Date: 2015-07-03
From: Campsite Just North of the Pinnacle

To: PA 309
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

Town day! Needless to say, I was up early, leaving camp just before 6 am. One thing worth mentioning is that the night before, there were two parties that came by, night hiking. One really large group of ten or twelve and later a couple. It's a funny sight to see the head lamps bobbing through the dark. I wouldn't want to hike there in the dark with all those rocks!I had decided to go back to the Pinnacle to see if the view was better early in the morning and was it ever! Two guys were camping right there at the edge and told me I missed it. By which they meant the sunrise. But the valley looked beautiful with the red sun and low clouds. After taking a few more pictures I was on my way north again.Almost right away, the rocks gave way to wide flat trail. The wide trail had the benefit of being too much for your average spider to span, so for the first time this week, I did not have to wipe spider web from my arms every 5 minutes! The trail was pretty soggy at times, but I managed to keep my shoes and feet dry.This trail highway lasted a good while, but eventually it took a hard left turn up the hill and we were back on the rocks. Boulder fields are actually kind of fun I think, provided you are not in a hurry and the rocks are dry. So I just had a good time picking my way from blaze to blaze.I took a brief break at Dan's Pulpit. Not too much imagination with the naming of rock formations up here, but I have to say that Dan got the better pulpit of the two that are only 10 or so miles apart. It was a very peaceful spot.At one of the Boulder fields, I ran into section hikers Hot Sauce and T-Rex whose first words to me (just about) were if I would like some cherries. Yes please! We chatted for a bit, they have hiked more sections of the trail and asked about Virginia, which is next on their schedule. Ladies, it was nice meeting you and thanks again for the wonderful cherries!I hadn't made very good time these last few miles, but I knew from Yoda's blog that the last miles from the Allentown shelter to PA 309 were flat and fast again. She did that section in an hour, so I figured 90 minutes would be a reasonable time for me to shoot for. Except that when I left the shelter after a quick lunch and chat with Parks and a Sobo whose name I don't know, the trail was the worst kind of rocks. Not boulders, but small rocks that aren't big enough to put your whole foot on, and that are too close together to put your feet in between. Those are the rocks I detest and I know I would detest them even more if I didn't have new shoes!The trail fortunately did improve significantly in just a short while and I made it to the road in a little over 90 minutes. Gary was waiting at the restaurant that is very conveniently located across from the trail head parking lot. We also met section hiker No Such Name, whose entries I have seen in the shelter registers.Gary and I are staying in Reading, which is about halfway between the trail and Fiddler'a house. That's right, we'll be visiting Fiddler on the Hoof for the fourth! The West Reading area has a nice area with shops and restaurants and we visited a wine bar and then had an excellent steak at a French place across the street. It did involve finding a wine store first, because it was BYOB. Today (I am writing this a day late) we'll do some errands, visit with Fiddler and maybe even catch the prologue of the Tour de France (in Utrecht!) on repeat tonight.Meanwhile I hope it doesn't rain too much today and tomorrow because I'll both cross Knife Edge and climb out of Lehigh Gap and Yoda's blog has me properly freaked! Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?