Mid-morning. Harrisburg bus terminal. It was quiet when I arrived bu activity has picked up considerably with the arrival of several buses and their passengers. The number of people ebbs and surges as buses come and go. Cigarette smoke wafts into the waiting room from the smoking area outside. Twenty-five minutes until my bus pulls out. Five hours later I will be in Delaware Water Gap
My stay at the Doyle was not bad. The place is seriously decrepit and dilapidated, worn, faded and crumbling in places. The ceiling over the shower in the third floor bathroom has collapsed from the leaking shower and toilet above. My room windows open unstably, if at all. The exterior is peeling and cracked. The eastend of the second floor balcony is closed off as unsafe. The bar and downstairs reek of cigarette smoke(*) and it's noticeable in the second and third landings. My room did not smell of smoke. The two windows lit the room well and gave a pleasant view of he river. A newly-installed gas heater kept the room toasty. Bed was decent and my earplugs kept the bar noise down.
Met another 2002 hiker now working at the Doyle: Shrek. He tod me that he finished the AT in 2003, spent time hiking the Long Trail and ended up at the Doyle because he liked the people there. I took advantage of teh 75 cent happy hour drafts. Bar was smokey at 4:00 pm but I figured later would only be worse. Managed to leave not reeking of smoke.
At this point my trip is about half done. Hiking with the horde, with Montreal and Kutsa and now on my own has been fun--not too hard and a fine opportunity to do something very much want to do.
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