Date: 2017-10-03
From: Lehigh Gap

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: clear sky

Beautiful day. I'm dropped off at Lehigh Gap by John "Mechanical Man" Stempa who hosts hikers at his home as well as shuttling. He talks the whole ride over. He was a ski fitting mechanic for years at a local resort. Outfitted Mario Andretti and family, who live nearby. Stempa hosted Earl Shaffer when at age 79 he made his third thruhike in 1998. Now Stempa is trying to get Greybeard to stop there as he becomes the new oldest thruhiker, wrapping up his flip-flop hike in Pennsylvania this month.I'm hiking 21 miles north back to my car in Wind Gap to fill in my last large section in Pennsylvania. This will also complete the entire Harper's Ferry to Katahdin section. I've been looking forward to the climb out of Lehigh Gap as it's been compared to the Whites for it's steepness and challenge. It turns out to be brief and underwhelming though. But for a minute or two there's a section requiring hand over hand bouldering that brings back fond memories of New Hampshire and Maine. Then there is some slow lateral going over rocks before I hit the ridge. Once up on the ridge the walk is pleasant and overlooks the compact main street of Palmerton and the old zinc works that has defoliated much of the mountain, now a massive Superfund site. A few miles in I meet Sarah coming south from John Stempa's home where she overnighted. She left from Katahdin in late June, on track for a mid-winter finish in Georgia, a prospect that seems to concern her. While we chat Frisbee flies by heading south. Sarah introduces herself. He says briskly "Yeah, we met at the omelet guy's", (he means up in New Hampshire, back in August presumably). Frisbee's making up Pennsylvania which he skipped in his Nobo thruhike that ended Sept 19.I hit plenty of rocks in this section - this seems to be one of the worst stretches in Pennsylvania - but after Maine it's barely a bother. I can only imagine what southbounders must think of the seemingly wild exaggerations of northbounders once they encounter the comparatively mild terrain south of the Whites.After retrieving my car in the late afternoon I squeeze in a 5 mile out and back from Eckville before dark to cover the last tiny section of Pennsylvania I missed. I meet several young men from Switzerland looking to camp nearby and direct them to a streamside campsite a half mile north. There's an enclosed shelter with running water and shower just down the road, but they came out specifically to rough it. I don't think they know the significance of the trail they're on, it was just a convenient trailhead.No one else is on this stretch this late in the day. And just like that it's done. I complete the last bit of the AT from the Virginia border to Katahdin - 1169.5 miles in about 57 days. I have many memories of this journey, but the ones I treasure most are the days I hiked with my daughter in Maryland and my son in Pennsylvania. I hope they remember them as well, as I look back on the trips I took with own father so many years ago.I don't yet know when or if I will complete the AT. Certainly I want to and intend to, but life has many other things awaiting my attention. Only time will tell.