Date: 2013-07-14
From: Stealth camp near Bear Rocks

To: Jailhouse Hostel, Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 9.4

I slept well, but I woke up in a mental funk. The monotany is getting to me and so are the rocks. I needed a boost, and I called in the big guns. I called Tom. As soon as I heard his voice I fell to pieces. I sobbed and tried to tell him my woes. But the poor guy couldn't understand anything. I had a good, cleansing boo-hoo, and then I felt so much better. I could talk like a normal person. Good thing because his initial hello had sounded so happy to hear from me. He gave me the pep-talk that I hadn't been able to muster for myself. Suddenly I flet that maybe I could get through PA. The first few miles were easy cheesy, but then there was a scramble over Bake Oven Knob. With fresh legs and a Tom-fix the scramble was a little better. To my best calculations, 80% of me hated it, 15% found it exhilerating, and 5% loved it. And that was a noticeable improvement. I stopped at the shelter to get water. But I noticed the thick black tail of a rat snake sticking out of the thick over-grown bushes. There was no going around. I chunked a rock at it, bit it coiled and poised right in the bushes. Damn, it was a big snake. I had to wait it out, but finally it slinked off into the bush. I hit some good rocks again near LeHigh Furnace Gap. Fortunately, they didn't last long, and I was able to rock hope over them. At Ashfield Rd, I saw a cluster of water-filled milk jugs, 17 to be exact. There was also a large Rubbermaid filled conatiner full of trail magic. I ate two packages of snack cakes and I grabbed a couple of oranges for later. And I cried just a little bit. I stopped at the George W. Outerbridge Shelter for lunch. A local section hiker/tail maintenace volunteer stopped for a chat. She told me all about the hike/rock climb out of Palmerton. It sounded terrible and hot. It was soon to come...Unless I waited until tomorrow. Tish offered me a ride into Palmerton. There was a free hostel run by the town hall and local police department. I decided to face the rock wall in the morning rather than during the heat of the day. She dropped me at the police station and I walked in circles trying to figure out how to get in. I could imagine the cops watching me on the security cameras and chuckling to themselves. Finally, I got them to buzz me in. The blast of cold air conditioning made my head swoon. I signed away my life and gave them my social security number, but it seemed like a fair exchange to escape the 98 degree heat. The Jailhouse Hostel was in the basement of the courthouse. There are low ceilings and exposed pipes. It reminds me of the bowels of a big battleship, but not as tight of quarters. The shower was so powerful than it removed a later of skin. It felt awesome. I got some laundry done, and I talked with Steve and Elaine. I had a milkshake. I made dinner and talked to Steel Matt. I marveled at the map of the east coast laid out on one of the tables. The AT, up to our present location, was traced out. It was the first time I'd seen my progress in that format. We've come a long, long way. It makes me proud. But I'm still scared for tomorrow.