Date: 2007-07-11
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Lehigh Furnace Gap
Miles today: 19.8

Rain looked likely at any moment and a thick layer of fog hung low on the hills. I kept my rain coat handy and put my pack cover on to start the day. On the trail at 7.45 and climbing the first 2 miles through Hawk Mountain Sanctuary up to the crest of Blue Mt. The trail was steep in places and quite rocky most of the way. At the ridge crest the AT intersected Hawk Mt's trail network and I had planned to take the 2 mile side trip to their famous South Lookout to see the view from their fall hawkwatch. Unfortunately the thick fog and light rain prevented any views so I decided to bypass the side trip.The rest of the day was spent walking along the crest of Blue Mt along a usually viewless and generally rocky trail winding through the trees, but on otherwise level ground. Most of the trail in PA has been surprisingly flat. Dan's Pulpit was fogged in so no views there either. Dan's Spring was dry, a common problem here in PA. I followed the short blue blaze trail to 'Balanced Rocks' but it ended in a talus field with no sign of any balancing rocks and no view due to fog and rain.I stopped at Allentown Shelter for lunch with comet and Sagbutt but the spring was more than a half mile away and I had enough water to get to PA 309 where there is a water spigot. This water spigot turned out to be my last water source for the day and my campsite and the next morning. Most springs here in this part of PA are now drying up.After PA 309 the trail became increasingly rough and rocky with passing thunderstorms and showers. I managed to get over the rock formation aptly named 'The Knife's Edge' between lightning storms but the sloping rock slabs were wet and slippery. I fell hard on one slab and banged my left knee but there didn't appear to be any real damage done, though it remained sore for the next 3-4 days. Some of the large rock slabs were tilted up at 45 degree angles and the trail ran along their top edges, making for a challenging walk on the slippery rock while also hearing the next T-storm approaching. This would have been a fun section with good views in clear weather but the fog and wet rock kept my head down and slowed my progress to a crawl (literally) in spots.Bears Den Rocks were short but interesting piles of flat rocks about 15 feet high sitting on the ridge crest hidden under the forest canopy. It was easy to see how they got their name.I had looked forward to Bake Oven Knob because of its being a well known fall hawkwatch. The top had a fine view up the Blue Mt ridgeline from the top of a 100 foot cliff. But my view was limited due to thick haze and light rain. I was dissapointed to see so much trash in this highly accessible spot.The descent to Bake Oven Knob Shelter was steep in places and quite rocky. This is one of the original shelters in PA but was showing its age and use. I needed water for overnight and the shelter log did not say what the status of spring #3 was, #1 and 2 were dry. So I walked down to #3. A total of .6 miles and nearly to the base of the mountain. I found it dry too.I decided to push on another 4 miles to a gravel road where a spring was shown on my map about 1 mile away down the road. This was a rather rough and rocky stretch and took a while so I got there about 8.15 PM, too late to go looking for the spring before dark. However there was a nice level campsite near the road with lots of rock-free ground to tent on.