November 15, 2015 by Kylena

Oh Fall…slow down!

I looked at the date of my last post…a sharp intake of breath…a month ago!!!

It has been an unforgettable fall season. 🙂 Lots of hiking, lots of working, lots of going to school…not a lot of time for writing unless it is for one of those reasons!

So a quick recap of the highlights. 🙂

Shenandoah River State Park

October 17: We headed down to Shenandoah National Park in early October to leaf peep. After seeing the line at the northern entrance, we gladly diverted and visited Shenandoah River State Park instead. Lovely park and a very good decision! We visit Shenandoah National Park all the time and quite honestly, prefer it without the traffic. 🙂

White Rocks, north of Gathland State Park on the AT in Maryland

October 25: Sidekick Pauli and I took an afternoon hike to White Rocks on the AT in Maryland. I realized I had been doing way too much desk sitting as I climbed up to White Rocks!! We had a lovely lunch at the rocks before walking back to Gathland State Park. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Antietam Battlefield

October 31: Led the Trail Dames on a walk among the lost souls at Antietam Battlefield. Perfectly beautiful day to enjoy and be thankful for all we have been given.

Wet, wet, wet on the Rose River Trail in SNP

November 7: Rose River Falls Loop in Shenandoah National Park with the Trail Dames IN THE RAIN. Sidekick Pauli didn’t mind the rain and neither did I. I wasn’t leading this hike so I walked along carefree as can be! And we finished by celebrating a fellow dame’s birthday with blackberry cobbler and ice cream! Yes!!

Star Party at Sky Meadows State Park, VA. Just look at those set ups!

November 14: Let’s all go to a Star Party!! Kudos to the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC) for sharing their super high caliber telescopes with us at Sky Meadows State Park. I saw Jupiter, Uranus, a double star, the craters on the moon, and a lot, lot, more! So awesome. 🙂

Thomas Farm…my go to after work!

I have enjoyed being outside this last month and am soooooooo looking forward to my Thanksgiving break!

#OptOutside on Black Friday! Hike On!

September 28, 2015 by Kylena

Fogged in at Tentsite 43 with Sidekick Pauli (Day 1 – Friday 9/25/2015)

Tentsite 43 – Big Meadows, Shenandoah NP

I had the site reserved well in advance. This was planned to be an outing with my nieces “No Bend Barbie” and “Jedi”, but No Bend is finishing up her Master’s in Geology and was way too deep in research to come…so we postponed until next May.

So I figured I would take Sidekick Pauli! My first solo camping trip and a long time since Pauli has been on an overnight with me. This would be fun! We could chill out at the campsite, enjoying the crisp autumn air, watching the leaves fall, and take an occasional hike. Hey, I even bought a new camp chair for the occasion at the REI sale a few weeks ago!

As our weekend approached I got nervous…too many nice weekends in a row…oh, the probability for a rainy weekend…

Right on cue, the forecast said occasional showers, then rain at 6 PM on Friday night. Okay, okay, I will get there early and set up the tent. We can get a hike in before it starts raining…

Cruising up to Sperryville, Virginia, I glanced at the wall of mountains before me shrouded in white…uh oh…

Well, I will just drive on up to the park entrance and see what is happening. As my car climbed up, the fog rolled in, and soon I was moving at about 20 mph, hands gripping the wheel, as shapes swirled in and out of the fog in front of me. Hmmm, It’s not raining…maybe we just need to gain a little altitude, you know, to get above the fog bank. So I flashed my pass at the gate and turned south on Skyline Drive headed for Big Meadows (still at 20 mph, but now with the addition of the hazards blinking merrily to the sorry souls who dared hug my bumper).

Turning into Big Meadows, I was mollified somewhat. The fog had lifted a bit and my optimism for an adventure had returned! Tentsite 43 let’s go!

Great site by the way. Way back in the woods. There is a picnic table, bear box and tent pad. There were also a few little trails behind the site. These trails made walking Sidekick Pauli late at night very easy!

After setting up the tent, We set out for Lewis Spring Falls. This trail is a 3.3 mile loop which I was able to reach by walking from my site (a nice plus!). The fog was again falling through the trees which made my traverse along the Appalachian Trail magical.

