Date: 2015-06-05
From: Stealth Camping

To: Camping at Palmerton Superfund Site 
Miles today: 6.8

Today was a roller coaster kind of day. It started out with a pleasant stroll to the town of Palmerton. We made it over the bridge and caught a ride with a couple young kids who were most helpful. McGyver was able to jump in the car as well just as we took off. We were dropped off at Country Harvest early in the morning for a quick resupply. I was so thankful to get a quick clean down in the bathroom sink. We were rewarded with a free apple or orange of our choice just for being hikers. So very cool and my navel orange was quite juicy and tasty in their parking lot. Even better was the fresh strawberries and bottle of Bubba again. The Bubba is a bottle of whipped cream which will most likely be a grocery store necessity. Our next stop was Bert's Steakhouse for an early lunch and washing of a few clothing items in their bathroom sink. I am craving meat which I don't eat ma lot of at home. I have had four delicious Philly cheese steak in town during my time in Pennsylvania but today I had a pork chop, french fries and three slices of incredibly delicious eggplant. Bert's was hiker friendly and part of what has made this experience so enjoyable. Stopping in these small towns I normally would never see if something I will never forget, and the people I meet are a real treat.I had heard climbing out of Palmerton would be steep and rocky but I felt confident because in my mind I had just conquered the most difficult section of Pennsylvania. Yeah right! Nobody warned be about today! Our packs were fully loaded with resupply and extra water because we would be hiking through what is known as the Palmerton Superfunder Site which is a DeForest ridge due to zinc smelting. The water has a high metallic content and hikers are advised not to drink the water for a 17 mile stretch.After an exhausting steep climb to the top with breathtaking views of the valley and river below we were greeted with an extremely rocky and steep rock face which looked impossible for me to get over. To make a long two hour story short it made knife edge yesterday a piece of cake. I had never done any climbing like this before and was really out of my element. Little Prince was guiding me along and showing me how to put my fingers into the small crevices in the rocks with my feet in very small spaces. I looked like a very scared crab in weird contortions. This was a slow process indeed and came to a halt for about 15 minutes when we came to a 10 foot face that we couldn't figure out which direction to go and how to do it. I was stuck and it wasn't helpful in the least to look down and see the fall I would take if I lost my footing. It would take a while for some kind of rock to break my fall and who knew how many broken bones I would have. Little Prince has to be given most of the credit for making it through alive. He carried my 35 pound backpack for me in one hand with his on his back as well. If I wasn't so scared I may have laughed as I watched him in slow motion pick up my pack dripping in sweat from the hot sun and slamming it down on the next rock. My expensive new camera was dangling from my pack in it's case being dragged over the unforgiving rocks. I had just washed my baselayer long pants, underwear and compression shorts and had them hanging from the back of my pack in the hope they may dry. It was a great idea at the time but not so much anymore. Eventually LP was carrying all 4 hiking poles and both packs without a single complaint. I felt like such a wimp but so happy and accomplished when it was over. Our hiking endedicated up being very short but draining. Very hot going through the Superfund site but beautiful open views of the valley as we walked along. I was almost completely out of water as one of my sawyer bottles lost its top and all my water in the process.We came upon an area to camp even though we had no water source and only one liter to share.   What a great executive decision we made. It happened to be my favorite night on the trail so far due to a hidden gem we discovered overlooking the valley. We found a spot overlooking the valley in which someone had made three lounge chairs and table out of stones for viewing pleasures. Perfect ending to my most challenging day so far. I couldn't have scripted it any better. So happy as I sit here and wait for the sunset. Very happy right now!