Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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July 5, Garmanhaus B&B Boiling Springs, PA - mile 1101.8

I feel like the most spoiled thru-hiker on the trail. I can hardly believe the life of luxury I lead these days. After a lovely overnight stay at the hostel, we hiked into Boiling Springs today, but not without patronizing a small store just off the trail for lunch, and now we've had supper at a local pizza place & we're staying in a B&B. This is not exactly roughing it!.

Even still, the decision to stay here wasn't easy. When we arrived at the ATC Regional headquarters here in town, we were just ahead of a thunderstorm, so we hung out on the porch for an hour or so trying to figure out our options. For the past four miles & the next fourteen, no camping is allowed along the trail, except for one spot .3 mile before the town. In addition, the B&B allows camping on their back lawn for $1, but no use of the bathrooms or anything inside. We very rarely choose to do that, but for the bathroom situation. When I asked the owner how that worked, he indicated we should walk down to the nearby restaurant or the pool to use their facilities if necessary. That's fine for supper time, but what about those middle-of-the-night trips???! Now that we're here, I'm guessing his backyard bushes probably get a good deal of watering by hikers.... Anyway, with the weather growing darker & darker, we decided to spring for a room here & just not worry about getting wet or whizzing in front of the neighbors or anything!

But being here has been an adventure all it's own. We were instructed immediately upon arrival to leave our packs outside & to shower & put on clean duds before going out for supper, We then got a tour of the B&B, which is completely empty tonight even though when I called to inquire, I was told we were getting the last room. There's also rules about where to leave our towels, put our shoes, how to open the windows, and so on & so on. It's very much like being second class citizens.

However, our tummies are now full & happy, we're clean & about to enjoy a soft bed for a second night in a row, so all complaints must stop. The sky is turning many shades of pink as the sun sets & I'm thrilled to be here to see it!

I nearly forgot the high light of today - we passed the midpoint marker! It's just a simple sign built by a thru-hiker from 1985, & of course, it's not perfectly accurate because constant trail relocations are always changing the total mileage. But it's close enough & it's an amazing thrill to pass by it after all these months of hiking. I'm halfway to Maine!