Date: 2006-07-31
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 99.5

I was initially woken by the old man thruhikers that get up far too early. They were rustling their gear about and cursing stiff joints as they hobbled off to the bathroom. I decided to sleep a bit more after looking out one of the hostel windows and seeing no light.When I woke again the room was silent. All the old hikers had left and the young ones were still sleeping; with the exception of Ben(Sauce-Dog) who was sitting in a chair staring at a blank wall, while peeling a mango. By now the sun had risen and it was time to move on. We were about finished packing when a guy strolled into the hostel and asked if anyone needed a ride back to the trail. Of course we accepted, and piled into his Volvo. During the drive back to the trail the man introduced himself as Bob ¢Shamrock¢ and explained that he was the trail maintainer for the section we were hiking that very day. This section was unique due to it¢s mile-long elevated boardwalk through a swampy area. The structure took volunteers four years to complete. I think their efforts were worthwhile because it was a pleasure to walk on. After the boardwalk there was more flat road-walking through a National Wildlife refuge. As we reveled in the easy hiking we met two NOBOs who excited us further by stating that the trail was flat for the next 400 miles. It was refreshing to hear something positive. The majority of NOBOs we had talked to had sternly warned us about the impossibly terrible terrain, rocks, and bugs that awaited us. The trail took us through many farm fields and across a bunch of roads. At one of the road crossing there was a sign directing us to ¢Sara¢s Soda Shop¢, an ice cream shop that Bob had recommended. We found the place and enjoyed root beer floats in the air conditioning. The hiking after the break continued to be pleasant. Before I knew it we were only a couple miles away from the shelter where we were staying that night. It was convenient timing as a thunderstorm blew in and rain started falling. We made it to the hut and kept dry. The next morning we had an early start and hiked up to the highest hill in NJ. The elevation is an unimpressive1803 feet, but there was a large obelisk monument built to mark the location. We hiked through the plain woods of High Point State Park and reached a small town by the afternoon. We stopped in a place called Gyp¢s tavern a short distance off the trail. While talking there, we suddenly realized that it was Friday and we had to pick up a package in Delaware Water Gap by Saturday morning. The post office was about 30 miles away from where we were. We decided to try it and left the bar with a determined attitude. On the way out I met the famed hiker ¢Minnesota Smith¢. We had been hearing stories about the guy since we started. He has many eccentricities such as wearing a rain jacket on a hot sunny day, and mailing himself water. Our conversation with him was limited but entertaining.We hiked swiftly for the rest of the day and ended up camping near an old fire tower. This was still about 15 miles away from the post office but we had done 30 miles already that day and it was getting dark. We started early again and hiked on a long rocky ridge that eventually dropped us into Delaware Water Gap. After crossing the river we found the post office with time to spare and celebrated our accomplishment by eating breakfast at a diner. Hiking up the other side of the gap offered some great views and the best scenery I had seen for a while. We took it easy, only going 6 or so miles that afternoon. At the next shelter we met an Israeli ex-soldier whose trail name was ¢F-bomb¢. He got the name because of his ability to cuss frequently without noticing it. Despite his vocabulary he was friendly and we had a nice talk.The hiking terrain was similar the next day, the trail leading along the flat tops of long ridges. While it was flat, there were a lot of rocks to maneuver around. This is sometimes unpleasant because you¢re staring at your feet for hours. I made the mistake of looking up a few times and promptly stubbed my toe. Nothing eventful happened that day. We camped a short distance from the next town, Palmerton, where we were going to re-supply. The town is in the Lehigh River Gap and is surrounded by an industrial wasteland. The hill that we walked down was the site of an old zinc smelting operation and was devoid of plant life. There weren¢t even lichens. The other surrounding hills look similar, being old mining areas. While the environmental destruction was horrible, it offered some great views, and an interesting change of scenery. Palmerton was the most hiker-friendly town that I had been to. The city had a free hostel in the basement of their borough building. We weren¢t staying there but they let us take showers and leave our packs while we went shopping. The grocery store in town gives hikers a free apple and the library gives hikers a paperback book. The hospitality was impressive. As we were leaving town a man offered us a ride. It felt good to be back in Pennsylvania. Sauce Dog and The General