Date: 2016-07-03
From: Bake Over Knob Shelter

To: PA 873
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

So I was pretty fed up after a couple of miles this morning. Pretty tired of dealing with the scrambles and going so slow over the rocks. Pretty tired of the trail because it was getting to me. I needed a break. I got in touch with the parents of a good friend of mine who were planning to pick me up in Wind Gap in a couple of days to see about the possibility of an early extraction! After some back and forth working out logistics, it was arranged that they would pick me up in Lehigh Gap at 5pm! I still had a few miles to go, but intentionally way over estimated how long it would take me since I didn't know what the terrain would be like, and I didn't want them to be waiting around for me. Besides, I don't mind waiting. I don't get bored!Not long after working all of that out I started to spot blueberries along the trail. I would pick a couple as the appeared here and there and pop them in my mouth. So sweet! Perfectly ripe! When I started to come across bigger patches of them I decided to pick some for Dave and Shirley. Guys, blueberry picking takes forever! And you can't gift just a few, that's weird... So I picked for about 45 minutes getting about a half litter. As I picked, Little Sister came along and was stoked to learn about the berries! She dropped her pack and started picking. Then Hey Girl came along, same thing. Eventually we had Pyro, Thin Mint, Tree, Pantry, and a few others all wandering through the brush picking berries, and there were plenty for everyone! I eventually had to press on because I now had an actual deadline and destination to keep in mind. The trail was really beautiful this afternoon. From the berry fields with amazing views to the mystical looking forests supported by low, soft, lush ferns! These ferny forests were pretty magical! Throughout the day as I would find myself in these areas I would stop and just take it in! Because there were hundreds of moths flitting about! I thought they were butterflies, but it was hard to distinguish because they would never lite on anything, just flit flit flit, here to there, kissing my cheek and my neck with their can't little wings. Eventually I spotted a couple on the trunk of a tree and got a photo. Maybe someone can tell me what they are.I stopped at a great flowing spring right on the trail just past the George W. Outerbridge shelter for water. I chugged a liter and bottled a liter. Then I put a few blueberries in the bottle with the ice cold spring water. What a nice treat that was!Made it down the last, rocky decent to wait for my ride. A few other guys that I had seen back and forth this afternoon came out not long after me. They were headed into town and were debating what kind of luck they would have hitchhiking. Eventually they decided to hire an Uber. What?!? You can Uber from the trail?? That just seems kind of lame to me, but to each his own! Hike your own hike!Dave and Shirley made it to pick me up, and I felt pretty bad stinking up their truck, especially since we were in there pretty close together! After showering and getting settled in at Casa de Fenner, we headed out for an Italian dinner. My lasagna was awesome! Shower, soft bed, good company, happy Spice!