left to take a walk around town, and Perch and I got another round and continued to talk until it was getting late.

Lack-of-Shower Thoughts 

Making friends on trail is interesting. On the one hand, it is easier than in real life. You already have something in common, you are having the same experiences, and you have fewer distractions. We are also in close quarters, whether at the shelters in the woods, sharing a bunk room, or even splitting a hotel room with someone you barely know. The sense of community is one of the biggest draws of the AT.

On the other hand, the friendships you make can be very transitory. Most of the people I’ve met I’ve only seen once or twice. I haven’t seen any of the hikers who made the first three days of this post so special since they hiked on when I stayed for a zero in Duncannon. (Spoiler alert, I’m not posting these updates in real time.) I will likely never see many of them again. This is just a fact of trail life. But there are always new people to meet, and trail can have a funny way of bringing people back together.