Day 16: awesome snake, horror movie declined, the Doyle hotel

Miles:11
Water:4L 1 beer
Dogs: 0

Too much to talk about today.

Last night we pushed up a crazy hill to the next shelter site. On the way we saw two black snakes. The first one was the largest snake I've ever seen in the wild. He was 4 or 5 feet long and had no cares in the world. It was clearly an awesome snake. A little further up the mountain we saw a much smaller black snake, he only rated as rad instead of awesome, so no photos of him.

The shelter was a bro fest because of the holiday weekend, but we tented way in the back, where we met a section hiker named snake. Snake Pliskin. "I heard you were dead" was my correct response. He shook his head, " kids these days, they just don't get it"

(Hagakure: in the times before samurai knew every movie reference, today their vigor is greatly reduced, and the samurai now know only reddit memes.)

We started out early today expecting a busy trail day but things were eerily. We had stepped into a horror movie set up. The trail was littered with millipedes and big black beetles. The only hikers we saw on the trail was a lost family that XL used his trail map powers to save.  The trail has turned rocky and mean spirited. The hills and valleys are tough cardio and fitness wise, but rocks keep you off balance all day and savage your feet. So after 8 miles we were at a shelter, and after our big day yesterday we planned on taking a shorter one today.

Starting down the hill to the shelter things got bad, there were two downed trees blocking the path, preventing any easy entry or escape. The shelter was nice, but the picnic table was mysteriously plagued by flies, and if you sat at it for any length of time gypsy moth caterpillars would fall from the trees above and walk on you with their spongy wet feet.

Jamie took a nap and I lay there a bit examining the shelter. The steps to the shelter were torn off, leaned haphazardly against a make shift cooking bench. All the beams were pitted with a thousand tiny holes. The hiker log book was surprising empty, obviously not many ventured down here. There was a creepy poem, framed and hung on the wall, describing how nobody sees nature spirits, but the spirits see us. A stanza was dedicated to how the spirits punish those with wicked intent.  This place was already shaping up to be the PA murder cabin.

As XL lay half asleep in one of the bunks I was flipping through the hiker log, she arrived. An older woman with long grey hair, a wolf tee shirt and a pair of blue jeans on. The blue jeans were a dead giveaway, she was of the other. No sane hiker wears jeans. I said hello but she just walked by down into the woods. A few minutes later she came back, standing in the miasma of flies by the picnic table she asked. "What's your name?"

I paused considering what name to give and said, "oh I'm coinflip" expecting the normal trail name swap.  I'll try to give this next bit as close to verbatim as possible.

"Oh good, makin sure you weren't one of them gators. Ran into two gators up top, so I came down here.  They wanted to show me a time, but I don't mess with them gators. They known thieves and killers. That's why I got this."

At this point she flipped open a good sized knife. The blade flopping this way and that like the blade lock was busted.  I made a comment about how she should get a new knife, having the lock broken like that is really dangerous.

"Knife is good." She said putting it away, "my stun gun is busted, gotta get a new un. Can't be to careful with these gators around. They tried to kill me. They held up the fifth street bank, broad daylight, 5 million, nobody does nothin about em. 10 gauge shotgun, pointed right at me in the bank, took us all on an airplane. Gators dangerous."

At this point I had Busied myself with the log book. Adding just the occasional lame, oh? Or timid wow. She at this point drifted off.

About an hour and a half passed, I chatted with a through hiker who stopped to get some water. Jamie and I were getting ready to claim bunks in the murder shelter, get water, maybe make dinner when the woman came back.

"Was gonna stay up top but saw two gators up there" she said as she entered the shelter and took a top bunk.

At this point Jamie and I initiated a secret conversation by text, he said that if I got fresh water, he would be willing to do the extra 4 miles to Duncannon.  So I grabbed the water and we hiked the super Rocky four miles out, beating the rain.

Everything was in place for a perfect horror movie. Creepy cabin, weird poems, crazy person, lost family, rainy night, millipedes. We politely declined and walked away.

In all seriousness I feel for that woman, she obviously has some issues, but it didn't seem prudent to spend the night, just the two of us and her. She seemed nervous about being attacked, so it seemed better to move on than risk the chance (even a small chance) of someone getting hurt.

So instead we are at AT legendary hotel, "the Doyle". I have never seen a more polarized yelp listing, so many 5 stars so many 1 stars. This place is 100 years old, wonderful woodwork and fixtures, and totally fallen into decay. For 25 bucks a night +10 for an extra person you get two beds and a shower. The carpet has a huge hole in it, the screens are stapled into the windows. You don't get ac you get 15 year old oscillating fan. Four stories, balcony, tiny bar downstairs. The kitchen closed early for Sunday, and it might not even be open tomorrow for the holiday, so I can't vouch for the food. But that beer tasted good after our bonus hike today.

Ok stupid long post, today's nature quiz, we saw this turtle in the trail today, high backed shell, nice orange color to the shell and his legs. I've never seen a turtle like this before, what is he?