Day 91: Last Full Day in PA

Woke up early and everything was dry!! Yeah right. In our dreams, maybe... It rained through the night, and though WE stayed dry in the shelter, our clothes and such were just as wet as when we hung them last night. Oh the joys of putting back on wet clothes in the early morning!! At least the temperature wasn't too chilly.







We three hiked together and came upon the bridge and road to cross before the big climb. It looked dreary up there, and very rocky. We paused a minute before beginning the climb, and then we were off to conquer it.

Soon up the hill, we met up with Tripper and Wizzard and Sour Dough! We all took some photos of us climbing, then we bounced from boulder to boulder as a slight drizzle started to come down. It probably wouldn't last. But it did.













We three hiked on around the mountain (a superfund zone - very polluted with zinc etc...), through high tick grasses and dead zones. It was kind of a creepy place. And then we ran into Deetz and Power Pack again slack-packing the other way. Hey ladies!!!







We took a break to catch up with them, and Sour Dough caught up and took photos (thanks for sending those along, Sour!). We snacked and breaked and then we were all headed back on our opposite directions. We got back into the forest and the drizzle turned into rain. And it rained for a while. My feet had been in wet (sometimes squishy soaked) socks and shoes for about 8 hours by the time we got to the Leroy Smith shelter at 4pm - 17 miles north of where we slept. There was no sheltered place to even eat lunch! I just snacked out of the top of my bag, which was fine, but it's just nice to stop and take your bag and shoes off after a few hours of hiking.

By this time, I had realized that I left my SPOT Locator at the Overbridge shelter this morning. Ugh! Why can't I keep a hold on that little guy!!?! I texted Deetz and Power Pack since they were headed south, and by the end of the day, they'd texted me back that they'd found it!!! Yay them! (Oh, and I saw another unidentifiable animal.)





Soooooo after almost two hours at the Smith shelter, we were off to hiking again. Everything kinda was hurting. I've had a bad blister on the inside of my right foot since the heat wave. The bottoms of both feet were very tender and bruised from all the rocks (and all the hiking). The pack burn had suddenly returned to my muffin top area. My shoulders were getting irritated from my straps. Lots of bugs bites and mild poison ivy. And everything was soaked! We were all a bit miserable, and then something magical happened. One of One Life's good friends donated a hotel room to him - from Dallas! Thank you, Cyndi!! I've never met you, but what a wonderful, thoughtful and generous thing to do :)

We walked with a skip in our steps for the last 5 miles into Wind Gap. I was walking in my Crocs since I just couldn't bear to put my drenched socks and shoes back on again. I just couldn't do it. The Crocs did fine, though (minus the 16 instances of almost scream-out rock-spike pain), and we made it to the road by 7:30. We managed to get a hitch the two miles into town to the hotel (thanks Carlos!!!) and after throwing our stuff in the room, we quickly got the laundry in across the street before it closed. Deetz and Power Pack came over to share the room and to drop off my lost SPOT. We all ate dinner and hung out and watched Independance Day on tv. Time for bed.

I can't believe I'm in a hotel again!!?!

Tomorrow, Scatters has a few friends and family members setting up a trail magic spread at the Delaware Water Gap. This means that tomorrow, yes, I will probably be stuffing myself silly, but also, I will be done with Pennsylvania. I'll be done with half the states of the AT tomorrow!! Weird.
(21.3mi 10st)



-- Posted from the trail...

Location:Wind Gap, PA