From July 4th / 5th

Happy Fourth of July. I hope you are all well. Mile: 1263.

On the trail, I have made it to Wind Gap, PA, just off of State Highway PA33. Wind Gap is a nice little town with all the necessary hiker services. From here I am approximately 16 miles South of Deleware Water Gap, PA which is the border of PA and NJ.

My sister picked me up and we spent the Fourth of July in Philadelphia. Hall and Oates played a free show, in the rain, at the Art Museum. They were great and played all their songs we love. It was good seeing my sister and the city.

In my last installment, I was at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, 6/21. Halfway. Sad to say it but I did not do the half gallon (of ice cream) challenge. I had a nice time at the park and stayed in the Ironmasters Mansion Hostel, a large brick building dating back to colonial times. From here later the next morning I headed off with thoughts of Duncannon and the Doyle bouncing through my head. A short day of hiking out of Pine Grove Furnace gave me a chance to get a good nights sleep.

I woke up early the next morning with 34.6 miles to Duncannon and figured I would get close and head into Duncannon 6/24 for a nero. But I was hiking well, the terrain was not tough, the temperature was primo and the miles just went by so quickly that by mid morning I was considering going all the way into Duncannon. I started that morning by 6am and by 9am I was having a lunch in Boiling Springs, PA, the ATC Mid-Atlantic Regional Office. After replinishing water bottles I headed out with 25'ish miles to Duncannon. Great stretches for big miles and great breezy hiking conditions made it possible for me to walk into Duncannon that evening, just before dark. This was my biggest mile day ever and I was not dead. A zero day in Duncannon and then I was off to Port Clinton.

It was nice to visit with Vickey of the Doyle. Trail Angel Mary cooked breakfast for us hikers and it was great visiting with her. One more lunch on my way out of town at the Riviera Bar. A short day out of town and the weather started to heat up. As the temperature heated up I started noticing less wildlife. As of late, it seems like I only see birds, bugs, chipmunks and squirrels. The trail in many places is completely grown up over the trail with vines and shrubs and floor covering. You get a cooling effect under the canopy but when it is hot and there is not a great breeze, it gets muggy. Since alot of the hiking in PA is on a ridge, water is fewer and farther between. Some of the springs are starting to dry up. So I have been carrying more water and when a spring is found I spend more time there drinking water before hiking North. Thanks to all the folks who have been leaving water at road crossings and such! I got to Port Clinton, PA on Friday, 6/29/2007 (Mile: 1202). There is not much here in terms of hiker services but a Church in town owns a pavillion and park area. They let hikers stay there. The pavillion is big and nice and cool. Many people stop by to say hello, drop off water or to see if they can assist in any way. Now there is an outfitter, Ye Old Backpacker, 6 miles (by road) North of Port Clinton, PA in a town called Orwigsburg, PA. Owners Steve and Tammy offer a free bunk room for hikers. They are great and I wish them success. The next day I ran into Bag O Trix at the pavillion and decided to stay there for a visit. We caught up and it was nice to see an old friend. The 3C's resteraunt, just a half mile up from the pavillion, serves one heckuva excellent breakfast. In fact, I am ready to say they are tied for Best Breakfast with the grill in Hot Springs, NC. Great sausage pattys. I did close to 20 miles coming out of Port Clinton to a water source, Dans Spring. The next morning I awoke and began early because there were approximately 20 miles between my starting point and Palmerton, PA. Palmerton is a great little town with all the hiker services. From Palmerton, PA we climb straight up an exposed mountain. I began this climb right before sunset and it was beautiful. The scramble up the rocks has recently been featured in an issue of Backpacker magazine. I camped on top and got a great view of the sunset while cooking dinner. The sun came up early the next morning and with nothing to block it I relented and got rolling, despite being a bit sore. The rocks wear on you after awhile. The next day had 18 miles in store to Wind Gap. I was late and underestimated the drain on mph that the rocks would have. I barely did 2 mph but got there and my sister, Lori, was there with Gatorade and water.

Today, 7/5/07, I will be shuttled back to the AT, Wind Gap. I will hike in a bit, and then roll into Deleware Water Gap, PA. There is a great hostel there- Church on the Mountain. They allow hikers to stay there. I may stay or may keep going. Billville is hosting a hiker feed in Duncannon, PA and I suppose if somebody were going to be shuttling hikers back, I could have my arm twisted. It would be great to see White Crow, Not Yet, Mr Easy and all other hikers. Plus, I heard Paddy-O and Matthew-sky is there too.

My canoe that I recently purchased from Piragis Northwoods Co. (http://www.piragis.com/) in Ely, MN has been delivered to Old Forge, NY. The folks at the Northern Forest Canoe Trail Organization had arranged to have it stowed at the local outfitters. Thanks everyone!
So I am ready to begin the second phase of this years adventure- the Paddle. A 740 mile traverse from Old Forge, NY to Fort Kent, ME following the Native American waterway. Before I can go, however, I must get back to Amiacola Falls, GA to pick up my vehicle to drive back to NY.

THANK YOU:Piragis, Leki, Outdoor Research, Etowah Outfitters, New Balance, Granite Gear. Your gear is great!

THANK YOU: Mom, Dad, Rob, Ricky, Amy, Lori and everyone else who is making this trip possible and better.

Happy Trails and be well.
Jason aka TDS
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