Days 77 & 78
We zeroed at the hotel today as our bodies were exhausted and we felt tired. It’s amazing how much your body can put up with until you rest! You’d think after walking over 1100 miles that your body would get used to the abuse, but it doesn’t! Nokey and I got ready for our 17-mile hike into Duncannon on a sunny and cool day. The first 7 miles or so were farmland and flat and went quickly, followed by a climb up to a view near the Darlington Shelter. We then had a gentle descent back down into private farmland, down to a creek, and then back uphill to the Cove Mountain Shelter. On the way up, our guidebook warned of rocky terrain, but honestly I’d seen worse rocks throughout most of Virginia! We took a short break at the junction of the Cove Mountain Shelter Trail as my Achilles tendon was screaming at me yet again. We had a great break and then came down onto Hawk Rocks and then quickly descended into Duncannon! There’s a hotel in town, The Doyle, which is a hiker staple. After getting downtown and taking a look, we decided we definitely were not staying there. I had a box to pick up there and the owners tried to convince us to stay as we got there so early, but we just got dinner and hung out with Nacho at the bar. We then met a local guy, Huey, who is an Irishman and has great stories. We all three went down to The Pub and had a few drinks. Huey then invited us to stay at his house just outside of town for the night. We happily agreed at the thought of a free night in a real bed and went with him. Tomorrow, I’m off to the doctor to see how my foot is holding up as I’m worried about the constant and nagging pain, as well as the lump on my ankle.