Date: 2005-07-14
From: Ligonier

To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings to all my peeps, both on and off the trail! Life is still grand, out here in the "mountains" of Pennsylvania. Yes, still truckin' along in my home state. But, soon to depart, as I'm hovering about 35 miles from the New Jersey border. And then, before I know it, I'll be in New England. Definitely looking forward to the rugged beauty of the White Mountains. But all the same, I don't want to shortchange the Mid-Atlantic states. I admit, sections of PA have been... I don't want to say 'boring'; perhaps 'un-interesting' is more appropriate. Just a lot of ridge-walking, w/ little or no views. However, the terrain lately has been spiced up a bit, w/ some fantabulous overlooks (including, but not limited to, The Pulpit, The Pinnacle, The Cliffs, and, of course, the traditional "rock outcropping"). Some phenomenal views of low-lying farmland. And then, yesterday we encountered the fabled "Pennsylvania rocks". If I hadn't been pursued by a looming thunderstorm, I think I'd have really enjoyed them. Lots of boulder hopping and scrambling. But, w/ thunder chasing me, followed soon-after by rain, the desire to just hang-out on the rocks was quickly quashed. Still, it was fun, a nice break from the monotony of road walking which we've been doing quite a bit of lately. Not paved highways, mostly Forest Service and logging roads, but still... Right now, I'm in Palmerton, spending the night in jail. Yeah, that's right. Me, the jailbird. There was this slight issue, involving me and the authorities. And then there was a small, almost negligible altercation w/ a police officer. (I didn't _mean_ to punch him in the face. Honest.) You see, apparently, hitchhiking is illegal in this area. So, the patrol car pulled over, and, well, one thing led to another, and here I am, in prison. (Okay, if you believe that, well, you haven't known me long enough. I wouldn't punch somebody in the face. I'm a strictly 'below the belt' kinda gal...) No, in actuality, I _am_ spending the night in what was formerly the Palmerton jail. It now operates as a quasi-hostel for AT hikers. Very friendly folks. A luxurious hot shower, w/ water pressure that'll remove the top layer of skin, along w/ all the dirt and grime. There's a bunkroom in the basement, and the fans seem like they'll be loud enough to drown out any snoring. (I hope.) I really wasn't planning on even coming in to Palmerton, but Walrus and Stilts got to talking about hitching in for lunch. So I joined them. And dragged Poet along, too. Plus, I'm experiencing a slight bout of tendonitis in my left Achilles heel. I've had it before, on a previous backpacking trip. Nothing too serious, but it flared up pretty vehemently after scrambling over the rocks yesterday. So, I decided to take a nero today, and cut back on my mileage for the next few days, hopefully giving it a chance to rest and return to normal. The new sandals are working miracles -- the sore, achy arches and midsoles are a thing of the past. A few new blisters and raw spots, due to breaking them in during two days of rain. But hey, what can ya do? Had quite a few snake sightings over the past handful of days. Two rattlesnakes in two days, one of which I was oblivious to, until it warned me rather vigorously w/ its telltale tail rattlin'. And then today, two new species joined the tally. My first ever copperhead sighting. Nearly stepped on it. I was jauntily bopping down the trail, spending a good deal of time staring at the path, b/c it's strewn w/ little 'ankle twister' rocks. A lot of this morning's walk reminded me of high alpine meadows of the western states -- tall grasses and stunted fir trees. Anyway, I was just walking along, looking at the rocks, and the brown and yellow leaves that are scattered lightly across the trail. Mid-stride, I realized that some of what I had subconsciously processed to be 'dead leaves' was, in actuality, a snake. The distinctive patterning, along w/ the triangular head, let me know that it was poisonous. And, as I'd heard copperheads described as resembling dead leaves, well, it's an accurate depiction. I looked at him for a while, while he looked at me. Neither of us was too interested in moving. (I would have bushwhacked around him, but the trail was closed in by brambles at this particular spot. I wasn't willing to experience lacerated legs and feet, just to avoid a lil ol' poisonous snake.) After about 5 minutes (and several photographs), I prodded him w/ my trekking pole. He barely flinched. Just as I was mustering the courage to step around him in the narrow confines of the trail, Stilts arrived on the scene. He quickly verified my identification of 'copperhead', then proceeded to take his pack off to grab his camera. Well, wouldn't ya know, soon as he did, that snake took off into the brush. Stilts got a shot of its tail, but that's all. Figures. Then, about a half mile further down the trail, Stilts found a small corn snake. Really beautiful gray and black markings. A good day for the snake lover in all of us. Well, time to sign off for now. Was great seeing some of you back in Ligonier over the 4th. And, as always, I love hearing from all of you. Til my next report, be well.