7/9/99 Duncannon, the Doyle Hotel   Miles Today : 11.5 Miles to Katahdin : 1038.8

We wake up early this morning with a mission: get to Duncannon before noon meet up with Colorado's friend Eli, and check into the Doyle Hotel, an infamous place to stay and drink for thru-hikers.

We had heard that Duncannon is a rundown town, but we were not phased! We got to town before 11:00 and quickly I realized just how deshelved this town really is. The Doyle Hotel was built over 100 years ago by Anheiser-Busch. The building itself is quite unique and must have been quite a showplace in its day. With a quaint bar downstairs, three stories of rooms with high ceilings and a grand center staircase there is no question this place was once impressive. Duncannon itself was known as the Jewel of the Susquehanna, the river whose northern banks that the town lines. Other buildings on mainstreet also show faint glimmers of glory past, but know there is not much left but decrepit buildings and people who remember back when things were different.

All and all, the town reminds me of the world of Galad that Steven King created in the Gunslinger series. Just like Rolands world in the fictional novel, Duncannon seems to be regressing, forgetting how things work, letting the town slip away. Duncannon is and those living in it are desperately clinging to what little is left and memories of a better time.

The Doyle, as I described, once was a centerpiece at a booming time. Now the bar has been closed down the second floor wrap around porch has decayed and almost half of it is rotted beyond use. The part that is still in tact has been worn down to bare wood and the white railings had not been repainted since the place was built. The doors to the rooms are all still in tact for the most part, but the keys for the locks have all disappeared. In place master locks now secure the contents of the room. The furniture too is too old to still be in use but it is. All the beds creak, all of the chairs are missing at least one leg and bureaus were damaged or missing. The fans and fancy lighting fixtures that once graced every room in the place have been replaced with dim 20 watt lightbulbs. Given the condition of the place I suppose its better to have poor lighting.

The owner has tried to do some work to the hotel, however he replaced the original tubs and toilets in the 2 communal bathrooms with showers and new thrones but you can still find all of the original equipment lining the hallway.

The rest of the town too is in similar shape. There is nothing in this town that looks new anymore. The cars look as they have no place still running. The homes have lost whatever charm they once had. Most of the lawns are not trimmed as if everyone forgot how to use the lawnmowers.

At the local bar simply named the pub, arrowhead and I had a conversation with a local named Carl. Carl, like the rest of the town has seen better days. He is a steel mill worker and recounts tales of when the industry was booming as he drains what is left of his bud. He tell us that he admires what we are doing as Lydia the barkeep drops another $.90 draft down in front of him. He never did anything this he says with a little sadness in his voice, b/c that's not how he was raised. In the 30 minutes I listened to him I could hear the regret in his voice that his life never amounted to much more than working hard and drinking harder. Like the town, Carl had much potential and now seems to be just going through the motions just waiting for the end.

Carl drains his drink, pays and wishes us well on our trip. He would return later for a few more drinks but I had heard enough to make me sad and I think the same was true of him.

The day was not all bad however. There are a ton of hikers staying at the Doyle who like me, found the place quaint and wondered how it would look in better condition. The Pub, while not cozy like the downtown bar it once was, seems to be the most together place in town. There was Yeungling on tap and Lydia was everything you want in a bartender. The daughter Ashley, stopped in and talked to us about going to college and getting out of town. We wished her well.

The rest of the night we spent a t the bar with other thru-hiker. Arrowhead , Angus, Ape and others. This town, for all its faults is filled with good natured people. Many of the locals who swung by for a cold one would greet us with a friendly hello and a warm smile. It's sad to see a town turned into not much more than a freight train depot.

Now, I am trying to get comfortable on the mattress worn to the threads. It has been an interesting day and I look forward to moving on tomorrow.

-Chomp

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