Date: 2004-08-31
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Wind Gap Motel
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Tues. 8/31   DWG to Wind Gap (motel)OK. 1st day in PA and we encounter our first unpleasant, rude people. Both real *itches! Strike one PA! We have met some real nice people too so we won't let them spoil PA for us. It was hellish trying to get out of town (Stroudsburg). Taxis and buses and we don't get on the trail 'til 2 PM! Flounder has her new shoes though and if they make a difference it well all be worth it. We feel a little uneasy hitting the trail when another hurricane (Frances) is bearing down on Flounder's sister, Karen and her family, in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The storm is expected to then track thru the Bahama chain where her mom, sister, 2 brothers, their families and many relatives live. We pray for them all and if we can make it to Wind Gap we will check on them.Shortly into the hike a small, stinging, boring insect flew WFO (wide freakin' open) directly up my ear canal and stopped only when it hit my eardrum. It began buzzing violently against it obviously going for gray matter inside! (Flounder says the bug would have been gravely disappointed!) Of course this bug goin' wild in my ear caused me to shake my head violently and dance around which finally caught Flounder's attention. I think she was thinking we (I) had spent too much time on the trail and was finally loosing it. Anyway, I told her to squirt some of her diluted gatorade in my ear in an attempt to drown the little bugger (wanted to use another word there). Well that bug went wild - I couldn't take it so I dumped the fluid out. Then I had her repeat the process. Again it went wild but soon gave up the fight and floated to my outer ear. Blood also came out so we knew damage had been done. It didn't hurt too bad but I was dizzy (more than normal) and had a hollow sound in that ear (maybe from shaking my head violently and having gatorade in my ear....we hope). Strike 2 PA. I smashed ,smeared that little "rascal" (again, another word comes to mind) into oblivion. Soon after, 2 more bugs attempted the same flight and I had to resort to stuffing toilet paper in my ears to have peace of mind (see coming photo). Really no rocks to speak of up to the first shelter. Just before the shelter we see Grandma Spaghetti and Big Perm setting up their tarp in a nice grassy clearing. We talk a bit and then head to the shelter to eat dinner then plan to night hike to Wind Gap. The shelter is overrun with U of P students on a freshman orientation outing. Nice group. We eat then head out just before dusk. We hit the infamous rocks quickly. Mile long stretches of them with short breaks in between. Going became slow then painfully slow when it got dark. Especially where the grass was overgrowing the rocks and you couldn't see them. We see 7 deer tonight, 2 large owls, and ootles of bats that dive in front of our faces getting bugs attracted by our lights. We finally waddle off the trail around 10 PM and find a room nearby. We check the weather, make some phone calls, and take a nice hot shower. The hurricane (Frances) is big and bad. We decide we will hike on tomorrow stopping in Palmerton to check in again.On a sad note: Once again, we pray for the families and friends of the 2 NOBOs who were killed by lightning strikes in Maine recently (week or 2). Sorry, but the names have not filtered down to us yet.Miles 15.6      Total 910.7