Date: 2005-08-28
From: Palmerton, PA

To: Eckville Shelter, PA
Miles today: 25.1
Weather: light rain

25.1 miles todayEckville Shelter, Pa. I didn't get to sleep until late last night. There were some section hikers that were waiting to be picked up and they had the light on. They were being quiet and I had the lights off on the side of the hostel I was on, but it still kept me awake. I woke up at 6am and packed up and walked down to the convenience store. I had some donuts and coffee. It's not the breakfast I wanted, but the restaurant didn't open until 8am and I didn't want to wait on that. I hitched a ride to the trailhead and started hiking at 7:10am. It's been raining all morning...and I took the time to dry my shoes out last night. I guess that was a waste of time. :-))) I walked up to George W Outerbridge Shelter and got a little water from the spring. I signed the register and hiked on. I was at the top of the 1000 foot climb by the time the restaurant would have opened. Glad I hiked out of town. It's kind of nice for a change to be walking in rain. I don't want to jinx myself by saying that, but the forest takes on a darker, richer color. The clouds are covering the ridge I'm on and the rain is coming down. For about three weeks now, I've been noticing that there are suttle changes in some leaves. I noticed it even more today. It's still way too early for the fall color change, but there is little splashes of color every once in a while. The rain kept falling and I kept walking. I stopped at Bake Oven Knob Shelter and signed the register. I took a short break before hiking on and climbing over Bake Oven Knob. There's nothing but rocks to walk on and with the rain making the rocks slippery, I took it easy walking through them. I didn't want to meet any rocks face to face. :-))) I kept walking and really wasn't thinking about much. I knew Rt 309 was coming up soon. I was remembering all the hunters in this area last year. I got to the road and all of a sudden, I remembered the restaurant there...and it was open!! I could see the sign lit up through the fog and the rain. I felt bad going in all wet, but I still went in. :-))) They were very nice there and made me feel welcome. I ordered lemon thyme rubbed salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables. I got a salad and some bread with the meal. It was the best meal I've had in a restaurant since I started this hike. I was all done and I could see that it was still raining outside when the waitress asked if I'd like some coffee. :-))) Let's see...hot coffee in here where it was dry or go out and walk in the rain. Yep, the coffee was also very good. :-))) I can't believe I had completely forgot this restaurant. I've even eaten here before. It was a nice surprise. I finally walked out into the rain. It wasn't too bad once I got in it, but it sure was hard leaving the restaurant. I ran into the first nobo I've seen in about 3 days. His name was Wounded Knees. He was a young guy with a mohawk haircut. He's got to be near the last of the nobos. I told him about the restaurant and then hiked on. I had gotten chilled in the restaurant, but once I got moving again, I warmed up. I walked over Knifes Edge and was extra careful. The rocks were very slippery and if I fell from there, it would hurt when I hit the ground. I stopped at Allentown Hiking Club Shelter and took a break and signed the register. It was still raining, but it was starting to let up some. I hiked on and about 4:15, I actually saw some sunshine trying to get through the clouds. It stopped raining and a while later even the trees stopped dripping. I walked down the mountain until I got to the road that leads to Eckville Shelter. I walked down to the shelter and cleaned up some and hung stuff to drip dry a little. There's a section hiker here that just started today. I finally broke down and bought a new Altoids tin for my camera when I was in town. My old one was rusted really bad and was hard to use. My camera even looks newer in the new tin. :-)))