We will be getting back on the trail .3 miles away from the PA/NJ border. We are very excited about putting PA behind us! Here is a recap of our last few days in PA and a few pics from our time off the trail.
Day 88
7/3/14
Starting: Port Clinton, PA: 1213.7
Ending: Eckville Shelter: 1228.5
Total: 14.8
We left the hotel around 8am and got a shuttle back to the trail head. The forecast was calling for afternoon thunderstorms so we were hoping to make it to the shelter before the weather got too bad.
Normally we have big up hill climbs when leaving a town. This was no exception, but PA's definition of a hill is definitely different than the southern states. I don't think we ever went over an elevation of 2000 feet the entire time we were in the state. It makes the climbing much easier and a lot shorter.
A few miles in we had the opportunity to take a short side trail to the Pinnacle, one of the highest points in PA. We decided it would be a good spot for an afternoon break and also go along with our second half goal of seeing more of the side trails and views from the trail. There was a youth group from Phillidelphia on a day hike visiting the pinnacle as well. Their group was focused on getting kids from the city to experience nature and the outdoors. I'm pretty sure we were the first thru hikers they had met. They were pretty blown away when we told them what we were doing and they asked us questions like "where do you sleep?"and "what do you eat?" It was fun to be able to share a bit of our story with kids who have limited exposure to the trail.
Shortly after we left the pinnacle we made it to the shelter for the night. We were excited because we beat the storms! This shelter was a little different than the ones we normally visit because it was on a main road behind someone's house. The house belonged to the shelter caretaker. The grounds around the shelter were really pretty and there was even a flush toilet and a shower. We decided to stay in the shelter that night since the weather was supposed to be bad. We usually prefer to stay in our tent, but being in the shelter also gives us the opportunity to get to know other hikers better.
Day 89
Starting: Eckville Shelter: 1228.5
Ending: Stealth Campsite: 1249.5
Total: 21
We woke up to rain outside the shelter. Luckily it wasn't raining very hard. We took our time getting ready hoping it would stop. We ended up leaving the shelter around 8. It was still raining but not too bad.
The morning was pretty uneventful. The rain cleared up around 11am. We were very thankful because we knew we had some rocky spots to climb that afternoon and there is nothing worse than slippery rocks! We crossed a road around 12:30 that had a restaurant within sight. We quickly changed our lunch plans and decided to eat there. Whenever there is the opportunity to eat at a restaurant, we usually take it. The food was great and we got the opportunity to watch a bit of the Germany-France game while we were eating.
Another pretty neat thing happened while we were eating lunch. A thru hiker walked in and asked if there was a Margo (our waitress)working today. When she walked over to him he took off the bracelet he was wearing and gave it to her. Apparently, another thru hiker had visited the restaurant last year and met Margo. Margo was a cancer survivor and had bracelets made to commemorate her victory over cancer. She had given that thru hiker one of those bracelets and he promised her he would wear it all the way to Khatadan. Once he finished his thru hike he gave the bracelet to one of his friends who was planning a thru hike this year and made him promise to return it to Margo. He explained that it had been his mission to get the bracelet back to her and had motivated him to keep going during some particularly rough times on the trail. As he was explaining all this, she began to cry and was completely moved by his commitment to return her bracelet. The bracelet had made it the entire length of the trail and back to Margo. It was really awesome to be able to watch the exchange.
After lunch we had a section of the trail called Knife's edge. It's a section of large rocks that you have to walk on the side of. Thankfully, the rocks were dry by the time we got there. The climbing was pretty technical and a bit scary at times when the wind was blowing pretty strong. We both made it through without incident.
We ended up finding a good "stealth" campsite. A stealth site is an established campsite usually with a fire ring that isn't marked in the guidebooks. We tried to find a lookout spot so we could see some of the 4th of July fireworks. Unfortunately, there weren't any close by so we just ended up hearing them.
Day 90
Starting: Stealth campsite: 1249.5
Ending: Leroy Smith Shelter: 1269.4
Total: 19.9
We got an early start on the trail today. We had a pretty big climb early in the day and we wanted to make sure we did it before it got too hot. Shortly after we got on the trail we ran into a guy who was looking for blueberries. We have finally started to see blueberries, blackberries and strawberries spring up along the trail. The blueberries are getting big enough to eat so we picked a few to enjoy during our hike.
We got to our big climb around 10am. This was probably the first true rock scramble we have encountered on the trail where we have to use our hands and feet to climb. The view at the top was pretty incredible.
Climbing to the top!
