Date: 2010-06-16
From: Birch Run Shelters. 

To: Catfish Fire Tower 
Miles today: 214.0

Yes, I know that I have been less than consistent in my writing over the past week. I sincerely apologize and thank those of you who have shown concern. However, in my defense, I have been extremely busy searching for food and trying to avoid falling, again and again on the rocky terrain of North Eastern Pennsylvania. Out of fear I will be proven wrong, I dare say that this was the most difficult section of the trail. But we will get back to that later; my week did not start out that way. Back then on the 11th, it was a good day. Pennsylvania looked good, the trail was well marked and the shelters in excellent condition. I left Birch Run early, at 05:00, passed through Boiling Springs where I gathered some food and at 21:30, I finished at the ATC ¢Scott Farm near Bernheisel Bridge that crosses over Conodoguinet Creek. At the time, of course I thought that while the trail in Pennsylvania was rocky, it did not have the altitudes and climbing that I had experienced further south, little did I know. I was intent on making every effort to reach 40-mile days, in spite of the oncoming storms.The next day, the 12th I headed northeast across the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers junction and that night camped out at the Yellow Spring Mining Village. I think it was about then when I began hearing rumors on the trail that the ¢Ye Old Backpacker¢ in Port Clinton, where I and many other thru hikers had sent our packages went out of business and no one had any idea what had happened to their packages, but more about that later. The past two days were the 40-mile days that I needed to reduce the gap in my schedule. However, this was going to end in a rocky way.Again, I headed out early on the 13th from the Yellow Spring Village and gobbled up the mileage until reaching Eagles Nest Shelter at 21:30. Here too I was able to get in some good miles but I knew that the next day I would hit what was probably the most difficult segment in Pennsylvania, including a 10-mile segment of giant boulders, the days of big mileage were gone. As it was, my feet were burning, everyday there is a new blister, but ¢thankfully¢ without the deep cuts. Again a night of rain, but I had reached a shelter. I would wait until tomorrow to get wet, again.The next day, the 14th, I headed towards Port Clinton where I had pre-shipped a number of packages laden with foodstuffs and other goodies. However, as I noted earlier the rumors had preceded my arrival were confirmed when I reached the town with its 400 residents and no outfitter store or packages in site. The store did not even have a sign in the window as to what happened to the packages. Only one thing for sure, a lot of folks like me were left without sufficient foodstuffs on the trail that they had pre-shipped and counted on. My diet was reduced to dried fruits and nuts that I was able to purchase in town. I had now moved into NE Pennsylvania where instead of a trail, it seemed that giant dumpsters had come and unloaded their giant boulders, and the bigger the better. It was an endless crawl along unstable, slippery and wet rocks. I got banged up pretty good, it seemed like the boulders would never end and I was hungry. Everyone I met along the trail said that without proper lighting, there was no rushing towards the Allentown shelter and it was best to stop at the Eckville Shelter. Being a man on a mission and equipped with my trusty headlamp, I pushed onward and settled down at the Allentown Shelter. I showered for the first time in a while, and took care of my feet for about an hour. I knew that I wanted to get out early again because tomorrow would be twice as difficult as today.The next day, the 15th I headed out across Pennsylvania¢s Blue Mountains and Lehigh Gap closing the day at the Leroy A. Smith Shelter. At this point, four days later, blistered, bruised but not defeated and 181 miles further north, I could now understand how Moses felt on Mount Nevo, as he overlooked the Promised Land. However, unlike Moses, I was going to cross the river, the Delaware River, into my own Promised Land, err... New Jersey. Yesterday I literally ¢burned¢ the trail from the Leroy A. Smith Shelter to the Delaware Water Gap! There were times when I thought I would never get out of Pennsylvania but I reach the Delaware Water Gap on Interstate 80, and knew that I had beaten that part of the AT! It had fought a good hard fight; nevertheless, I was still on my feet, even if they were burning from blisters, cuts and bruises. Limping into the town, I searched for a grocery store, but in the end only found a bakery where I devoured a few sandwiches and had two more made for the coming days. I also bought some pretzels so I would have something for breakfast tomorrow. I was set for the next 2-3 days.From the minute you cross into New Jersey, there is a feeling that the terrain is less rocky and the situation improved even more after Sunfish Pond. SOBOs that I met (yes, I am meeting people), claim that further north it gets even better, flat and few rocks. I must take advantage of this situation. I closed the day that began as a nightmare and got better at the Catfish Fire Tower 1,565 ft in the air. I found myself a small corner and ate a cold sandwich. I was not about to cook anything here, because everyone knows that New Jersey has the most amount of black bears on the trail. I already saw a frightened cub along the way. After dinner, it was time to deal with my feet, because tomorrow I once again will ¢burn¢ the trail!