All of my previous doubts about staying the weekend disappeared as walked along the AT.

The trail followed the AT south past the lodge, then a right turn on the fire road, passing an exhausted looking family unit. “Hey, how are you guys?” I cheerfully greeted them…Dad says, “We’re great!”…Mom says, “Kill me now…” The teenagers were happy though! I left them to their resting spot and headed on to the falls.

This was going to make that Mom like her hike again! Did I just walk into a fairytale?

Whoa…lots of switchbacks!!! It sprinkled a bit, but I had dropped below the fog and could now see distant peaks. Reaching the top of the falls, everything was wet and the rocks were slippery. I guess to actually see the falls I would need to descend a little more…but knowing my propensity for taking a tumble and that at the moment I was hiking sans hiking poles (and with a dog)…I decided not to go any further! I didn’t feel even the least bit sad about that decision either. Some people just love waterfalls, I am not one of those people. I like them, they are pretty, but I don’t have to see them in person…unless of course we are talking about Niagra…

An unexpected view on this foggy day!

I wondered why everyone was going back up the same switchbacks they came down…then I figured it out. When you loop, the trail gets pretty rocky. Holy crap! I hadn’t bargained on this for my easy, afternoon, 3.3 mile hike!! Careful, whew! I didn’t slide and I didn’t fall!!

: Sidekick Pauli leads the way!

: Very rocky section of Lewis Springs Falls Trail

Back at the site, I proceeded to make dinner. As soon as I had finished cleaning up and putting things away, then rain started in earnest. It was 6 pm.

Happiness is a warm puppy!

We didn’t come out of the tent until after dark so Sidekick Pauli could have a little walk into the woods, so to speak. Then we were in for good! Into the fog…hike on!

August 31, 2015 by Kylena

AT – VA Rt 601 to 2nd Parking Area South of Sky Meadows SP

Riveting title don’t you think. 😉

Started early last Saturday (before the Labor Day Weekend) …Sidekick Pauli in tow. We had the whole day to hike! I found the Rt.601 parking lot without difficulty, but wow! what a drop off into the parking lot! I switched out my sandals for hiking boots, grabbed extra water for Pauli, then headed down the blue blaze towards the AT. Heads up, people, the heat was back in town!

Left turn onto the AT, then in about 0.2 of a mile we were cross Rt. 50, a major highway, which thankfully was pretty quiet this morning. Sidekick Pauli was already in tongues out mode as you can see in the pic below!

On the trail just after cross Rt. 50.

The trail hugged Rt. 50 climbing gently until reaching the parking area on Liberty Hill Road. Afterwards, the climb becomes more steep, but not unreasonable so. I had plans to take the Old Trail (the old AT) up the hill and AT back down the hill. I had never taken the Old Trail and had conjured up a trail that was overgrown, filled with briers and ticks, with a faint path leading through it. I pictured faint or non-existent blazes on the trees…and quite honestly, I imagined getting lost!

The Old AT!

I could not have been more wrong. The Old Trail is marked clearly and often with purple blazes and the trail is pristine! What a nice surprise. The only part I didn’t like was the multitude of spider webs spanning the trail. Goodness, I must have taken twenty little spiders hiking with me…and their webs were in my hair, on my pack, everywhere.

A calm ascent up this little hill before the real heat of mid-day set in. Butterflies owned the pipeline where wildflowers were abundant.

Then it was back into the woods for a short stretch before we reached the AT. We were now in Sky Meadows State Park proper.

New colorful signs are replacing the old standard brown and white. I allowed myself a moment of nostalgia looking down at the classic brown and white sign that had been tossed to the side, then admired the brightly colored new trail marker with improved information.

We turned right, then took a nice sit down break at the intersection of the North Ridge trail. It is a proper resting spot with a bench! Sidekick Pauli crawled underneath finding a cool spot to rest and to keep a watchful eye on anyone coming up the trail. 🙂 My traildog!

The plan was to continue south to the first parking lot off the Thompson Wildlife Management Area. This would allow an easy starting point to continue this section at a later date. The PATC map showed Orchard Parking to be about another 0.7 miles, not too far.

