Date: 2008-07-03
From: PA 309, Blue Mountain Summit

To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 13.3

Today started early again. I saw Smokestack taking his wet tent down about 5:30am, but I didn't see Mother Nature yet, so I stayed in my sleeping bag a little longer.I saw her get out and start taking her tent down about 6am, so I decided to pack up.I was packed and waiting in the truck by 6:20am. I was inside the truck because there was some biting no-seeums out and they couldn't get me in there.We drove back to 3Cs and I had my third breakfast in a row there...and it was just as good as the previous two. :-)We talked to Liberty while we were eating. I hadn't seen him since way back in southern VA at The Homeplace. He was sitting with VA Mountain Goat.Forecast and Aggie walked in. Forecast came down with Lyme back in Front Royal, VA and just recently was back in the ER because of kidney stones.That's gonna hurt!They seemed in really good spirits and were getting ready to walk out of Port Clinton today.We had to shuttle a car around to Palmerton, then drove back to PA 309 and started walking north on the Appalachian Trail a little after 10am.It was easy walking to start off with. We walked along and were making good time.We passed by New Tripoli Campsite and started getting into some pretty big rocks.I was enjoying the heck out of walking from the top of one rock to the top of the next rock. It's just plain fun if you don't get in a hurry. :-)We got to Knife Edge and knew it by the way the ridge rocks were on about a 45 degree angle with the edge sticking into the air.I was ahead of Mother Nature and Smokestack when I decided to take some pictures.I waited on them and got some nice pictures of them making their way over the Knife Edge.I had the camera ready when Mother Nature was coming and I snapped the picture just before she fell. Well, she didn't really fall all the way down, she lost her footing and started to fall backwards off the rocks.She reacted quickly and grabbed out for a rock and got just enough of it to give her a chance to pull her back a little. Her foot wedged down into some of the slanted rocks and she left some skin from her shin, but she didn't go over the edge.I don't want to think how bad it could have been because there wouldn't have been anything to stop her for a while and she would have been falling down the rocks backwards.I help steady her and she slowly got up, feeling to see how bad her shin was and making sure nothing felt broken.Looking back on it, if I had only snapped that picture a second later.... ;-)We ran into a nobo walking south by the name of Bound. She said her dog was having problems with her feet on these rocks and she sent it home.I got a nice picture of Mother Nature's shin when I felt safer to bend over and snap it. I think she might have tried kicking me if I did that any earlier. ;-)We came to more large rocks in half a mile called Bear Rocks.I got to another point and got ready to take Mother Nature's picture just in case she fell on more rocks. She gave me a look! I walked on! :-)I was just trying to capture an action shot.We walked over more big rocks going up to Bake Oven Knob. I didn't point my camera at Mother Nature once in that area. :-)We stopped for lunch when we got to Bake Oven Knob shelter. It was 1pm and I was ready to eat.Mother Nature ordered a large pizza all for herself last night and could only eat a couple pieces, so we all packed out two slices each.That pizza was very good for lunch! No mosquito should bite me in a while because I've had lots of garlic with lunch today and dinner last night.I also had some diced peaches and some nuts. That was a delicious lunch!That was an old shelter built way back in 1937.We walked on and got into even more big rocks just before Lehigh Furnace Gap.I spotted an abandoned tent when I started climbing out of the gap and walked over to check it out.There was a pillow and bedroll inside. It looked like it had been there at least a few days.I climbed a few hundred feet and walked along lazily, bending over and picking some blueberries and eating them whenever I spotted a lot in one area.I passed by a trail called South Trail that I don't think was there before. I passed the North Trail a while later and started descending off the ridge.It started sprinkling just before I got to George W Outerbridge Shelter. We stopped and I got to sign the register and use a smiley face sticker, then we finished the last mile to the truck.It started raining harder right after we got inside. How's that for luck? :-)I had remembered that you aren't supposed to stay at the Jailhouse Hostel if you have vehicle support...and I do have vehicle support for a couple more days, so we went and found a motel.I thought I had plenty of time to take a shower and wait on Mother Nature and Smokestack to go out to dinner.I was just putzin around, washing me and my clothes in the shower. I had them hanging around the room drying and was getting my tent out to dry when I heard a knock on the door...they were ready already!I put wet clothes on and we went to find Gator at the Jailhouse Hostel. He wanted to eat dinner with us, but when we got there, he said he didn't think we were coming, so he had just ordered Chinese.Old Buzzard was there and he wanted to go eat with us, so we walked across the street to Bert's and had a nice dinner.It sure has been fun these last two days hiking with Mother Nature and Smokestack...I'm gaining weight! :-)Looks like I'll continue gaining weight for the next two days too. Ha!Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)