Email from Boiling Springs



My REI Keen Voyager Boots

Hello Everyone,

I am in boiling springs
I need to stay here until tomorrow to fetch my new shoes from the P.O.
 Then I'll get back to the business of hiking thru Pennsylvania. I am
almost half way!

I decided to stay at this little theatre/lodge last night-the Allenberry Inn & Playouse

It is a little like Lillstreet at Lakeside.......except there are no leaches
I took a long bath last night and it was delicious!  Oh my god, the
water was filthy afterwards!

This is the Allenberry.  Image found at: 
http://www.lovely-uniqueweddings.com/images/allenberry_web_m3f3.jpg

You may have heard that I fell on a rock and busted up my head so I
was glad to clean off the wound or actually see the wound.  It
is pretty deep but not infected.  It bled periodically for 3 days but
I  can see that it is starting to heal.  When it scabs over I'm going to apply
raw butter to see if I can keep it from scarring.  My raw butter
has fermented but I am still enjoying it.  I eat a spoonful every morning
for breakfast and use it for wounds.

Three days ago,  I fell and tripped. I found a jacket on top of the mountain and while
hiking it out to the parking lot, fell and hit my head on a sharp rock.  There was blood
gushing down the left side of my head.  I could hardly pick myself up off the trail and
had to slip out of my pack.  I grabbed something clean out of my clothes sack to apply pressure to the wound.  It was a pair of underwear.  I used some of my precious water to clean up.  I didn't realize how far I was from the parking lot and decided to hang the jacket on a post near the beautiful Berlin Company Bridge that spans the----river. 
With my head pounding, and blood dripping down my face I hiked on.

I came to the parking lot and noticed a big RV.  I thought to  knock on their door and ask for ice.  I thought it would be good first aid for the growing bump on my head.  An angel and her companion answered the door.  She anounced that she was a nurse.  She cleaned my wound, and gave me a clean bandage.  Gave me a hot cup of tea, cookies and a bottle of water to take with me.  She thought my wound could use a stitch or two.  If I end up with a scar it will be compliments of the AT.  An AT Tattoo! 

It turned out that the jacket I had found was hers and as I gave them directions to the post where I had hung it.  How grateful I am to the kindness they showed me.  We said farewell and I hope the jacket was still there!!

 Pennsylvania, along the AT, is about farmland and getting in the
harvest.  There are stacks of hay being bundles and taken in.  The
fields area shades of a gold and green.  Soy, alfalfa and corn have
ruled.  I saw a bobolink flying over the fox tail grass. The grass made
a lovely swishing sound in the wind. They first hundred
miles of Pennsylvania is rocky because the trail courses over miles and
miles of glacial debree.  I fell on those rooks quite a few times.  A young boy asked
me why me knees were so banged up.  I was glad Elizabeth had given me
band-aids and pain pills!

On to Maryland!  A very small state to hike through.

It is not so easy To find the Internet and I appreciate your patience
with the slowness of getting journal entries to Madeline!

I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you for your help and support!