Date: 2013-07-16
From: Leroy A. Shelter

To: Church of the Mountain Shelter, Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.2

There was 0% chance of rain so I left the rainfly off. It was so hot. I didn't sleep well because I was dreading what was to come, and I just wanted the pain to be over. So when I woke up at 5:45, I got up and started packing. It was a rocky morning, and my feet were so tight and sore. The achilles tendon on my left food was particularly tight. I injured that ankle really badly 19 years ago, and these rocks are particularly hard on it. It took about an hour or so for it to loosen up, but I know I'll need to give it a rest soon. The guidebook said there was supposed to be a vista, but if there was, I missed it. I came down into Wind Gap, and I walked the mile into town. I'd forwarded some meals to there. I'm happy to have the good meals, but with resupply options coming along so often now, it feels silly to be carrying six days worth of food. Anywho, I collected my box and mailed off the 1.5 lbs of rocks I'd been carrying the last 4 days. I crossed the street to the convenience store and got a bag of Doritos and an orange juice to snack on while I sorted through my food. A nice guy stopped to ask if I needed a ride up to the trail, but I wasn't yet ready, so I declined. I went back inside and got a 12" Italian Firecracker Hoagie sandwich. For $5.00 I got 1180 calories and 67 gm of fat. What a bargain! I thoghat it would last me for lunch and breakfast, but I ate the whole thing, plus a 2 liter Gatorade, plus a cliff bar for lunch. WOW!As I was passing up, another gentleman approached me. He worked with the Hiker Center at Church of the Mountain in Delaware Water Gap. He was passing through and saw some hikers walking down the hot street and turned around to offer them a ride. He couldn't find them, but he found me. He offered me a ride back up to the trailhead. I accepted. So dropped me off with a hug and a good luck. It was rocky with a few unexpected rock scrambles, but I made my way towards north. I ran out of water just short of the KirkRidge Shelter, but there was a water spigot close by. I had planned to stop there for the day, but I so close to being done with P.A. I didn't feel that I could stop now. I signed a farewell to PA note in the register, ate a few more blackberries and headed on. My feet were killing me. The trail just seemed to go up and down, up and down, for no purpose or reason. The rocks lightened up a bit, but I still jarred and twisted my ankles. I cried out in pain a few times. I coated myself in more Deet, but the mosquitoes just bit through my clothes instead. The trail popped out onto a flat smooth road that followed along the ridge. Not an ounce of paint was wasted marking the trail, so I was nervous I had missed a turn. I was too tired to go back and look. I considered camping where I was, but I wanted to be done. Sweat dripped off every point of my body that it could drip off of. Finally, there was one last overlook at the end of the road. It looked out over the Delaware River, some dense forests, a couple of steaming nuclear cooling towers (very unexpected), and New Jersey. Glory by thy name, I never thought I would be so happy to see New Jersey. But first a steep rocky descent. After 18 miles, my legs were smoked. I didn't trust my ankles not to buckle and give way, but down the mountain I headed. It felt like a toned down version of Dragon's Tooth. Part of me wanted to stop and look around. The rocks were totally different, the errosion patterns interesting. But a bigger, stronger part of me just wanted to be done with the bullshit. I walked into town and realized I had no idea where to go. I saw a beautiful Victorian on the corner with two people standing on the balcony. they said they'd seen hikers walking next door. I headed that way. The 7:30 sun, sent rays of light beaming around the "Church of the Mountain, Appalachian Trail Hiker's Center" sign. A beacon of hope and refuge!I dropped my pack outside and walked in and collapsed in a recliner. I stared at the dirt and bug bites on my legs. I managed to get my boots off, but I didn't think I'd be able to muster much more energy. I didn't have any energy to cook, so I ate trail mix and a snickers. I took a shower and crawled back in my recliner. The hikers beside me were tearing into a whole pie, and I secrectly hopped they would offer me up a piece. They didn't. Oh well. Finally I crawled onto a top bunk in a hot steamy bunk room. It felt like a sweat lodge, even with the fans blasting on us. But man, was I happy to be there.