We all had a pretty late start on July 5th and a few miles in we took a side trail to a swimming hole with a rope swing. Sandals, Green, and I jumped in a few times but the water was freezing cold so we didn't stay too long. Everyone splintered off but Waterboy and I kept going to Port Clinton which involved some night hiking and crossing a train yard while the night shift was shuffling tankers around. A local invited us into the members only bar inside the fire house which had $1.50 beers and $1.75 shots which explained why the locals were so incredibly drunk. We then walked down the town's street (singular, it literally had one street) to the pavilion where they let hikers camp for free. It was a full house and all of the corners in the pavilion were already claimed by other hammockers so we had to hang ours from the rafters. One must trust their hammock when sleeping 6ft above the floor!
A restored train car in the Port Clinton rail yard
July 6th started off with some light rain which we tried to wait out at a diner but we eventually set off in the rain since there was no end in sight. This stretch had a few amazing views, Pulpit Rock and the Pinnacle, and both were completely whited out from the rain clouds. We arrived at Eckville Shelter as the rains stopped but there were no good hammock trees so I had to hang from a fence post and small pine. This massive spider freaked out most hikers in the shelter and they elected to go tent instead. I should've moved inside but I was already set up so I stayed put and then got soaked at 4am when a torrential downpour kicked up and proved that I did a bad hanging job. The next day I had to ford a stream that almost wiped out a footbridge and later in the afternoon, when the sunshine arrived, a bunch of us had a drying out party at the next shelter.
I had to head in to Palmerton to pick up new shoes, get a food resupply, and chomp down some town food. I may have broke another record with landing a hitchhike in about three seconds flat. After taking care of my town errands, Easy Going and I decided to hit the trail but we were having trouble getting a hitch out of town. So I put a new hitchhiking method to the test, doing a dance! Easy kept his thumb out while I pretended my trekking poles were paddles in a row boat and danced a little jig which landed us a ride in less than one minute. The guy even said "I've never picked up a hitchhiker before, but I saw you dancing and thought you all must be aight!" We tackled the "Stairs to Mordor" a crazy rock scramble to get out of Lehigh Valley and up to the ridge that was a long time location of a zinc mining operation.
Standing above Lehigh River after conquering the crazy rock scrambles.
Looking down at zinc mining operations from up on top of the superfund site.
A ridgerunner told us that the water sources in the mining area were recently tested and are OK to drink but we all choose to shoot past them anyway. Easy Going, Newt, and I camped at the first water source past the old mining area even though it was a half mile off trail down a steep decline. The next day traversed the worst bit of terrain on the whole AT (Wind Gap to Delaware Water Gap) and I'm sure it is what gives Pennsylvania it's bad wrap about being terribly rocky. The rocks were all the perfectly wrong shape, placement, and frequency to make both stepping in between them or rock hopping over them completely impossible. At the end of the day I felt like Frodo "it's done...its finally over" and found an awesome stealth spot in a field just outside of town while Easy Going and Newt continued on to the free church hostel. I met the crew early in the morning and Waterboy had a local friend who took us to a few nearby cliff diving spots! On the way we passed a big rattlesnake on the middle of the road so we stopped to take photos and scoot him off the road so he wouldn't get run over. The cliff diving was awesome, we got Chinese buffet for dinner, then crashed at the church hostel for the final night in Pennsylvania.
Safety 3rd!
Snakes striking range is highest when they are coiled up, not gonna nudge him with my foot anymore.
7 States Completed!