I passed an overgrown path to the right and thought, “If this were Indiana, that would probably be the trail”…snarky I am at times…

After a while, I was more suspect that the overgrown path had indeed been the trail to Orchard parking, as I was not finding any other paths to take. I finally came upon a little sign with a tent symbol and, hallelujah! A PATC trail maintainer! I talked with him a bit and confirmed that I had passed the trail to Orchard parking. So, time to turn around and head back to route 601, this time following the AT through Sky Meadows.

It was such a beautiful day, and I was in no hurry since earlier in my hike I had dodged a huge bee…lost my footing, and fell, cracking my kneecap on a rock. Surprisingly, while it was plenty painful, enough endorphins were flooding the area to keep it manageable!

I was ever so pleased to get to blue blaze that took me back to my car!

Hobble…I mean, Hike on!

August 25, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA with Trail Dames of MD: Coming Together, Sharing the Trail & Making Memories

One of the best groups I have ever led on a hike! I led this hike for Trail Dames of Maryland last Saturday…ten miles on the Appalachian Trail. We started at Shippensburg Road and hiked south to Caledonia State Park.

This being the beginning of my semester, I don’t have much time to elaborate! However, this mix of personalities just clicked, creating a wonderful, supportive, fun experience. These women are the reason I volunteer to scout, organize, provide shuttles, and lead hikes! 🙂 🙂

Hike on!

The Dames at Shippensburg Road Trail Head

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August 21, 2015 by Kylena

AT – VA Rt.725 to Jim&Molly Denton Shelter (and back!)

Here I am at my desk preparing for the semester, but thinking of the trail! It is a needed diversion to calm my nerves as I head into a semester fill with many unknowns.

My mind is wandering back to last weekend when I completed a big, three new miles on the AT in Virginia. This is the crux of the solo hiker…no shuttle means an out and back hike. But…Excitement of stepping on a new section of trail overrode any misgivings I might have had about retracing my steps! I turned my car towards the Virginia state line, Sidekick Pauli riding shotgun. 🙂

The parking area off of Rt. 725 is quite pleasant and shady. Hmmm…2:30 in the afternoon. Starting mid-afternoon is not usual for us and created its own challenges in terms of the heat and our energy levels. After crossing Rt. 55, up the hill we went, headed south to the Jim & Molly Denton shelter.

The lull of the afternoon had me drifting off into trail daze soon after starting down the soft dirt path.

So I don’t remember if the Bee Lady’s dog rushed us before or after the train tracks, but it was shocking none the less. I yelled up the hill, “I have a dog!!!” I heard a young woman call to the dog, but of course, the dog was too excited to stop. Sidekick Pauli, always on a leash, gave a snarl as this young, energetic, white dog came crashing down the hill and right into, then onto her.

The woman, who was calling out louder now (in a way that told me she had NO control), rounded the corner and I could see she was carrying a child. Luckily, the dog was not aggressive in a “I am going to kick your butt” kind of way so Sidekick Pauli got over her initial annoyance and tolerated the dog until we passed. After passing, the young woman and I talked a bit. Her son had been stung by a bunch of ground bees…ouch. She described where the bees had been and was quite worried that we would get stung if we continued.

Okay, I forgive the Bee Lady and her dog (and hope her son is okay). On with it!

Soon after stepped across Railroad Tracks

On up the hill we went, enjoying any breeze that managed to reach us on this muggy afternoon! Then an older gentleman came towards us with a full pack. He asked if I had run into the Bee Lady. I replied that indeed I had and wondered whether the bees were going to be a problem. Turns out he had checked it out and apparently the bees had gone back to the ground and were not on the trail. “You have a trail name?” “They call me Chicken Farmer.”

Well, Chicken Farmer’s story hollowed out my soul. My eyes watered as he told me his wife had died on June 17 (my anniversary). His son came to watch the chicken farm so he could retreat to the woods along the Appalachian Trail. Starting his hike in Port Clinton, he had come south to Harper’s Ferry to visit with friends. That morning he had again set his feet in motion starting at Chester Gap near Front Royal, then headed north. I bid him safe travels and again headed up, with a heavier heart and a desire to drop everything and head back to Hoosierland to see my Mom & Dad.

