October 2, 2005 - Cove Mountain Shelter to Darlington Shelter
I was up late and didn’t leave the shelter until 7:45 a.m. It was an easy day of hiking to Darlington Shelter. The only
thing bad about this place is there is no water close. I carried water for 3 miles to get here. I saw a porcupine soon
after leaving Cove Mt Shelter this morning. He was a big one too. I also saw a big black snake today. I am sitting at
this brand new shelter not completely done yet and not painted. Four adults and an infant stopped by here for a
while and I talked to them for a while. Both couples had hiked parts of the trail and want to do more in the future.
This is a nice cool evening and clear. The others from the last two nights must have hiked on tonight. This shelter is
off the trail a little bit and with no water there would be no reason to stop. I stayed at this shelter alone too.
October 3, 2005 - Darlington Shelter to Boiling Springs camp site
I was out of Darlington Shelter at 6:00a.m. because I have a long way to go today. I need to go through the
Cumberland valley which from my last experience is hot and dry area. I hiked across I-81 and Pa. Turnpike this
morning and when I got to 11 at Carlisle I hiked .3 off trail and had breakfast at a pancake house. I hiked another
easy 9 miles into Boiling Springs. Camping was not allowed in town. It was not a hiker friendly town. I stopped off at
the A.T. Atlantic office for a while and called Virginia at the pay phone and bought some Coleman fuel and raided
the hiker box for some food. I hiked out of this place and I walked by a nice old furnace built 200 years ago. I
crossed over the big spring and out of town. I decided I would camp at the only legal place near town because of a
big day already. I found the campsite and set up in an overgrown field with no outhouse or water. In the next 12
hours 15 trains went by railroad which was 80 feet from camp site. To hell with Boiling Springs. They should be
ashamed along with the A.T. office for putting us in this nasty place! Some towns go out of their way to help hikers
and some places like Boiling Springs go out of their way to make it miserable. I spent no money in Boiling Springs
and I recommend that others do the same. To hell with you. Many towns try to be the friendliest town on the trail
Boiling Springs takes my vote as the most unfriendly. To hell with you. When I hear the name Boiling Springs I
always spit on the ground to get the bad taste out of my mouth! A little while ago a rabbit ran over my tarp on the
ground. I had to laugh. I also saw a nice cemetery in an overgrown field today. The family was Margarett and others
still live in the area. The dates went back to 1750 A.D.
October 4, 2005 - Boiling Springs to James Frye Shelter [Tagg run Shelters]
I was up and out of the crappy camp site at 5 a.m. The train woke me up many times and I got no sleep. I had coffee
and grape nuts for breakfast. I hiked with my headlamp out of camp. I did not take the side trail to white rocks since it
was real foggy at 8:30 a.m. when I got there. I was at the creek near Kennedy Shelter where I took a long break and
washed up and ate a bit. I felt a lot better and didn’t stink as bad either. I hung my laundry on the back of my pack
and moved on. At 9:45 I took another break at an old woods road. Fog is finally beginning to lift. After a while I came
upon Whisky spring. I love this little spring. I was here in 1981 when the gypsy moths had eaten all the leaves off the
trees on a 100 degree day. This little spring was so cold and refreshing on that hot day. I saw 2 rattlesnakes on that
day too. When I got to Whisky spring I thought I was at the wrong place. They had paved this road since 1981. I
stopped and fixed noodles and coffee and continued on to a store turnoff where I went .2 miles off the trail and got a
cheese steak sub and a pint of ice cream. I called Virginia and another 1.4 miles I got to Frye Shelter. It used to be
Tagg Run Shelter. The water was labeled unsafe at the run and the spring at the shelter was dry so I had to make
do with the little water I had. There were three people at this shelter with me tonight from Ohio. Trampin Granny,
Dead White Man and River Rat.
October 5, 2005 -James Frye Shelter to Tom Run Shelters
I was up at 6a.m. and left soon after to find water. There was suppose to be a spring .4 mile from the shelter but I
believe a relocation went around it and no water was to be had. This was bad because the next water is a long way
at Pine Grove Furnace. I got to the Pine Grove Furnace State Park and got some water out of a small creek. I was
really thirsty by then. I then went to the ice cream place at the ½ way point and found out it was closed! I ate ½
gallon here in 1981 and I wanted to eat some ice cream on this day too. I ended up buying a Coke and put some
booze in it. I hiked out and came across an old building and stone wall which had been a prison during the Civil War
and WW 2. I hung around it for ½ hour looking at the construction. I went on to Tom Run Shelters where I will stay
tonight. I stayed at the shelter farthest away from the spring. The spring was a little very nice one very near the
chimney which was from an old house. It was here in 1981 and I remember it. The Ohio people are here too. Two
more hikers are here tonight too. Shakes and his friend. Shakes got all of his gear stolen at Delaware Water Gap at
the hostel. He was 3 days behind me when this happened. It is a nice evening here with a fire. There was no working
phone at Pine Grove Furnace.
October 6, 2005 -Tom Run Shelter to Birch Run Shelter
I slept well last night. I have made it to Birch Run Shelter. Grump and Shakes are at this shelter and later in the
evening J-Bird, a yo yoing thru-hiker came through tonight going farther south yet tonight. A yo yo thru-hiker hikes
the trail in both directions in the same year. This is a real nice shelter. It rates 5 stars in my book. It is of heavy
wooden beams and a polished floor with lots of bunks. It has a nice yard out front and a great water source. The
picnic table is under an overhang in case it rains. We had a nice fire out front this evening. I got in here at 10:00 a.
m. and decided to take the rest of the day off. I relaxed and took it easy and ate a lot. I love small days to rest up
and relax. Dead White Man took my picture and will email it to Virginia when they get home. Their last day of hiking
is tomorrow.
October 7, 2005 - Birch Run Shelter to Quarry Gap Shelter
It started to rain in the night and it continued to rain as I left the shelter. The rain did slack off a bit at sun up so I
packed up and left. I hiked hard to Quarry Gap Shelter where I planned to go anyway. I got here in 4 hours and it
was raining hard, and continued for the rest of the day and night. When I got here I stripped off and took a shower
with the run off and put on some dry clothes for the remainder of the day. I hung out on the front porch all of my wet
stuff. These shelters are connected by a common front porch and roof with a picnic table covered in between. It is
well maintained by Jim Stauch who has flowers all around and a spotless outhouse. He had just painted the floors of
the two little shelters before we got there and it smelled brand new. Thank you Jim for all of your great work. They
need you in Boiling Springs! There are also two tent platforms nearby. This is the first real rain I have seen since
Gren Anderson Shelter in N. J. The last time it rained this hard on me was at Standing Indian Shelter in the spring
during a tropical storm in late May. Shakes is here too and three others going north are in the other shelter. There
are acorns falling off the trees and they sound like guns going off when they hit the tin roof.
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