Date: 2018-06-14
From: Lehigh Gap

To: Stealth Site Above Wind Gap
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: broken clouds

Quesadilla & Overdrive, Irish & Luke, Easy Pete, Ninja, Ghost, Stickers & Lady Bug. It looks like I¢m not alone on the A.T. after all. These are all Springer to Maine thru hikers that I hiked with or ran into on the trail at some point today. It was a fun hike out of Lehigh Gap. The trail rose 960¢ in one mile to Blue Mountain Ridge. A good portion of the climb was a rock scramble. I put my hiking poles away and used my hands to help pull me and my pack up and over boulders. At one point in the climb I was nearly vertical as I scaled a tricky part of the ascent. I was thankful the rocks were dry. Otherwise, it would not have been a fun climb. Several of us reached the view at the top at about the same time and we all celebrated our first mile of the day. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with sunny skies, dry air, and a strong breeze. The first few miles along the ridge cross an EPA Super Fund Site. The landscape had once resembled a wasteland due to contamination from Zinc smelting in the 1900s. Over time, the land has recovered and I found the hiking here quite enjoyable.I ran into Ninja and Ghost picking blueberries. I grabbed a few of the tasty treats for myself. I ended up hiking with Ghost for several miles. He is a Marine Veteran who carriers an American Flag with him and unfurls it when he stops for the day. Ghost is hiking partly to promote awareness of the 22 Vets that commit suicide each day. His cause is labeled "4the22".It was all rocks for the last 15 miles of the hike. We just won¢t talk about that much. Water sources were practically non-existent along the hike. Running very low on fluids myself, I popped into the LeRoy Smith Shelter, which had a piped stream not so nearby. Several other hikers were already there and a couple of them were complaining about the 1/2 mile trek down hill to retrieve water. PA 33 Wind Gap was just 4.5 miles away. I decided right then that I would prefer to walk .8 miles into Wind Gap to get pizza and refill my water than I would walking a mile round trip to get enough water here to last me through tonight. I kicked it into overdrive, passing Easy Pete and one other hiker on the way to Wind Gap. I told Easy that I was headed to get some pizza as I flew by and he said he would be there too.It was another .8 miles downhill from the trail to the restaurant. Easy showed up about 15 minutes after me and we shared a table. As it turns out, he just retired from the Air Force. Sadly, he lost his wife to cancer less than a year ago. He talked about how the AT was helping him to find peace. When we were done with dinner and had watered-up we decided to catch an Uber back up the hill. Easy was getting a room at a hotel close to the trail. I decided to just hike up and out of the gap in hopes of finding a stealth site before dark. About 1.5 miles later I found my spot. By the time I set up the tent and did some stretching it was dark. Tomorrow I hike to Delaware Water Gap, marking the end of Rocksylvania. I¢m ready!Peace & Blessings¢Next StepElevation Data: n/aAscent - 3,515Descent - 2,430Grade - 5.2Weather:Day - 79 / SunnyNight - 55 / ClearOver the Horizon: Delaware Water Gap, PA