Date: 2010-07-03
From: George W. Outerbridge Shelter

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

I check the guide before hitting the trail to determine water availability and the picture is not good. There's only 1 spring listed a couple miles before the shelter and it's over a 1/2 mile off the trail; think like a hiker and that's an additional unwanted mile (or more) round trip, most likely down and then back up a steep embankment. I haven't walked this far for water yet and frankly my meter would have to be below 'E' with dire prospects for me to do so. With this in mind I 'camel up' with a full 3 liters of water before hitting the trail.I'm 30 minutes into my hike before I stand before the next challenge the A.T. holds in store, that is the climb out of Lehigh Gap. This climb is a beast, a near vertical climb up a field of boulders and rocks strewn from top to bottom of the entire mountain, often requiring hand-over-hand pulls to ascend. The 2x6 inch blazes are painted sporadically on the rocks (no trees on this slope) often in not-so-obvious locations adding an element of scavenger hunt to this ordeal. Frankly I could see this stretch of trail being a real physical challenge for some people (elderly hiker, or a junior hiker with their parent) but I suppose this also makes the accomplishment that much more rewarding.Following the climb the trail traverses a treeless ridge through medium to tall grass and as with all things on the trail there are pluses and minuses to this at-first innocuous stretch. The good is that I walk under blue sky with expansive views, the bad is that the sun is already beating down without any shade relief and worse the grass is loaded with ticks that I continue to remove every few minutes from my socks and legs. The other good thing about this ridge though is that the harsh sun has ripened the blueberries, and unlike yesterday where I was more concerned with water than picking berries, today I stop often, rolling them off with finger and thumb until I've a got a handful that I toss back in a gulp. I even pass a family with buckets who've come up here just to pick these wild blueberries.I'm only 6 miles into my hike but it's already past 11:00a, my pace slowed by the climb out of Lehigh Gap when I consult my guide and note that there a diner .8 mile up the road with ice cream. It's a bit early for lunch but I'm only doing 16.7 miles today so decide to get off the trail and take a break. I finally have good luck with the thumb as the 4th car stops to give me a lift. The lunch (chipped beef sandwich) and ice cream (arctic swirl with oreo and heath bar) are a nice treat, allowing me to beat the heat and rehydrate before tackling the last 10.8 miles to the shelter.As I return to the trail I see a sign posted about a thru-hiker cookout, dated today, time listed as 10:00-?. If I'd seen this sign first I might have skipped the diner but I have no regrets since it's already 1:00 and cookout is about 8 miles (around 3 hours) up the trail making no guarantee that they'll still be there. Still I hold out hope and a hiker always has room for a second lunch! I make steady time and around 4:00 I can smell burgers on the grill. The trail magic is still available and in fact this is some of the best magic yet on the trail. Our hosts first insist I sit to take a load off and then offer to bring over the drinks and food, the spread including hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, assorted fruit, brownies, muffins, cheetos, and soda. I thoroughly enjoy my second lunch and down a hot dog and veggie burger, fruit, brownie, pepsi, root beer, and also take a burger with me for dinner at camp and an orange for breakfast, and after all this they keep asking me what more I want. You know your trail magic is good when a hiker says 'I can't possibly eat anything else'! I thank them profusely and leisurely stroll the remaining 2 1/2 miles to camp, for the first time since I started the hike thinking 'I really need to burn some of this off before I go to bed'. Walk on!