Date: 2006-07-27
To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 110.0

So we'll be spending the night in jail tonight... well not quite, we'll be sleeping in the basement of the local town hall (used to be a police station so it's now refered to as the "jailhouse hostel"). The people here in Palmerton are so nice! Was waiting by a stoplight for a hitch into town this morning and the first person who came by in truck gave us a lift in.For all of you at home who are worried about me being on my own in a few days when Whisp has to go home, you'll be glad to know we've officially caught up to the thru-hiking bunch. The other day we spent the night in Port Clinton at the "hiker pavilion" and there was something like 14 other thru-hikers staying there, then tack on the other 8+ holed up in a hotel down the road... so it's been cozy in the shelters for the last several nights. Nice to finally get to know so many other NOBOs! To name a few; IRoc, Tomato Gravy, Little Spoon, Prana, Rabbit, El Diablo Rouge, Eggshells, Stoker, Walker, Mouse Hat, Manifesto, Commando, Redcoat, Chewey, TI-85, Trailboss, Lumber & Beast, Rooster, and many others who I can't remember right now!   Speaking of meeting people, it's always sweet to meet a day hiker on a mission, esp. when the mission is to feed thru-hikers. Thanks Martha ('08 hopeful) for the Snickers, Cokes (for Whisp and Tooth Fairy) and Pineapple Juice for me :-), and the CHEESE!!! made a great treat for lunch, especially since the heat hadn't yet greasified it. In response to Ice's last plea for me to eat more I've turned into some sort of a Tazmania Devil.. especially when it comes to an AYCE! We stayed at the 501 shelter which is right near a road (don't worry mom - it's got a caretaker so it's plenty safe) so we caught a ride into town with a woman and her daughter we had talked to at a nearby overlook. It was the cutest thing ever, the little 3 year old girl was standing there shyly and the mom says "Do you have something you want to ask the hikers?" The little girl looks at us sheepishly and says "Do you want us to give you a ride?" The Sholl Family Restaurant and Smorgashboard didn't know what hit it when we rolled in. I devoured plate after plate of food, salad, and of course dessert! At one point I sighed, "oh that salad was good" to which Tooth Fairy responds, "What salad I never saw you eating a salad." Well now to answer the question you've all been waiting for... how are the rocks Pennsylvania is so infamous for??? There are a lot of rocks in this state... and yes they do make walking difficult, but mostly they just slow you down. Whisp seems to have a special disdain for them and on occasion lets out a string of very descriptive explatives that let you know just how he feels about them and the people who saw it fit to run a trail over them. To which I respond with a chuckle and say something jovial like "In Maine we hike on stuff like this for fun!" However in later days Whisp's speed has been significantly less impacted by the rocks and his attitude brightened, however the "Knife edge" we went over yesterday had him scooching down sheer slopes on his rear so that didn't really sit well with him. We'll have to see what tomorrow brings with the "dreaded" climb out of Lehigh gap - hopefully an early start will help us avoid the heat on the exposed rocky climb. Oh what other joys we've been experiencing... like the chicken pox like mosquito bites I have covering almost my entire body, and if it's not the mosquitos buzzing round your head it's the no-see-ums that are not detered even by spraying 100% DEET directly on them! We've had a day or two of rain here and there, you know the kind that feels like you're walking in the shower. But mostly the weather has been sunny... and HOT! My main strategy for beating the heat is to wake up early... perhaps not the most popular decision with my hiking partners!?*! Now for the real JOYS!!! We've been eating a lot of town food lately, I mean hey, there's got to be some upside to seeing 13 roads in one day... that's Pennsylvania for you. I guess I've rambled on for long enough, can't wait to see my parents in a few days!!! They're coming down to NJ to see me in/around my Dad's old stomping grounds. So that's going to be an amazing time, not to mention the fact they're bringing me a JoJo blueberry pie and some whoopie pies (I've been raving about them to all these outta staters who look at me like what the heck is a whoopie pie???)   For all of you who see this when it's first published be sure to check back for the editorial updates that will surely be made by ICE!!            Love you all thanks for all the phone convos/cards/guestbook entries etc!