Days 113 + 114
Day 113: Mile 1117.5 | Stealth Campsite
We woke up to clear skies and sun! We walked over rocks all morning and came to an intersection under construction. 0.3 miles up the road we visited the general store and got lunch. There we met Hard Hat, the first Flip-Flop hiker we’d met!
We headed back out to the trail after a sandwich, milkshake, onion rings, coffee, and a few pepperoni sticks. The trail was rocky and it pounded the bottoms of our feet painfully. We stopped by a stream early and made dinner. The dinner fueled us to hike into the dark. As the sun went down I did the last rock scramble of the day with terribly confusing blazes. Eventually, the trail turned back to small, sharp rocks.
Near a road, just after dark, we found a clear, clean stream. There haven’t been many good water sources since the beginning of Pennsylvania. We stopped and used our headlamps to gather a few liters of water. For the first time on this hike, we saw fireflies. Tons of them surrounded us and flashed independently. They were beautiful.
We made camp not long after that and shared Miles’ tent as the rain fell in the night.
Day 115: Mile 1122.7 | Days Inn @ Carlisle, PA
We desperately needed to laundry. The last time we had done it was a Bear’s Den... 11 days before... we stunk and our socks had developed a harsh crust. I woke up on this day with a terrible headache and a stomach ache. I really didn’t feel like hiking.
We took on the mostly flat terrain at a good clip. I had a package at the Boiling Springs Post Office and we weren’t too far away. On the way into town we stopped by the local ATC office to check out the hiker box.
We made it there just as the post office closed for lunch. Across the street, the local outfitter didn’t have anything I needed, except for socks. I bought my socks and Miles and I went to the Cafe for a spot of brunch and coffee. We downloaded new books and podcasts on the cafe WiFi while the postal workers finished their lunch breaks.
At 1:30pm I ran over and got my new shorts, which would hopefully mitigate my terrible heat rash problem on my inner thighs, while Miles hung out at the cafe. I changed into them in the cafe bathroom to make sure they fit.
I took a look at the map. We had 11 miles until the road crossing where an affordable hotel we had agreed to stay at was. I called and they said their new owners were no longer shuttling hikers. I didn’t want to walk another 11 miles this day. I was tired, had heat rash, a terrible headache, and an odd stomach ache. I just wanted to be clean and lay in a bed. I discussed with Miles. He wanted to keep walking, I didn’t. He said if we could get a free ride there then we should just go.
Sitting around at the cafe trying to decide what we were doing, we overheard a couple hikers say they had a car nearby. They were ‘SNOBOS’ hikers who had two cars on trail and hiked from one car to the other all the way up the trail. We struck up conversation with them and Hardhat and they offered to take us to the hotel! We loaded our packs into their trunk and they drove us to the hotel in Carlisle, a nearby town.
When we arrived we thanked them and went to the hotel door. Miles realized he had forgotten his poles somewhere. They were gone. He couldn’t set up his tent without them and they cost a lot of money to just replace. He was freaking out. “I knew I should have just kept hiking!” He lamented. I stayed calm. I called the cafe to see if they were there but, no sign. I remembered Hardhat had been there as well. He had followed me on Instagram a few days before. I messaged him and asked if he had seen them. He said there weren’t any at the cafe but there was a pair near the hiker box at ATC. He sent a photo. They were Miles’ poles! Hardhat offered to take them with him and Miles could get them the next day. The shelter Hardhat could meet us at would make a 13 Mile day. We thanked him profusely. Problem solved! Miles was still mad at him self but he eventually calmed down.
I checked us in and got the hiker rate! The room was nice! And on the first floor! We exploded our packs and Miles offered to do the laundry. I went to get quarters and soap for the laundry, they didn’t have any soap. They said the grocery store is right around the corner, though. They meant half a mile away. Annoyed, I walked the half a mile to Giant and got laundry soap and some snacks while I was there.
When I got back I took off my smelly clothes and got in the shower. Miles put the laundry in. We laid in bed after and I just tried to sleep. My head hurt badly though. Maybe I was dehydrated? I drank as much water as I could but the chlorinated tap water felt like it just made me thirstier.
Miles went to check the laundry. He dried everything on high. Thankfully only the waistband on my new shorts had shrunk and not drastically. I freaked out a little though. I was mad because I had just bought them and I usually am the one who does the laundry. If I had done it my way it wouldn’t have been messed up, I thought. They were just shorts... and they had only been $20 on sale. It wasn’t a big deal. I made Miles feel bad and I hadn’t meant to.
I realized that day that even if you did do everything ‘your way’ it doesn’t always turn out right. And letting go of control can be ok. It needs to be ok because you can’t always have control.
We had pizza for dinner and went to sleep early. The bed was comfortable and I was exhausted.