Date: 2015-07-06
From: George Outerbridge Shelter

To: Leroy Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm not exactly of to a stellar start to the 500-in-4 challenge, but today was hard! And not in the way I expected either.We are only a couple of weeks past the summer solstice but already there is a noticeable difference in the time it gets light in the morning. Nevertheless, I was up early and left the spring (slightly past camp) fully loaded with water at 6:15. There was no good water supply for 12 miles or more.The hike to the road was short and as you descend you can see the giant pile of rocks you'll be climbing. It looks a tad intimidating, but then most climbs do to me. The hardest part was actually finding first where the trail continued after crossing the road and then where it went up the mountain, but after a couple of false starts I finally managed to get myself on the right trail.I had stowed my poles a bit too early because the first part was just steep trail and not a scramble yet and it made me realize how much help poles are when going uphill!I have seen the same picture back down to Lehigh gap for years now, and I took the same shot as well. It looks impressive, but this is actually before you start the rock scramble. The scramble was fun. I never felt like I was next to a sheer drop and it was fun hauling myself up, roughly following the blazes. I would probably be absolutely petrified if I had to climb down that same stretch though! It was hard work and I was sweating buckets but the whole thing took maybe 45 minutes. Unfortunately you don't get a good view back to the gap from the top. And then, just like that, I was at the Superfund site. And it was actually pretty! Lots of wildflowers, some trees, there wasn't much that was still denuded. There were also tons of blackberries, that I passed on. I prefer my fruit without cadmium and zinc, thank you. After the superfund area, we got to a road crossing where Mama Bear had left water. It must have been put out shortly before we got there because all the ice was still frozen. Thanks Mama Bear! I took a break here, eating a second breakfast in the hope it would shake me out of my sluggishness.It was not to be and I stayed sluggish for the rest of the day. I decided the word of the day was 'tiresome'. The rocks, long stretches of my most detested kind, were tiresome. The bugs were definitely tiresome. My sluggishness, also tiresome. Even the song in my head (the reason is you, blech!) was tiresome.Both the miles and time seemed to be going extremely slowly and it was close to four pm when I reached the Leroy Smith shelter. I went there to get water (tiresomely far from the trail, btw) but when it started raining I decided to stay.It rained on and off this evening and I don't think it's done yet. My evening camp chores were interrupted a couple of times (tiresome! Actually that part wasn't bad) but I got everything done without getting too wet so I'm happy with that.Tomorrow I am hoping to get to Delaware Water Gap. It's twenty miles though and if the trail has the same type of nasty rocks as today, that might be a challenge. But a shower and the opportunity to buy more snacks are powerful motivators. Plus, it's the last town in Pennsylvania. Sadly I have been told the rocks do not miraculously end at the border though. I am officially tired of rocks.Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?