Day 80: Palmerton to Bake Oven Knob Shelter

Today's Miles: 8.0

Total Miles: 940.3

I struggled to get up this morning. I could still feel the dull ache in my head from yesterday's headache. I took my time getting ready and went to get Chinese food for lunch. I walked the short ways to the grocery store, bought a gallon of water, and got a free apple for being a hiker. That was a nice surprise. I headed back to the trailhead in the late afternoon to get a few miles in. 

There wasn't much excitement today. I crossed a bridge spanning the Lehigh River and had a small ascent out of town. It was a day of mostly flat trail and small rocks, what I'm beginning to believe most of Pennsylvania will be like. The shelter I'm staying at is pretty gross. There's trash everywhere and a few stink bugs hanging around. I put my tent up in the shelter to provide a barrier between them since I'm doubting anyone else will show up tonight. The water here is dry too, but thankfully I still have enough from town. 

Lehigh River

I'm glad there's such distinction between the two...

Day 79: Smith Gap Road to Palmerton

Today's Miles: 12.0

Total Miles: 932.3

My first day back out on the trail, and already one that I wish I could forget. I took the overnight bus back to Easton, and I somehow thought it would be a good idea to hike out this morning. John Stempa picked me up from the bus station, and we only made it a few miles before I realized I had left my sleeping bag on the bench. We drove back, and I could only hope that it would still be there. Thankfully, two men that were on the last bus with me recognized it and were turning it into the ticket counter when I walked up. I was so relieved and very thankful that good honest people picked it up. That would have been difficult to replace at this point. John brought me back to the trailhead and showed me some Chestnut trees in the area. Apparently he works with a group that identifies them along the trail. I repacked my bags before moving on. It was a late start, but I was feeling confident. That wouldn't last for long. 

When I stopped for lunch, I heard someone behind me say "Is that Breeze?" It was Grub, a SOBO I hadn't seen since the beginning of New Hampshire. I learned that he was getting off the trail today and heading back home. He had been alone on the trail for a while, and it had gotten to him. It was a little hard to see on the first day back, but I tried to stay motivated. 

I had missed the sign for the spring along the trail, and struggled to make it through the day with only a 20 ounce bottle of water. I passed a day hiker and asked if there was any water up ahead, and she offered me a water bottle. There wouldn't be another water source all day. I don't know what I would have done if she had not offered me that bottle. I was overtired, dehydrated, and had a migraine setting in. That little bit of water at least gave me a little something more to keep me going.  I wanted to stop, but I wouldn't have enough water to make it through the night. 

I had to pass through the Superfund site, which is apparently a large area of zinc waste. It was all along an open ridgeline, which was even worse for my water shortage. As I continued on, I started to get a shooting pain in my knee with every step. I wasn't expecting this my first day back on the trail. It made for very slow going the rest of the day. 

As I made my way down to Palmerton, I was presented with a giant boulder field to descend. It was starting to get dark at this point, and by the time I reached the road night had moved in. I called a taxi to get into town, where I felt I had no other choice to go. I needed water. I went to the police station to register to stay at the Jailhouse Hostel in the Borough Hall basement, where hikers can stay for free. I went back to wait for the police officer to unlock the door, but he didn't come. Around 9:00, someone peered through the basement door and yelled at me to "Hit the road." I tried to explain I was a hiker, but he walked away. I guess he had still been inside and was locking up for the night. He was not very friendly and let me in reluctantly. At this point, I was tired and hungry, and my head was pounding. I pulled out my sleeping bag, and I'm ready to sleep and accept that this day is finally over. 

Day 78: Kirkridge Shelter to Smith Gap Road

Today's Miles: 17.3

Total Miles: 920.3

I got a decent start this morning and left the shelter a little after Chicory. The day began with some tricky navigating over Wolf Rocks, but it quickly flattened out minus some small rocks for the remainder of the day. I can deal with the small rocks better than the large ones. They are mostly avoidable if you're careful where you step, and I'm glad I have a good pair of shoes for it. It would probably get a little old with a pair of trail runners, so it seems a good tread is key. 

It didn't take long to reach Wind Gap, and I stopped shortly after the ascent out of it for lunch. I only had about 7 miles left. The rest of the day was rocky, but flat. I was able to make pretty good time, only slowed by the massive amounts of spiderwebs in the middle of the trail. I figured Chicory must have gotten off in Wind Gap, or these spiders are crazy to have reconstructed that fast. They were all complete spiderwebs and I felt a little bad about having to destroy them all. I spent the remainder of the day with my poles in front of me, knocking down the webs before my face was required to. The forest I walked through was actually very pretty, and I was a little saddened that I had to spend so much time looking down at where my feet were landing instead of enjoying the beautiful fall colors that surrounded me. 

