Date: 2019-06-14
From: New Tripoli Campsite

To: AT parking lot just before Lehigh Gap
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

We left the Stempas¢ garage at 7:30am and were back on the trail where he had picked us up in the rain yesterday by 8:30am.  We hiked that same 1.8 miles for the third time and by 9:30am were back at the site where we had camped in the rain.  It was a very cool and gusty day.  The winds dried the wet rocks and the rain puddles but there was still plenty of mud around all those notorious Pennsylvania rocks.  Soon we were at Knife Edge, about 1/4-1/2 mile long section of large sharp rocks seemingly placed pointing upwards in a ridge, like shark fins.  To have fallen off either side would¢ve meant a serious injury at the least.  There were times we had to throw our poles down a short section and slide down a rock or two on the seat of our pants to get to the next level.  It was precarious and we were very glad we had not attempted it in yesterday¢s rain with our fully loaded packs.After completing Knife Edge, the rest of the day did not have much elevation change, just more of Pennsylvania¢s rocks - big rocks, little rocks, sharp pointy rocks, rocks that tipped when we stood on them, more and more rocks.  At one point I counted over 100 steps taken without my feet ever touching dirt, then I got tired of counting and quit and just focused on not falling or twisting an ankle or breaking another trekking pole.We stopped at Bake Oven Knob Shelter for lunch about noon and 7-8 other hikers joined us there.  They told us about a woman who had just died of hypothermia while hiking up Mount Washington in New England.  A mile or two after lunch we came to a road crossing where there was trail magic.  Jimmy from Louisiana who does YouTube interviews of AT hikers was handing out cold drinks. His wife thruhiked a few years ago, and since then they¢ve spent a month or so each summer doing trail magic on the AT.  I guzzled an Orange Crush, my second soda of this trip. We got more sad news that Ironman, a hiker just in front of us, broke his arm today and was scheduled for surgery tomorrow.When we passed George Outerbridge Shelter, a dog barked ferociously at us from inside the shelter and someone inside yelled at the dog.  The front of the shelter had been covered with pieces of tyvec so we couldn¢t see inside.   Outside there were two big heavy pots for dog food and water.  It seemed someone who was not a hiker had taken up residence there.  I was glad we hadn¢t been planning to stop there for the night.  We called John Stempa to let him know we were close to town. After another quick half mile downhill, we crossed the Lehigh River, walked along PA248, and made it to the AT parking lot.  He picked us up there.  He said he would call the AT ridge runner to report the person at the shelter. It seems a common place for the homeless to settle in since it is so close to town. On the way home he told us about a post he had read about a hiker causing grief up the trail for some others.  Turns out it was Won¢t Get Up that I had camped with one night near Hamburg being harassed again by the guy with the purple bandana.  John brought us back to his home where we showered and ate and chilled out until bedtime at 8:30.Too much bad news today.