It was a good zero day, and a very nice break from the trail, but I am ready now to move on bright and early tomorrow. It is supposed to be a hot day, so I want to tackle the extra steep, extra rocky climb out of the Lehigh Gap before the heat builds. I am actually looking forward to it; this is the last real obstacle left in Pennsylvania that I know of.
My knee is wrapped; my pack is lightened, because I shipped what I didn’t need for the next four days forward to Delaware Water Gap. There are very few sources of water along the trail tomorrow, and you wouldn’t want to drink from them anyway, so I will be carrying extra water. And water is heavy. It will be a long day of hiking! I even put off resupply until tomorrow night, so I will only be carrying a day’s worth of food and snacks. It’s the lightest my food bag has ever been!
If calculations are correct, I will hit Delaware Water Gap either Sunday or Monday. This is worth looking forward to, and I looks forward to it very much!!!
There is a key lime martini I must sample before I leave Palmerton. The walk to get there will also test how well I wrapped my knee. Dual purpose! Tomorrow I will have to walk two miles just to get back to the trailhead, but it is better than shelling out $20 for a shuttle to take me there. Shuttles are expensive when there’s no one to split the cost with! And then a 10 or 11 mile hike to tomorrow night’s destination.
Well… I ate my Subway sandwich and so-called clam chowder, and yes, I am still hungry. I may have to appetizerite along with the martini. Still haven’t seen the new Captain America movie yet – no theater here either. But I’ll get there sometime. It is easy to avoid spoilers out in the woods.
I hike on.
TRAILS, TRIALS, AND TRAVAILS 