Date: 2007-06-15
From: Rte 309

To: Rte 248
Miles today: 13.6

Friday, June 15, 2007Rte 309 to Rte 248, 13.6 milesAt the trailhead I meet Flexible! I hiked with him, Slow and Easy in Georgia in 2005! He¢s out for a long section hike with Easy, Harpers Ferry headed north.It is so cool to meet Flex. Completely unexpected. Easy isn¢t hiking today. He¢s resting a sore hip and deep sole-of-the-foot blisters. Wish I had time to spend with them in Palmerton, but Mountain Goat is joining us today and as soon as we¢re done hiking Purple Sherpa will be meeting us to take us back to our cars at 309. From there we¢ll be going to a campground west of 309, out of range.Crisp cool day today, 60¢s.Knife Edge. Hello to NOBO¢s Jen and Scott, enjoying a view from the Edge. Spinner, in 2003 thanks to your good ideas (taking everything out of our heavy packs and carrying it piecemeal over the rocks in several trips) and thanks to your scouting, on our fifth day of backpacking we made it over this without killing ourselves. That year our itinerary was Day 1, 2.5 miles, parking area off Rte 61 to Pocahontas Campsite.Day 2, 6 (?) miles, AT from Pocahontas Campsite to blue-blazed trail that cuts off Pulpit Rock and The Pinnacle to AT to someplace in the woods we tented at because we missed Eckville Shelter due to me not reading the map right.Day 3, 5 (?) miles, that place in the woods we tented at, wherever it is, to Allentown Shelter.Day 4, 4.1 miles, Allentown Shelter to the Blue Mountain B and B on Rte 309.Day 5 (one of the worst days I¢ve had on the AT), 5.9 miles, Blue Mountain B and B to Bake Oven Shelter.Day 6, 7 miles, Bake Oven Shelter to D and J Auto, where Duane took us into Slatington to stay, with Paladin, at what we thought was going to be Fine Lodging. Surprise. At the sight of Knife Edge, I¢m overcome by the same terror I felt in 2003, sensing then that I was about to die. Not that I find the rocks hard today, though the leaps and landings are a stretch for short-legged people like me. It¢s just that the walk over The Edge is cloaked in that old terror. I do not enjoy today¢s crossing.See Jen and Scott again climbing up Bear Rocks. They report seeing snakes.Hello to Mountain Goat and The Kid! who¢ve hiked in from Ashfield Rd to meet us. A big hug. Great seeing you again. Introductions to Purple Rose, Zig Zag and Sirene.We walk together back towards Ashfield Rd. Mountain Goat and The Kid warn us about a rocky relo they hiked over just south of Ashfield Rd.Purple Sherpa and Dixie have also parked on Ashfield Rd where hiked Purple Sherpa met Flex and gave him a cold coke. They too have hiked over that relo to meet us. Dixie leads us out. Though she acquits herself smartly on those big rocks, they¢re more than the little Skipperkey has bargained for. This is the last time this trip Dixie¢s willing to hike.Mountain Goat's busy Saturday and Sunday but she's free to hike with us Monday and Tuesday. It'll be great to have you join us, old buddy. She and Zig Zag talk about partnering up to hike 60 miles in VT at the end of August.Goodbye to Jen and Scott. Good luck with the rest of your hike!Hello to a young man in military uniform.Hello to NOBO¢s identical twins Glenn and Brian from Georgia. Lean, soft-spoken, young. They¢ll stay at the Borough tonight. They¢ll meet Flex and Easy there.Today¢s hike ends at the parking lot north of Rte 248, where yesterday¢s started.Back at 309, there¢s a note on my windshield from Magellan. She saw the Element in the lot as she was walking to the restaurant. Sorry I missed you, she says. Me too, Magellan.