I reached Smith Gap Road around 3:30, where I would be meeting John Stempa for a shuttle to Easton. I walked towards his house, and had a nice gentleman pull over and offer me a ride. I politely declined since it wasn't too much further. As I talked to him, John conveniently drove by, so I hopped into the backseat with his two dobermans. John had his son in the car who was on his way to School of Rock band practice, and he showed me all kinds of great videos of their performances. John dropped me off and told me about some of the places to check out in the area. I went to the bus station to get my ticket and proceeded to the bathroom to wash up some. I did what I could, and even tried to wash my hair in the sink. I passed some of the time by getting something to eat and walking around the town some. I now type this from the bus, where my long 13 hour journey has started. I looked up at the almost full moon as we drove away, thinking about how bright the night would be if I were in my tent tonight. I'll be off the trail for about a week for a wedding, my last scheduled departure from the trail. I'll get to come back and play catch-up all over again when I return. 

MRE trail magic? Gross.

Wolf Rocks

A fallen birds' nest

Day 77: Mohican Outdoor Center to Kirkridge Shelter

Today's Miles: 17.2

Total Miles: 903.0

I didn't get as far as I had hoped today, but I still covered enough mileage to be able to make it to Smith Gap Road tomorrow, hopefully with plenty of time to spare. There were two big accomplishments today as well - crossing into Pennsylvania and passing the 900 mile point!

I was able to start hiking at a reasonable time today, which can probably be attributed to the availability of heat to motivate me out of bed. It was another chilled morning. I had to put my gross smelly clothes back on, which always seems so much worse after a nice cleansing shower. 

As I headed up towards Kittatinny Mountain, I passed a man on the ridge who was counting the number of migrating broad-winged hawks that passed through. He said they keep track of all passing hikers in their log as well. There was a beautiful view of the clouds all nestled down below the ridgeline, so I decided to stop a little ways up for a snack and watched some of the clouds burn off. From there, I continued until I reached Sunfish Pond. There were a lot of rocks all around, the big annoying rocks that take time to maneuver carefully around. Everyone talks about the rocks in Pennsylvania, but the last few days in New Jersey have presented some sections that I can't imagine something being much worse than. 

After I stopped for lunch, Doc passed by. Everybody was planning on stopping in Delaware Water Gap, but my original plan was to continue on. I soon came to a highway crossing, where I impressed myself by not getting lost. As I continued on to the bridge, I passed a group of bikers that I approached with some apprehension. They were stopped in an odd location, and there were quite a few of them. I would soon learn that they were waiting on an ambulance. One of the guys had taken some kind of spill and was pretty beat up. He was still ok, able to talk and hold a conversation, just a little bloody. They all asked a lot of questions about the hike, so I stopped and talked to them about it for a little while.

When I hiked onto the bridge that crossed the Delaware River, my opinion of the day started to change. It was a long stretch on a busy interstate, and I soon started to get a headache from the sun, the exhaust fumes, and the swaying motion of the bridge. I crossed into Pennsylvania somewhere along the way, but was too annoyed to care too much about the exact location. If the bridge wasn't bad enough, I soon found myself trying to navigate my way through a construction site. There was so much noise and dust, and I was on sensory overload at that point. I was going to stop at an ice cream parlor along the trail, but soon discovered it was closed. I changed my original plan and headed to the bakery that I knew everyone else would be meeting at. I could really use a piece of pie at that point. Doc was there, and Chewie and Pumba arrived shortly after. When I headed back towards the trail, I passed Chaco. She said a few men on their porch had just seen a bear running across the street, so I should keep an eye out. It was good to see everyone again before I head off the trail for a little while, since I'm pretty sure they'll all be staying in town tonight. 

The last few miles of the day passed quickly. I had a climb out of Delaware Water Gap to Mount Minsi, and I could hear the annoying road sounds of the interstate for a good remainder of the day. When I got to the shelter, I was surprised to find Chicory there. It was nice to have some company. Tomorrow I'll be heading back to the civilized life for a short time, and I think my knee is ready for the break. 

Rock sculptures at Sunfish Pond

900 miles!

Day 76: Gren Anderson Shelter to Mohican Outdoor Center

Today's Miles: 20.6

Total Miles: 885.8

It was so so cold this morning, so I packed up quickly and headed out to warm up. I have to be at a certain point in the next few days to catch a bus back home for a wedding, so I have to make decent mileage. Much to Doc's dismay, there were no bears around last night despite this being a hotspot for them. I think that's the only reason he's been hiking with me - he hopes my bear magnet will be stronger than his bear repellant so he can finally see one, but it hasn't worked out too well for him so far. He even put a fortune cookie outside my tent last night, and I think he was secretly trying to attract them to me even more. It's ok Doc, I'm on to your tactics. 

