Obadiah
Stealth campsite to Trail Angel back yard in Palmerton PA - 5 miles hiked today- 1260.0 total AT miles hiked to date.
Today was a NERO day, as we hiked 5 miles down the mountain and into Palmerton to recover from the strenuous couple of days we’ve faced since Port Clinton. The rock and boulder scrambles really take it out of you.
We were in town by lunchtime and stayed in a trail angel’s back yard. She not only lets you tent there for no charge, but allows the use of their shower and laundry for no charge as well. I did a quick mow of the yard as payback before we all pitched our tents (7 in all). After showering and doing laundry, we had lunch at a local diner, resupplied at the local market, lounged in the afternoon, and ate dinner at an Italian place.
Next up in the morning is a 1 mile rock climb that is touted as the toughest stretch yet (pictured below from the base). I will be doing my first slack pack, really out of necessity, as it’s very dangerous to attempt this stretch with a full pack on your back. Pinot’s husband will carry our equipment, other than basic water and food, to the next road crossing and we’ll make the climb with ultralight packs. One of Pinot’s sons, John, has been hiking with us for the past several days, and one of her other sons will be joining us for a couple of days as well. A new face has also joined our group this past week, Anvil - who’s a former Army Special Forces vet, and a great asset to the group. Tomorrow morning should be quite an adventure with the sheer rock face, hand over hand climbing. After the climb, we plan to do another 15 miles or so for the day. Rick is only 25 miles behind us, and pushing more miles than us each day, so should catch up within the next several days.
Until next time…
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