Date: 2003-07-24
From: Allentown Hiking Club shelter

To: Smith gap road
Miles today: 30.1

We didn't wake up as early as two people who were planning a thirty-three mile day should have but we got a fairly early start. My particular plan on attacking this day was to hike the first 17 miles without stopping which would be about halfway and tell us where we stood for the rest of the day. The terrain was becoming steadily rockier. It seemed that the myth about how the pennsylvanian trail maintainers come out at night with files and sharpen the rocks was more true at this end of the state. To hike seventeen miles without stopping for more than a few seconds was an excercise in willpower and endurance. My usual limit would be about five miles for taking a break if not sooner. When you pass the ten mile mark of steady walking i was well aware that I was fatigued and my muscles were being abused yet I pushed on. The last few miles got to be downright painful but I made it without giving in. I had gotten there by hiking 17 miles before 1 PM, amazing especially considering my boots were soaked from the night before. I let my feet and socks dry for a nice hour lunch before setting out on the second half of the rediculous day. There was a challenge immediately ahead, the toughest climb in the whole state was just ahead. It was a long very steep exposed climb up out of Lehigh Gap. The area was like a straight rock face that made you scratch your head to see a blaze in the middle of a small cliff. This climb was very challenging and technical, you had to pay attention to your every handhold and foothold because a fall would be hazardous. It would have been much more fun without the scorching sun and heavy pack however I would take that sun over a storm right now. I wouldn't have attempted the climb if one of those fierce storms was coming through right now. When we got to the top it was like a waistland up there with only a few stunted trees and shrubs dotting an otherwise barren landscape. No this wasn't the moon it was a direct living example of acid rain devastation. It was caused by a zinc smelting plant in nearby Palmerton that had been shut down by the EPA. The land was slowly trying to take back the hillside but wasn't doing very well. It made for an interesting walk. Luckily this next stretch was on a ridge and was fairly flat and the rocks weren't bad, which was to say there were just enough spots of ground showing between them to somtimes put your feet. We moved forward swiftly. If we could make it to our destination it would only be 20.4 miles into the water gap, a very doable distance even considering the hurt a thirty mile day does to you. When attempting such a long day you reach a point where nothing but your will propels you forward. After twenty miles my body really had had enough but after twenty-five it started to hurt, and after thirty it was a whole different level. I knew that there was still several miles to the shelter and my body was very tired and my legs burned with pain. We had built up such momentum all day that we still hurtled ourselves forward at a pretty fast pace just trying to pass miles at this point. During such times you don't have as much mental energy to devote to singing songs or thinking about other things, your every thought is about keeping your legs moving at their current speed. We finally gave in and sat down to take a break at Brown Gap road a little over three miles from our destination. It was getting dark and we needed our headlamps. I was exhausted and sat stretching out my legs in every direction trying to keep them loose. I tried to stand ten minutes later and it had not been succesful, I was totally stiff there was little hope in going on. Bucky's legs were as bad as mine and we looked like a couple old men hobbling along trying to get to a level we couldn't reach. It was foolish to go on. Delaware Water Gap was just 24 miles away and we had just enough water between us to cook dinner and have a sip before we pitched our tents at the first spot we could find.