Boiling springs and summer things (Day 86)

We arrived at Boiling Springs this morning, just 4 miles and a short climb into the day. The part of the city I walked through seemed idyllic. Children during the summer holidays rode their bicycles along the lake shore and families fed the ducks with handfuls of bread. There was a cafe that I stopped at for breakfast, and even on a Thursday morning, it was packed with people.

Coffee and catch up

I had breakfast and ran into another hiker I’d barely seen since Trail Days. It’s nice to see an old friend, or at least that’s what it feels like. On the road, an “old friend” is simply someone you met early on. I haven’t known anyone here for over three months. But there’s something warm and familiar about spending time with people you walked with before you’d barely walked.

Weaving

The rest of the day was spent walking between the green tunnel, the open fields, the farmland and back again. In some ways, I found Boiling Springs beautiful. I have never been to Pennsylvania and often found myself taking photographs of open spaces. Communities like this exist all over the United States: very similar to each other and also unique.

summer rain

Tonight I camped with friends at Darlington Shelter. It’s getting late and I can hear the rain starting to drizzle. In the first few days on the road, I was very afraid that my tent would get wet. But now I don’t even look at the time. It’s just another part of outer life, in these cycles that ebb and flow.

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