Shortly after reaching the top we entered an area that has become an EPA superfund site. Palmerton (the nearby city) was home to a zinc smelting plant from 1898-1980. The plant caused many of surrounding areas to become deforested and the water from surrounding springs too polluted to drink. There are large cleanup efforts now dedicated to the area. It was definitely some of the ugliest landscape of the trail.
I was glad that section of the trail was only 3 miles long. It was a good reminder not to take for granted the beautiful scenery we are usually surrounded by.
One thing that was a major concern for us today was water. Water is usually an issue for most thru hikers through PA. Luckily, there has been enough rain in the recent days and we haven't experienced much of a problem. Today was a bit different. We filled up 4 liters of water at the beginning of the day but we knew we wouldn't come to another close water source until the end of the day. We usually go through at least 8 liters of water during the day so we had to conserve what we had. Thankfully, it wasn't too hot outside and we weren't sweating as much as we normally do. We crossed a road with about 4 miles until the shelter and came across my favorite site on the trail....TRAIL MAGIC!! This one truly was magical because we both really needed water. It was a group of guys from NJ hosting the trail magic. One of the guys was a thru hiker last year and good friends with Neon. We were excited to hear he was only a short distance behind us on the trail and would be to the trail magic within the hour. The guys actually kept a log of all the people they had fed that day. It was neat seeing names we knew on the list and finding out we were close by. The trail magic was some of the best we have had. They were grilling hot dogs and hamburgers and had all sorts of chips and cookies. The best part was the cooler filled with water, soda, and beer!
We stayed at the trail magic for a while and ended up hanging out with a lot of thru hikers we had recently met. I tried to convince Mike we could just call it a day and camp close to the road but he wanted to continue to the shelter. Once we got to the shelter I was glad we had decided to keep going. The campsite was actually really pretty and the ground was soft and flat (always a good bonus).
Today was definitely a roller coaster of experiences. I'm glad we ended the day on a positive note! It's a good reminder how quickly our mood can change depending on the surroundings and challenges we are faces with.
Day 91
Starting: Leroy Smith Shelter: 1269.4
Ending: Delaware Water Gap: 1289.6
Total: 20.2
Today was a good example of why Pennsylvania is one of the least favorite states on the trail. It seemed like we were walking on rocks all day long. Usually you will have at least a 20 or 30 yard stretch of trail that is relatively clear and will give your feet and ankles time to rest. That wasn't the case today. I never lifted my head because I had to be extremely careful of where I placed my feet. Most of the trail looked like it was filled with broken dishes all sticking up at different angles. You also walk much slower when the trail is like this. This section of the trail was frustrating and painful! The only thing that kept meotivated was knowing that this was our last full day in PA!
We were both extremely happy to only have .3 miles left to go in the state by the end of the day. We got to town around 6 and headed straight to a restaurant to have a celebratory beer and dinner!
Cheers to the end of PA!!
After dinner we checked into our motel and called it a day!
Day 92-98
Our original plan was to continue hiking until Wednesday afternoon which would put us in the middle of NJ and then get off the trail to visit my family for a few days. Mike had been experiencing a lot of pain and swelling in his shins and ankles. He was afraid he was getting a bad case of shin splints and didn't know if he would be able to make it to Wednesday. We decided it would probably be smarter to get off the trail early and take the few extra days off to help him recover. While we were off we visited an immediate care facility just to make sure there wasn't anything more serious with his leg. Luckily, he just has a bad case of shin splints and will be better with rest, ice and medication!!
We rented a car in town and drove the 12 hours south to Lake Cumberland Kentucky. My family has a lake house down there and I have grown up going to the lake every summer. It is one of my most favorite places on earth and I was excited to get down there to relax and see my family!!
There was also a music festival in a nearby town that was being headlined by one of my all time favorite bands, The Counting Crows! Mike and I had purchased tickets to the festival over a month ago and I was really looking forward to going. Unfortunately, he didn't really feel up to standing at a concert for hours so my sister agreed to go in his place. We had a great time and I was so happy she agreed to come with me! The rest of our week was either spent relaxing at the house, hanging out with my family, or swimming in the lake.
It was definitely a needed break away from the trail. We are both excited to be getting back on this afternoon. I can't believe we have already been out here for over three months!! Our time has really flown by and I'm sure the remaining two months or so will go by quickly too! We are doing our best to truly appreciate this amazing experience we have and enjoy our time on the trail (even if some of it has to be in Pennsylvania:) ).
Here are some highlights of our time off:
Enjoying the lake
Nothing better than the lake with family
They put on an amazing show!
Happy Trails
Z & Gia
Hope the shin spints are feeling better! I am still wearing the bracelet so had you with me in spirit as we went to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole last week! Our hiking was nowhere near what you guys are doing, but nevertheless we though about you while we were on the trails out west!
ReplyDelete