Not too far into the morning, a passed a hiker heading north. He said he was a NOBO and was still trying to finish the whole trail this year. It's been a while since I've seen a NOBO out here that isn't a section hiker. All I can say is good luck at this point. He's running out of time and still has a long way to go. 

There was a small deli right off the trail at a road crossing, so I decided to stop for a breakfast sandwich. It was conveniently about the time I started to get the feeling back in my fingers too. I somehow lost the trail getting down to the road and kind of slid my way down a steep decline on loose leaves and dirt down to a road that parralled the trail in the end. I still have no idea how I messed that up. 

The weather was great for the rest of the day. The temperature in the afternoon has been perfect, and the skies were blue without a cloud in sight today. There were some rocky sections that slowed me down some, but there were also some nice ridgelines with great views. 

There was supposed to be a water pump just after crossing a closed road. Taxi and Pumba caught up at this point, really hoping to get water here. I still had enough, but helped them find the pump anyway. I got there before them, but discovered the pump didn't work. They weren't too happy to learn this, so I told them there was some type of YMCA outdoor center across the road that might have something. They decided to check, and I continued on. I didn't see anyone else for the remainder of the day, and they all stopped to camp a few miles back. 

I'm staying at the Mohican Outdoor Center tonight in one of the lodges. I decided I would be much more likely to get started in the morning if I was inside someplace warm since tomorrow is supposed to be another cold morning. It was also nice to be able to shower, and I have the whole place to myself. Apparently this place is run by the AMC, the same one that operates all the huts in the Whites. It seems like a pretty large outdoor area. There are plenty of campsites, some lodges, and a lake nearby. It might be a nice place to spend some time in the summer months. 

Day 75: Murray Property to Gren Anderson Shelter

Today's Miles: 18.4

Total Miles: 865.2

It started raining just before heading out this morning, but it passed quickly. I hiked alone for most of the morning, where the trail started off by following through some fields. I could see the sun just starting to break its way through the clouds. It then started to gradually ascend to High Point. I saw a few deer as I started back in the woods, but they were quickly startled away. I made it to the top of the mountain, where there was an observation tower and platform. I stopped for a break at the platform, and Doc and Chaco caught up shortly after. We descended down to the state park so they could fill up on water. We were pleased to find that thru hikers were offered a free soda, so we were all able to enjoy an orange soda before heading back out. I continued on while Doc and Chaco played catch with her rain cover. 

I found a beautiful overlook where I enjoyed a nice lunch break and waited for the other two to catch back up. We hiked on together for most of the day and stopped for a break on top of Sunrise Mountain. There was a neat pavilion at the top, and the sky was painted with all kinds of beautiful colors from the sun getting ready to set. We met another SOBO at the top named Pumba. We continued for a few more miles to the shelter, where Taxi, Chewie, and Pumba already were. Taxi was trying to find a place that delivered pizza since there was a road nearby. He finally found a Chinese food restaurant that would make the trip out, and the others all ordered something as well. 

It was beautiful weather once the rain cleared up today, but it's already starting to cool down quite a bit tonight. It's early, but I'm already in my sleeping bag and don't really feel like climbing back out of my warm cocoon tonight. I guess I'll be calling it an early night tonight. 

The Murray property

High Point Monument

A few rocks...

Sunrise Mountain

Day 74: Vernon to Murray Property

Today's Miles: 13.5

Total Miles: 846.8

I was so tempted to zero today since I had a lot of things to take care of and my knee wasn't feeling any better. I resisted though, and got most of what I needed to done by the time Chaco and Doc got back from attending the church service. Doc got us some doughnuts for breakfast and we headed out for the trail pretty late in the morning. It took us a little while to get a hitch out, but a man with a pickup finally pulled over and gave us a ride. 

The day started with a series of long boardwalks. It was nice and flat and a good start to the day. Doc went ahead since he planned on stopping in Unionville while Chaco and I hiked together up Pochuck Mountain. Just after a road crossing, we came across Taxi, a SOBO I hadn't seen since the Whites, and we stopped to chat by a cooler of trail magic sodas. He continued on, as did we shortly after. We walked around the Walkill Reserve, where Doc managed to confuse us terribly with arrows he tried to draw pointing us in the right direction. We finally figured out where we were despite the concern of being completely lost. The rest of the day consisted of some short road walking and some small hills before reaching the Murray Property. It was a short day, but I was tired and ready to stop, and my knee was still in a great deal of pain.

The Murray Property is beautiful. Mr. Murray allows hikers to stay in the cabin on his land, where he also has a privy and shower. He stopped in to talk for a few minutes and was very nice. Taxi decided to stay here as well, so it will be the four of us here tonight. They're all playing cards right now, and it's great to be back around people. I realized yesterday that it's been so long since I've talked to people for extended periods of time that I had almost lost my voice by the end of the day. It really had been a while. 

In the back of the pickup

Murray Property