Date: 2004-07-03
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter

To: Leroy A Smith Shelter
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: clear sky

The humidity has gone and the skies are clear. The views this morning are fabulous. Pretty early on we crossed the Pennsylvania Turnpike but it was hard to know just when. It seems it was in a tunnel 800 feet beneath our feet.We had lunch part 1 at George W. Outerbridge Shelter around noon.20 miles into the day we plan to meet my brother Gil at Smith Gap Road around 5pm so we need to keep moving. It's kind of strange having an appointment to keep after all this unscheduled time. These arrangements were made at a pay phone back in Duncannon.Shortly we dropped down into Lehigh Gap and crossed the Lehigh River on a highway bridge. It's hot as we follow the old railroad grade. We take the winter trail to the ridge to avoid the scorching sun on the ascent up the open rock pile. It's pretty strange up on the ridge. The views are great because there are no trees. Well, at least there are no living trees to speak of. There are weathered silver dead trees standing and fallen everywhere. There are also grasses and meadows growing, along with plenty of exposed rock. It is not clear to us why there are full grown dead trees and no living trees.We come across a day hiker and ask what the deal is with no trees up here. He is a local and explains that we are looking down at a zinc processing factory in the valley. Back in the day, when the mines were in full swing, no one paid attention to the ecological impact. Nothing will grow up here now due to the fall out from the factories. There is no way to fix it. It is just a waiting game now. This was amazing impact. It is seldom you can actually point at the direct result of pollution but here it is. It was kind of scary.We stopped at Metallica Spring up on the ridge. I climbed down off the ridge a bit to find it to get some water. Buick chose to wait and get water further on. It was like walking down a scree field out west. The mountain would just fall away under my feet with each step. The water seemed to be good but it made me wonder.Planning, days in advance, to meet someone on the trail is pretty tricky business. After all, the plan was probably hatched back in Duncannon. As the day wore on it became evident that we were going to be late but not by much.Actually, both my brothers, Randy and Gil met us on the trail. We tried to slow our pace so they could keep up but Buick was having a hard time staying out of ¢the zone¢. At the cars a little after 5pm, they lavished us with all kinds of goodies. Gil brought this amazingly rich chocolate pastry/pie/cake thing. Randy brought TastyCakes and such. There was Gatorade and other stuff to drink too. Then we went for a ride in search of a pizza place. Smith Gap Road was a bit off the beaten path, so it took a while but we found a fine pizza place. Thanks for the treat guys. It was a great time for all 4 of us. They dropped us back at the trail where we donned headlamps and slipped back into the dark of the forest for the last 3 miles of the day. Honestly, it was a long 3 miles in the dark. To top it off, Leroy A Smith Shelter was a bit down from the trail and full. We climbed back up and found an overflow area with about 6 tents in it. We pitched our tents on the tall grass and zonked. It was a good 23.5 mile day with a stop for Pizza and a family reunion. Not bad.