Ironmasters and Doyle Hostels

Post date: Jul 03, 2016 1:27:23 AM

On 6/30 I stayed at the Ironmaster's Mansion which is right next to the trail and in Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania. It was a bunk style set up, which usually isn't my favorite, but really quite nice. One guy there was Bill, who is 70 and had been hiking for a few weeks, and had bad blisters on the bottom of both feet that reminded me of Yoda's blisters. Like Yoda, Bill was done by my assessment and an experienced nurse named Pops. Next to the mansion there is a small cafe which has an ice cream challenge where hikers traditionally try to eat a half gallon of ice cream. Several tried it and most were successful. Some get an upset stomach, and a few have even vomited the whole half gallon! I declined.

The next morning I hiked 20 miles to Boiling Sorings and stayed at a place called Allenberries that is a big complex on 57 acres with a hotel. The place, however, was half shut down because the present owners are auctioning it off in a few weeks. Other hikers there said it seemed very odd, almost like the hotel in the movie The Shining. One guy, Blue Sky, said he slept very poorly because images from the movie kept going through his head.

Today I hiked 26 miles into Duncannon where I'm staying at the Doyle Hostel, easily the most odd and most dirty of all the places I've stayed! Recently I've been meeting up with Blue Sky and another hiker named Bombay.

Now at mile 1146 and cruising!