Date: 2015-06-27
From: Port Clinton, PA. 

To: Palmerton, PA. 
Miles today: 40.2

Port Clinton, PA to Palmerton, PA (M 1256.7). 40.2 MThis journal entry covers two days, Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28. I left the Pavilion at Port Clinton on Saturday, which was forecast to be a 100% rain day. For once the weather man was correct. It was sprinkling when I started and it rained or drizzled all day long. There would be three climbs for the day including the climb out of Port Clinton, Pulpit Rock, and Dans Pulpit. The plan was to hike 20 miles to a shelter, then hike 20 miles to the town of Palmerton on Sunday. With the rain falling steadily, I was soaked to the skin from head to toe within a couple hours. The trail was either exceedingly rocky and boulder strewn, or covered with water and black mud. And everything was slippery. Hiking was particularly difficult, and the upper part of the last two climbs was a total boulder scramble/crawl. Late in the afternoon, with the temperature in the fifties and the wind blowing I recognized the symptoms of my dreaded nemesis, hypothermia. I was losing strength and function in my hands and fingers. Several weeks ago I was talking to a Search and Rescue team that was patrolling the trail and I described this condition to them. They said that the thumb/forefinger pinch is one of the tests that they use to diagnose hypothermia. Apparently in this condition the brain is shutting down blood flow to the extremities. So fingers become weak and non-functioning. As the afternoon wore my condition worsened, with shaking hands and chattering teeth. I suspect my mental acuity was also slipping as I hiked past the intended shelter stop. After going well beyond where the shelter should have been, I decided that I wasn't sure exactly where I was and I better stop and set up the tent while I still could. Found a poor but acceptable spot and got set up in the rain. It was difficult and took about four times the normal set up time due to the lack of hand function. After I got in the tent and put on dry clothes some warmth began to return. This was really a terrible day for me. I fell five times, a new single day record. I told myself over and over that I was beaten, and it was time to end the journey. But I wanted to stick with my plan of not quitting on a bad day. So I decided to give it some more time. Sunday morning was wet and foggy, but at least it wasn't raining. Of course, everything was very slippery. About 90 minutes after starting I came to a milestone that let me know that I had hiked about five miles past the intended destination on Saturday. The hike Sunday would include the Knife Edge, Bear Rocks, and Bake Oven Knob. All of these areas were interesting, especially the Knife Edge. From the name you can imagine what this is. Similar to Saturday, the trail was mostly rocks and boulders. Very hard going for me, and I had a repeat performance with another five falls. Two of the falls were really scary and painful. I reached the highway into Palmerton in late afternoon, crossed the Lehigh River, and began the walk on a busy highway to town. Fortunately a nice lady stopped and gave me a ride downtown. Unfortunately, the Police station that in the past allowed hikers to sleep and shower in their quarters no longer allowed this. And there are no motels, parks, or other places to sleep or camp in town. So I started walking out of town back to the trail. About one quarter mile out of town I saw a flat place around some pine trees between the highways so I stopped there and set up the tent. It was a terrible spot, with traffic on both sides of me. And my tent was visible from both traffic lanes so I was concerned that the Law might stop and make me move. I didn't get much sleep, but I didn't have to move, so I guess it was OK. In the morning I packed up early and walked to town to get a good breakfast, but there wasn't a restaurant open within walk distance. So I ended up eating at a gas station quick shop. Then it was a matter of waiting till the Post Office opened at 8:30 am to pick up a package with new shoes. As it turned out the Post Office did not meet their delivery promise and the package had not yet arrived, so I had the package forwarded back home to Missouri. So as I enter this text, it is Monday afternoon and I still feel it is time for me to end the journey. The too frequent falls and problem with hypothermia are going to catch up with me sooner or later. In addition, I now feel that I may not have the physical strength demanded by this trail. My always spindly frame combined with the recent weight/muscle loss are not a good combination. The Northern 20% of the trail is known to be the most physically challenging and also the most prone to inclement weather. So I am throwing in the towel at Palmerton, PA. Not where I wanted it to end, but such is life. To all the folks who have successfully completed the whole trail, my hats off to you. You can truly be proud of what you accomplished. To all those that are out hiking today, best of luck and I sincerely hope you are able to complete your journey. To all of the Trail Angels that provide Trail Magic to hikers, thank you, thank you, thank you. Your good deeds provide a boost to every hiker that passes by you. And to all the family and friends that have offered good wishes and encouragement over the past two and a half months, I am indebted. I would not have made it this far without your support. To anyone that my failure has disappointed, I can only offer an apology. I did try very hard to keep it going. I believe it was the venerable Yoda who said something like, Try? There is no try, there is only do. Well, I do'ed my best, but it ended in just a try. Sorry Yoda. Some hikers have suggested that I should take a little time off then return to finish the trail. I don't like to use the word never, but I don't think this is in the cards. The trail has humbled me and won the battle. Leaving Allentown, PA early Tuesday morning to retrieve my vehicle in GA and get back to normal.Adios Amigos. Don