Dan’s Spring Campsite 1239.3 to Tentsite 1248.7 (9.35 miles, 223.25 total miles)
Last night it took a little bit of time to fall asleep, given that I had stayed up late the last few nights, and the fact that tiny little nerves had kicked in about camping alone. Mostly spurred by the sound of creatures like mice running all about, so I put on my second favorite podcast (Without A Country) and listened to that for about an hour and a half before I fell asleep around 10:30.
I woke up a couple times in the night, then started hearing the birds around 5am. I was very tired, so I kept dozing off until around 7:30. I was alive, which meant no trees had fallen on me in the night, which I was grateful for.
I made the trek down to the spring to get water, which was a very steep .1 downhill. Then I took my time packing up my tent, my bag, and having two packets of breakfast essentials and a Kind protein breakfast bar as well. And when I was finally heading out, it was about 9:45 AM.
It was very rocky for the first 1.36 miles after camp. I know that because it took me a very slow hour to cover that 1.36. For about a half mile I hiked with a middle aged section hiker named Jack. He lives about an hour and a half away from the trail, and is completing Pennsylvania this week by doing the section from Port Clinton to Delaware Water Gap, the very end of the trail in Pennsylvania.
I headed on by myself when he stop to rest his knees from the pounding of the rocks. The day was mild, a little on the warmer side, but not too humid. It was also sunny, and I noticed there was a lot of flies around. Apparently they were really interested in buzzing around my head, which is a noise I hate but tolerated as I walked along.
The trail continued to switch back and forth between very rocky sections and a few nice flat ones. The rocks were tough, but I also noticed there was some thing masochistically enjoyable and meditative about slowly navigating through them.
It was noon and a little over three miles in when I made it to the Allentown Hiking Club Shelter. I wasn’t going to stop originally, just get water at the spring up ahead of it, but it was lunchtime and I was taking it easy. It helped that this shelter was the first I’d seen that was close enough to be visible from the trail in a while.
I laid out my shoes and socks in the ample sun around the shelter. Then I sat and ate some cheese and meat with tortilla, a Larabar with skippy PB in a pouch, and made some Crystal Light with caffeine in it. As I was about to start eating, Jack arrived and sat down as well.
We started chatting a little more, and I found out he had been in the car business for several years as well. We swapped info about our roles and experiences in dealerships, and it was fun talking to someone who’d been in the same industry as me for a while.
I also told him I might join him at the New Tripoli Campsite, about four miles short of the shelter. My ankles were bothering me, and I knew it was really rocky at the knife’s edge after the campsite. I would be cutting my day short again, but it was the opposite of what I’d been doing before, and I thought that was probably a good thing.
A couple guys who were overnight hiking with their sons stopped by and talked to us for a few minutes before we hiked on together. The blue blaze spit us out about twenty yards further up the AT, so I hiked to the shelter sign on the trail and back to where Jack stood waiting for me. I wasn’t skipping anything this time, not even a smidge of the trail.
Jack and I hiked together for the next 4 miles, which was surprisingly very easy terrain. It seemed like maybe an old road or something that had grown over, with two tracks and grass in the middle. But there were minimal rocks for the most part and lots of flat ground. I did have to stop and rest my ankles once though. I had wrapped the right one in KT tape, but the rocks had taken a toll.
We stopped at Thunderhead Lodge off route 309 and right next to the trail, a former/future B&B and full service restaurant. I was fresh off plenty of town food and had a big bag of food to eat so I didn’t get anything, but I did dump my trash and used the spigot available to hikers. Since I was carrying my water to the campsite, I drank about two liters and filled 2.5 liters to take with me.
We took a nice leisurely break, enjoying the sun and beautiful weather at a picnic table on the lawn behind the restaurant. I ate a protein bar and Jack gave me a couple Tootsie Rolls as well before we headed out to cross the road around 3:30 or so.
The ridge across the road was very pretty indeed, with bushes of Mount Laurel so close to blooming, ferns, and lots of young trees all around. There has been a lot of blow downs earlier in the day, but there were only a couple during the last 2 miles of the day.
There were little rocks here and there, as the two track path continued to the powerlines. We saw a former thru hiker “Jollies”, who had hiked in 2003, and told me thru hiking will be one of the best experiences I’ll have in my life.
On the top of the ridge, we spotted a really nice campsite with a view where a few men were enjoying a fire and what smelled like a barbecue. We passed a few more day hikers going the opposite way, and at the powerline Jack turned down to the New Tripoli Campsite.
I had decided to go an additional .2 ahead to another campsite that I saw more directly on the trail to save some miles. I also kind of enjoyed tenting alone last night and was looking forward to that solitude again. However, I did have a really nice time hiking with Jack for most of the day. He was easy to talk to, and it was nice to be hiking with someone who was going at a slower pace and I didn’t feel compelled to compete with, even subconsciously.
I also found out that he has a blue fronted Amazon parrot, and his parrot’s name is Franky. He spells it with a “y” not an “ie”, but it is not a very common name for any animal, especially a parrot. It was the type of synchronicity that gave me chills.
The .2 further from Jack’s campsite turned out to be an extremely rocky section of the trail. It wasn’t too long though, so I went slow, and was glad it would be a few less rocks for me to traverse tomorrow.
I am planning on doing just over 12 miles into Palmerton tomorrow. There is a hiker who lives in town, Squeak, who lets other hikers camp in her yard for free, and do laundry and take a shower there. Even though I had just taken a few showers and done laundry twice at Ray and Michele‘s, it is going to be a 90° day tomorrow, and it’s always good to take those opportunities where they can be found.
I am proud of doing 9 miles today, because I only did 9 miles today. I was able to notice that there’s this voice in my head that says “what if I did ______?” For example, this morning the voice said what if I just hike to the shelter instead of getting water down the steep .1 to the spring?
As I had very little water, just a few sips remaining, and the shelter was over 3 miles ahead that would’ve been a very poor choice. However, I realize that’s the voice that has been telling me for the past two weeks “what if you just went a few more miles to the further shelter, what if you just did 24 miles into Port Clinton even though you don’t have to.”
I think that might be the voice of my ego, out here trying to prove who knows what to who knows who. By not listening to it, I had a lovely day today, having a late start, doing lower miles, noticing more of what was around me, getting into camp early, and being able to relax for a while. I guess I’ll have to keep an eye out for that what if voice and make sure I don’t let it get the better of me.
Tonight I had more couscous and tuna for dinner, and counted out my remaining days of food. I have enough that I should be able to make it into Delaware Water Gap by Thursday, taking a nearo into town. There’s a church hostel there that sounds good, and they even do a free hiker dinner on Thursdays starting in June.
Since I missed out on the Duncannon Post Office hiker box and a few other nice things by going too fast recently, that timing seems serendipitous to me. I can roll into town with an almost empty food bag, and resupply there at the outfitter. I’m planning a 12.4, 15.7, 13.7, and 6.4 into DWG. The last day being such low mileage gives me flexibility to shorten a day or two as needed. I’m enjoying slowing myself down and giving myself more time to enjoy the journey.
