Date: 2005-06-01
From: Stealth camp 2.3 miles north of Eckville Shelter

To: Palmerton
Miles today: 22.8

start: Stealth campsite 2 miles north of Eckville Shelterfinish: Palmerton miles: 22.8day: 86Today was the worst rocks we've seen (so far).  Pretty constant all day, from teeny pointy rocks embedded in the trail so close together there's nowhere to place a foot, to fields of huge boulders that must be navigated with care lest one slip break an ankle and end the hike.  It was hot, sometimes with no leaf cover, and the rocks were like a skillet.Partly I was so affected because last night's campsite was one of the worst two or three in memory.  Lots of those same pointy rocks just under the thin layer of soil, and I was on a slope that I hadn't detected when I did my little test lie-down on the spot.  Even with the few bits of extra clothing I have shimming up the low side of the sleeping pad, this was an insidious slope - the kind that wastes your energy all night as your muscles try to compensate.  The result is that there is no real rest.Today was the first time since that bad day south of Catawba that I didn't enjoy myself.  Funny thing, there were nasty rocks that day, too.  Today I was just getting by, with lower legs and feet throbbing all afternoon.  I find that when I'm fresh I can enter a meditative state and get over the rocks pretty smoothly.  But at low energy levels, I guess my mind is too tired to make all the subconscious foot placement choices and the leg muscles are too tired to place the foot accurately.  The first clue things are about to get bad is a stumble - not lifting a foot high enough when bringing it forward and catching a rock.  This causes the whole body to convulse - the stride is lost, all muscles are called into action to prevent a fall.  Then a few minutes later, another stumble.  Uh oh.  Pretty soon I find myself hitting everything the wrong way, tiring myself further, muttering nasty things, even occasionally shouting "STUPID ROCKS!"  This helps a lot.At one point today I got lost.  I mean I couldn't find the next white blaze.  I had come to a fork in the trail.  There was a road crossing about a tenth ahead, I was expecting it from the guidebook data and I could hear some cars.  I looked behind me, for the blaze a southbounder would see.  OK, I see one, so at this point I'm still on the trail.  So I take the most likely fork, the one that looks the most traveled.  No blazes at all.  I walk to the road, and no blazes either across the road, or along it in either direction.  Crap.  Walk all the way back, try the only other choice.  Crap again, there's a blue blaze.  Follow this anyway, as it leads to the B&B where I plan to get water from a spigot.  Got water, now notice a road sign that's a picture of hikers crossing.  Walk over there, conscious that I haven't been on the AT for a bit now, and that once I figure this out, I have to go back and walk the correct route.  I wish it wasn't so hot out.  Goldilocks is up ahead, sitting by the road where the real AT crosses.  OK, what's it doing over there?  I walk southbound from this point to find where I went wrong.  It takes about 1/4 mile or so, and then I notice a sharp turn.  I must've missed the turn earlier and have been walking on a non-AT forest road for a fair distance.  But the thing that threw me was seeing that single white blaze when I was at the fork.  I was way off the AT at this point, and can only conclude that the AT used to run that way and was rerouted.  If I hadn't seen that blaze I'd have proceeded no further and backtracked to find my error much sooner.While I was fooling around, Goldilocks ran into Johnny Blaze who had taken a zero the day before at his home which is nearby.  He was just getting dropped off to hike again.  I never saw him, as he stayed ahead of me and hiked past Palmerton.When I got to town Goldilocks mentioned seeing a 4 foot rat snake in the last shelter before town.After some delay, during which I ate dinner, we got into the free town-run hostel, which is in the basement of the old town hall.  Great mattresses and showers.  No towels, but it's free, right?  Drip dry.We're the only people in this old creaky building. Goldilocks is upstairs taking his shower.  I hear the door squeak that signals he's coming back down.  I hear a moaning voice say over and over "M-o-o-s-i-e...".  Hah, ain't scared of no Goldilocks.  The moaning ceases, Goldilocks walks in, and I grin at him like "you can't scare me".  As I'm looking at Goldilocks, the moaning repeats itself.  What the hell?  In a delayed reaction goosebumps run down my spine.