Date: 2004-07-17
From: Blue Mtn Inn

To: Palmerton, Pa.
Miles today: 13.6

Start Blue Mtn. InnDestination Palmerton, Pa.When I woke up this morning, the skies were beautiful blue. Not a cloud in sight. I had pancakes and bacon with orange juice for breakfast. Of course two of the pancakes went into my pack for lunch later today. Right off the bat, I missed the trail turning just as it entered the woods. Lucky for me I only went a few minutes before realizing I was not seeing any white blazes. Today was more rocks, higher and steeper rocks to maneuver over. I was grateful it wasn't raining. There were several reports of rattlesnakes sunning themselves on the rocks, but I never saw one. I stopped at Bake Oven Knob that offered a panoramic view of the farm land below, all checker boarded and dotted with tiny buildings. It also offered a most daunting view of the trail yet before me. I could see the saddle between the mountains, then another climb up yet another mountain. At one point I stopped for a break and spent twenty minutes stuffing blueberries into my mouth as fast as I could pick them. Warm and sweet, it doesn't get any fresher than this. A large portion of the day the trail was from under the shady and cool canopy of the trees. It is the first day I have gotten sunburned. The spring at the first shelter was wonderfully cool and refreshing. I washed my face and arms, and neck, enjoying the feel of the cool water as it ran down my back. I kept up with Spincycle and Trail Dog today because they were going into town to spend the night in the "Jail House Hostel". The town is two miles off the trail and I will not hitch hike by myself. It took us less than ten minutes to get a ride into town. Trail Dog and Spincycle have these neat little bandanas. One side says" Hiker to Town", and the other side says" Hiker to Trail". I am not sure if that helped get us a ride or if it was the tired look on our faces. It was hard squeezing three of us in a compact car with our packs, but desperate people do desperate things. I was in the front seat with my pack on my lap. I could not even get the seat belt around me. We checked ourselves in at the police station, and were given directions to the municipal building where the city has bunk beds set up for thru hikers. There are hot showers, (bring your own towel). There is a soap dispenser on the wall in the shower, but the water pressure is enough to knock the dirt off of you. It is free to stay and one of those must do things if you are hiking the trail. All the hikers get a goodie bag when they get here. It is a large zip lock bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, a five minute phone card, a stamped postcard with a picture of Palmerton on it, a granola bar, a small roll of toilet paper, band aids, and Tylenol, compliments of the town merchants. There is a pay phone here that costs a dime to make a call. A couple of these younger Hikers had never seen a dime payphone. After showering, we all went and pigged out on Chinese food. I discovered that I had left my ground cover sheet for my tent back at the Blue Mountain Summit Inn. I had hung it over the porch railing to dry and then forgot it this morning when I left. I called them and asked them to stick it in the mail for me. Instead, Margo drove over and delivered it to me personally. It was sort of disconcerting to me. She made the drive over in 15 minutes, where as it took me eight hours to hike it. But I was grateful to have gotten it back. Since the laundri-mat was just across the street, we all put our clothes together and washed them. So for the second day in a row, I have a clean body, and clean clothes. The finer things in life!Total miles 13.6