Date: 2015-05-24
From: Allentown Shelter

To: Unnamed Campsite
Miles today: 24.0

I was right about the snoring. About 11pm, the old man sleeping next to me started snoring. It was the loudest snoring I have ever heard, possibly because it was right by my ear. I decided that if he didn't stop in five minutes, I would leave the shelter and set up my tent in the dark. As I was thinking of the quickest way to do this, he stopped snoring. It happened a few times in the night. One of the main advantages of being in my tent is that the only person who snores nearby is me. I set out about 7am with my new travel cup in hand. Already I can say that it is absolutely worth its weight. I wouldn't have been able to carry it from the start, but now I'm stronger and can afford little luxuries like that in my pack. As expected, I walked through a million caterpillar and spider webs. It was too hot for me to wear long sleeved anything, so I had to just keep wiping them off. I also has my first encounter with ticks. I am sure this time that they were ticks and not dirt because they smeared red when I was flicking them off my legs. The rocks today were particularly challenging at times. There were points where it was like a knife edge, which required very careful balance to avoid falling. In the afternoon, I had to climb out of Lehigh gap. It is called a Superfund, and it is a very rocky bare ridgeline that was stripped of all life by zinc being processed nearby. It involves a nearly 1,000 foot steep climb, with many giant rocks to clamber up and over. I had to put my poles in my pack and use my hands to climb. It was very difficult because I have absolutely no arm strength and my hands were sweaty from the heat and the height. I have mentioned before that I am afraid of heights, and this climb was often terrifying. There are moments where a slight slip would have caused me a great injury or death. I can't imagine how scary it would have been in poor weather. I also managed to lose my new bandana somewhere along this climb, which is a new record for me losing gear. Before all that, I stopped for lunch at 2pm and spent an hour eating, drinking yet more tea, and chatting with fellow hikers. I was hoping that the sun wouldn't have cooled for my steep, exposed climb. It had not. I am likely quite burnt in all the random spots I didn't apply sunscreen to. There was also some trail magic today, in the form of a box of helpful items, including snacks and ear buds (Q-tips, for the Americans). My inner ears are probably now the cleanest part of me, since all the climbing and rocks has left me with a fresh layer of grime. I absolutely cannot wait until tomorrow when I hope I can finally shower. Once again, it feels like I'm just smearing dirt around when I apply sunscreen. Right now I'm camped in a random spot with a section hiker. About a mile or so before coming here, I walked with Attrition through a controlled burn area. The firemen were hosing it down as we walked through, but the smell of burning and damp soil was strong. I could still feel the heat of the fire and sweat like mad again. Before lunch I walked through another control burn area, but it wasn't as fresh. The great thing about it was that there were much less caterpillars. This proves my theory that the best way to get rid of the caterpillars is to burn the whole forest down. I also gained a newfound love for pine trees. Pines don't have leaves. No leaves = no caterpillars. Pines also make the trail a bit softer to walk on too. Truly one of natures best.