Are there ANY trails without rocks??? Sidekick Pauli is happy regardless!

Ahhh, we were nearing the top of the hill, I could feel it and I welcomed it. Finding a nice rock to sit on, Sidekick Pauli and I stopped for a long water break. Tops of mountains are so peaceful. There is always a breeze that pushes the treetops aside and finds its way down to the weary hiker. 🙂 A chill went down my back as the wind met with my sweat soaked shirt. I enjoyed it…I can definitely tell you I enjoyed that moment!

: Oh, a field walk!

: Why is there a bench under a dead tree? No shade here!

Once over the ridge, we were excited to see a large field. We ran a few steps, channeling Maria from “The Sound of Music”, until the reality of a 92 degree day brought us back to our steady plod, plod, plod. There were several lovely butterflies, even a monarch, that joined us in our trek across the field. 🙂

A little road walk between the hills.

Then it was down to a road crossing, then up again to the Jim & Molly Denton Shelter. I was just plain, old hot at that point, so arriving at the shelter was a happy moment! Two college guys were hanging on the porch as we walked up. Pauli was happy to make their acquaintance and I think they were happy to meet her too! I hung out for a while at the shelter, drinking even more water, and talking with the guys. Envious, I was! Oh, to be young and on the trail for however long you want to stay out…no responsibility, no timeline other than the beginning of the semester…

: Sidekick Pauli lounging at the beautiful Jim & Molly Denton Shelter.

: Love the Trail Signs!

Well, the afternoon was quickly heading into early evening and we had to get back to the car. The crickets sang to us and the cicadas chirped. Shadows grew longer as we walked slowly back. No need to rush.

Hike on.

July 2, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Wind Gap to Delaware Water Gap (then to parking in NJ) ~18 miles

Day 7: June 26, 2015 Last day!

Snuggled in my sleeping bag in Stempa’s garage I said out loud, “I just had a sadistic thought.” Of course, Google and CanDo insisted I share. “Well, if it is going to rain on Saturday, then why don’t we just hike through to Delaware Water Gap tomorrow? It’s only 16 miles.” Google had been thinking the same thing and soon CanDo was in agreement.

So off we went to Wind Gap, again slack packing…Delaware Water Gap or Bust!

Of course, there was a climb coming out of Wind Gap and it seemed to go on for a long time! As usual, once on top it was the usual rocky and we were able to move pretty quickly along the ridge.

We DID NOT bypass the rocks! It was such a gorgeous day to be on the trail and we wanted to go up and see the view!

Our first landmark was Wolf Rocks about seven miles north of Wind Gap. So glad we did not take the bypass as the weather was great, the sky was blue and the Rhododendron was in bloom. Just gorgeous!

Up on Wolf Rocks

Rhododendron!!

Google wondered if we would have thought these rocks were as easy if we would have had to climb over them on day one or two. Regardless, they were flat and didn’t tip over! Beautiful walking across them!

CanDo in the thicket…or the thick of it!

Beautiful Day for a long hike!

One rock at a time! Google and BoobOnARock coming down from Wolf Rocks.

Coming down off the rocks was slow-ish…but still not too daunting. So off to Kirkridge we went!

Woohoo! Props to us, we made Kirkridge by 12:30 pm!

This was a personal challenge day for me and I felt good about progress so far and that my body actually felt good. My face showed my determination to finish this off.

Determined!

Why I wanted to get done, I am not sure. Maybe because seeing that little Bongo on the trail the day before made me miss my own Sidekick Pauli and the rest of the pack. Whatever, I was on my way and not going to be denied Delaware Water Gap today. 🙂

A few more rocks, a fire road walk that seemed to go on forever, then the descent into the Gap was all that was left.

Regular Rocky Trail

Google

A lot of Fire Road Walking prior to Mount Mimsi

A lot of Fire Road Walking prior to Mount Minsi

The best…like a serpent coming up out of the ground! Across the Gap.

Of course we got ice cream! How do you think we made it 18 miles? 🙂

It was a great week of challenges met!!

I wish I could say I was finished with the AT in PA, but I need about ten measly, little miles between Swatara Gap and 501. No problem…I will be back PA when my ankles are again their normal size! 🙂

Enjoy the Flipogram and Hike on!!!!

