Day 19: Millersburg - New Germantown (13th June)

Put a bandage on the burned leg to keep the sun off it & headed for the ferry which would take me over th Susquehana river. it didn't leave until 11am which annoyed me as I wanted to start making up ground. The ferry was an old steam paddler (Tom Sawyer type), a replica of one which ran in the 1860's. The 4 crew were curious about where I was going & the only other passenger advised me to head up to a town called liverpool to take the route I wanted as this would be the best for cycling. On the far bank of the river I wished the lads best of luck and flew up to Liverpool to get route 17, the road for Fort Loudon my next town.
It was ver warm & humid and on the first climb I was pumping sweat. The road followed another flat-bottomed valley, similar to Wednesday, with mixed farming taking place across the valley. I reached a small town called Ickesburg & had to ask for a shop as I couldn't see any & got some cold drinks at a petrol station nearby. Went on to Blain where I stopped to eat as I was starving. A soon as I sat down I felt wrecked & asked about accomodation in the town. Was told there was none but there were campgrounds 3 miles up at New Germantown on my route. After the food I headed up the three miles & chatted for a few minutes to an old lady sitting out on her veranda. she told me of a campground just up the road. Turned out it was an RV ground & they wouldn't let me pitch a tent. But he did fill up my 2 waterbottles & told me I could camp in the state forest a few miles up.
I kept going & then got directions from a forest ranger where I could find a campground in the forest. This took me a couple of miles into the woods along a rough road but I couldn't find it. I just got browned off & decided to pitch the tent in an old disused quarry in a clearing & hidden from view by some small trees.
The night was so warm & humid I had to sleep on the sleeping bag & leave the tent open save for the mozzie net. Couldn't really sleep as a combination of forest sounds, the heat & my own imagination kept me awake. At one point fireflies made me think I could see people with torches in the trees. At another time, asleep, I woke up with a start thinking I could here voices. I wasn't afraid but I couldn't relax either. & thats how my night in the woods passed by.