Days 104 to 108: A Quick Rest

Current Location: Home!  New Jersey!  Mile 1293 (left from DWG)

D104, 5/29:

Today I left Cheyenne's feeling clean, refreshed, and very very full.  So much lasagna....  Thanks again for the hospitality!  Anyway, I did a short 14 mile day to Palmerton due to the very crappy water situation in the area.  After leaving Palmerton, it's a very long stretch without good water, and I did not want to push on and do a 30+ mile day in the blazing heat.  Decided to get into town and stay at Bert's.  It's $5 for very...errrr....rustic conditions.  I guess I'll leave it at that.  Good news is, it's very close to pizza, ice cream, resupply, and pretty much anything else.  Enjoyed a few cold ice cream treats.  MMMMMM malted milkshake!  SO GOOD.  And cold.  

Sweating to death as I write this blog post.  Not sure how it went from BRRRR it's freaking cold and raining to skipping spring and straight into the 90s in the heat index.  I kind of wanted the really nice 65-75s weather when hiking is best....Guess mother nature had other plans.  

D105, 5/30

Left Palmerton early thanks to a kind local doctor who gave us a hitch back to the trailhead.  The climb out of Palmerton is a very steep, exposed rock scramble.  It's a lot of fun, but slightly less so on the rainy wet morning I had.  Not too bad, and at least it was cool.  Dodged the morning sun at least!    Captain America and I made it to Leroy Smith Shelter, took a long siesta, and enjoyed the very cold spring water.  Nothing like hiking 15 miles with 2 liters of water in the heat.  Ugh.

Pushed on from the shelter another 5 miles to Wind Gap, PA, where we hitched into town for a cold drink and a proper meal.  Being in PA, so close to NJ, I ordered a Taylor ham, egg, and cheese on a hard roll.  Unfortunately it was called pork roll, but I can overlook that.  Got a hitch back out of town from a nice old guy, and very quickly walked a half mile up the trail to the first campsite.  Dodged the thunderstorms and stayed dry!  Whew.  Close call.  Anyway, tomorrow it's home, so I guess I'll watch Netflix tonight, hahahaha. 

D106, 5/31

Woke up early with Captain America and got moving towards the DWG.  Really really enjoyed PA's last attempts to injure me and get me off trail.  Stupid rocks.  ARG.  15 miles went by quickly and CA and I got into town before 2.  Grabbed some ice cream and waited around for my dad.  

Picked up by my dad today for a few days off from the trail at home.  Really looking forward to stuffing my face and eating wayyyy too much.

D107-108, 6/1-2

ZERO DAYS.  Ate way too much food.  Cake, bagels, korean bbq, ice cream, and everything else in the fridge.  Put on a few good pounds.  Oh man.  No regrets.  Looking forward to getting back on the trail tomorrow, 6/3, and seeing friends again.