Port Clinton and Cabela’s

We took a 10 mile hike from Eagles Nest Shelter to Port Clinton, PA after discovering Cabela’s Will shuttle you in to Hamburg, Pa from the US Post Office (among other places) in Port Clinton. The trail was heavily mined with rocks and mud almost the entire way, until the last downslope, more on that in a moment. The trail was strewn with Fern, Blackberry, some low Blueberry bushes and Red Efts (the juvenile stage of the Eastern Newt, sometimes called the Red Spotted Newt) however every time you wanted to look around you either stopped or risked tripping over a rock, as we have all done numerous times. I mentioned the last down slope... down slope would be a poor name for it. One-Thousand foot descent in about a mile with no switch-backs where the large rocks suddenly became scree and dirt. Moving down the slope was maybe the most challenging hill so far and I am soooooo glad it wasn’t raining at the time.Crossing four railroad tracks and the Schuylkill River you enter Port Clinton, a sleepy little town with a pavilion hikers stay in, and find the Post Office. Cabela’s in in the next town over, Hamburg, and they will pick you up for FREE and give you a ride into the store for resupply and since we were staying at the Microtel less than a mile away they dropped us off there first. A semi-quick shower and change of clothing later Cabela’s picked us back up and in we went. No resupply to start with just a need to get our grub on. Charlene and I had Elk Burgers w/ fries and Dad had the Angus. Talk about service, just ask and they gave us a ride back to the hotel. And.... 15% off our meal as hikers. Way Cool.Back to Cabela’s today for lunch, resupply and to get Moses a new synthetic jacket (somehow his came up missing... oh well) then a quick call in the morning and the will take us back to the trail. Cabela’s made some money on us and our endorsement with a giant helping of THANKS. Tomorrow holds a hike back up the mountain but this time we get TWO miles to climb the 1100 feet and 75-80 miles left in PA. New Jersey here we come.