“When the well is dry, we will know the worth of water”
~Benjamin Franklin
June 9, 2022
AT miles: 16.1
Ascent: 2080’
Descent: 1110’
Weather: mid-70’s, partly sunny, and windy
Sightings: a chipmunk and a squirrel
High points: successfully hiking the super-steep section north of Lehigh Gap and hiking some more with Sparkplug
I left the lovely Blue Mountain Shanty at the crack of dawn and drove to Delaware Water Gap.
Despite being only 33 miles away, the drive took over an hour. The only roads connecting New Tripoli and Delaware Water Gap are tiny roads with a speed limit of 35 mph.
In Delaware Water Gap I dropped off my car at Marty’s Old Yellow Hostel, a gorgeous old Victorian that is in the process of being totally renovated. Marty gave me a shuttle to Palmerton.
The climb out of Palmerton is notoriously difficult. After hearing numerous hikers talk about it, I decided to take the “winter route “ up the mountain, a backup route for use when the trail is slippery. After all, in two weeks it will be winter in Australia! 😉
When I made it to the top, I found that the AT had been entirely re-routed. The trail was fresh and very rocky but the views were amazing.
This part of the Appalachian trail goes through the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund Site. Between 1898 and 1980 there was a zinc smelting operation here that emitted huge quantities of heavy metals, causing significant concentrations of these toxins in the soil and major deforestation. Much of the contaminated top soil has been removed and replaced with cleaner soil. The area is being re-vegetated but is still mostly open rocks and fields. Because of residual toxins hikers cannot drink from any of the springs in the area.
The trail wound along a ridge.
After several miles of sunny rocky walking, the trail went back into the woods. I bumped into Sparkplug and spent the next several hours walking and talking with her.
Thankfully the trail was less rocky for a while.
The last two miles were rocky, and I was tired, but I did finally arrive at the shelter around 5:00. Water on this section of trail can be problematic, but thankfully the rainstorm last night recharged the spring and water was plentiful.
I am at the shelter with Bimble and Bozo and a trucker. The talk at the shelter is a bit tense— Bimble is giving the trucker a hard time about some odd business decisions.
Today is a great day for a long walk in the woods!