Date: 2015-06-23
From: Little Gap Rd., Danielsville PA

To: PA 33, Wind Gap, PA
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Kathy came back to the B&B this morning to make me some breakfast. No, she doesn't actually stay at Filberts. So when I said I was the only guest staying, what I really meant was that I was the only one in the building. I haven't even had a shelter to myself on this trip! I did have the upstairs of a mansion hostel to myself, but an entire B&B? Seemed so odd that I found it difficult to get to sleep and stay asleep. I think maybe I've been away from home a bit too long...Anyhow, after coffee and juice, fresh strawberries and blueberries, sausage links and pancakes, while listening to the dire weather forecast on the news (the place is Victorian, but the flat screen in the corner of the dining room gives it away as 21st century ready), I packed up and Kathy drove me up the mountain to the trailhead. I had forgotten to take photos of the B&B. So what you get here is a photo I took of the push-button light switch, still working, as are many others in the place. I did appreciate all the original and authentic details, and the pristine condition it is kept in, as well as the yard, garden, seating areas, barn, and outbuildings, and applaud Kathy's diligent hard work. Once on the Trail, I was immediately transported back to the rocks, and humidity. They say some years are wet years and some are dry. I am dubbing the class of 2015 the year of humidity. After a few miles of hiking I saw color to my right, in the woods. When you see green and gray and brown all day, any other color catches your attention, so I looked more closely and discovered the color belonged to Count and Lavender ' s blue hiking shirts. They had caught up to and then passed me, after days of separation, and I had come up on them taking a shoes and socks off break. So we happily reunited, swapping stories about our past week or so, and hiked together towards Wind Gap. They planned to stay in a motel here tonight for 2 reasons: the dire storm predictions, and the fact that today is their wedding anniversary. I decided I would ditto their plan, having only the dire storm prediction as my excuse...and feeling a bit guilty, since it would mean being under roof for the 5th straight night in a row. But those severe weather predictions did seem dire. Well, we arrived at the edge of town, after sweating through miles of boring, rocky, not even photo - worthy trail, facing a 2.5 mile walk to the Red Carpet Inn. Not wanting to walk any more at all, Lavender spotted a full sized van about to pull out of a side street and asked the driver if he could give us a lift (hitch - hiking is illegal in PA, but asking without a thumb out is apparently ok). He agreed, and dropped us off at the Giant grocery store, where we purchased fruit and salads and a few drinks towards supper. Then Lavender flagged down another guy, who agreed to take us to the motel, as long as we didn't mind riding in the back of his pickup. We didn't mind. In fact we were grateful, since it looked as though the dire storms would come any minute. Not long after checking in, and finding our rooms, the storm did hit. More specifically, while I was washing my hair in the shower. And the power went out. The power stayed out. In fact as I write this, hours later, it is still out. I can say that I no longer feel guilty about my stay here. I mostly just feel like I may as well have stayed on the Trail. The motel is on the outskirts of town and apparently on a separate grid as town, where they still have power, and all the life amenities such as lights and running water and fast food, while we do not. The water at the motel is well system. There is no power to pump the water, therefore we have none. No flush toilets. No AC, or TV or microwave, refrigerator, or ice machine, either. I never thought I would be using a headlamp to get around in a motel room, but I am. Good thing my phone is also an alarm clock. Of course, by morning my phone battery may be dead because I can't recharge it in the wall socket. A woman across the hall offered to assist us: she, at least, has a car. Thank you, Joan, for being a bit of a trail angel in these highly unusual circumstances. She drove me to McDonalds, where I filled up several water bottles from the ladies room sink, and used the facilities. Then I purchased a caramel sundae (when life hands you lemons, make lemonade, I say, as I seized the opportunity), and asked for 3 large cups of ice. Upon discovering I was charged drink price for the ice, I decided I might as well fill them with drinks too (Joan politely refused any offers of refreshment, she is on a diet)...2 of which I presented to Count and Lavender back at the motel. The management has told us that if we check out before staying the night they will refund our money, but there is nowhere else for us to stay. Pressed further, they did bring each room a gallon jug of water for brushing teeth, and possibly flushing the toilet come morning...and there were hints that they may give some rebates...but that remains to be seen. What is certain is that Count and Lavender will not soon forget their romantic 31st anniversary