July 2, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Smith Gap to Wind Gap ~8 miles

Day 6: June 25, 2015 My Dad’s Birthday

We hiked this section starting at Wind Gap and hiking south to Smith Gap. There were more thunderstorms in the forecast, so we agreed to another night in Stempa’s garage.

I thought about my Dad today as I hiked backwards to Smith Gap. He has Alzheimer’s and his mind is not what it used to be. My moving south, instead of north, confused me at times and I wondered if my Dad could relate. We ran into hikers that had passed us yesterday. My Dad runs into thoughts daily that have passed him over the years. Is it now, or is it then? Have the years passed since meeting you, or am I meeting you for the first time? I hate what is happening to my Dad. I hate what is happening to my Mom as she experiences my Dad’s erratic behavior. I hate that I cannot help my sister and brother who are taking on the brunt of the responsibility for making decisions for my Mom and Dad out there in Hoosierland. I hope someone reminds my Dad that it is his birthday as I hike down this trail backwards.

***************************************************************************************************

The first climb going south out of Wind Gap is a climb, but not one that deserves much attention. Here are a few things that stuck like glue in my memory of our hike from North to South.

CanDo at Hahn’s Lookout

1) There was a negative guy wearing snake guards who I never met but I knew him intimately through the stories of other hikers. My eyes scanned the trail and shelters for this guy all day long…never ran into him! My takeaway…Be positive, Be polite, Be helpful if possible, and for God’s sake, smile at people on the trail…they are spreading stories about you the minute they run into another hiker!

No sign of Snake Guard Guy.

2) A thru-hiker at the shelter carried avocados with him. He put a whole avocado on a bagel, making an impossibly huge, awkward sandwich that I thought he would never be able to fit in his mouth…um, yeah, I was wrong! As impressive as that was though, it was his care in packing out the pitts that stole my heart. ❤ ❤ 🙂 🙂 Well, that, and when his friend got to the shelter, he insisted on the friend relaxing while he went the half mile down to the third spring (the only one with water) to refill all of their water bottles. My takeaway…Good friends are hard to find and once you have them make sure to continue to nurture that relationship.

Breaktime at Leroy Smith Shelter with the Bagel & Avocado eating thru hiker. 🙂

3) There was a trailer park across the road from the Wind Gap parking area, and Stempa was surprised none were trying to help these hikers who were out of water. My takeaway…People may not be able to help a hiker if they are in a position where they are having trouble just keeping their lives together. Or People may just not want to help … or may not know they can help. They may see a hiker and think “Wow! that guy must have a great life if he can just come out here and go for a long hike.”

It’s a great life being able to buzz around on the trail! Water or no Water, part of the fun is figuring it out! 🙂

4) Met another section hiker who, just by coincidence, was waiting at Smith Gap in her car when we arrived. She gave us a ride back to Stempa’s, without a second thought! We exchanged contact info…I plan to help her with the Maryland section, shuttles and such. My takeaway…never shy away from the opportunity to build your network of hiking friends!

An Unexpected Ride to Stempa’s smashed into the back of an SUV. 🙂

5) Met Bongo! A boston terrier hiking the trail with her humans. Adorable! You can follow Bongo’s journey through her human’s journal.

Bongo!!! Human’s admitted that she slackpacks occasionally. Love this little cutie!

It was a fun hike, but lacking the drama of climbing out of Lehigh Gap! But what I know for sure is this: Sometimes the trail itself does not excite, but the people are ALWAYS interesting! 🙂

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike On!

July 1, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Lehigh Gap to Smith Gap ~12 miles

Day 5: June 24, 2015

Okay. Yes. Um. I’m ready? Maybe. Okay. Yeah. Let’s Go!

The most anticipated day on this section. I had Googled it, YouTubed it, and sufficiently freaked myself over it! Then I pronounced we needed to slack pack our way up Lehigh Gap. I got no argument from Google or CanDo. Hmmm. What a surprise. 🙂

I had also found out that the water sources were pretty much nonexistent on the ridge between Lehigh Gap and Kirkridge Shelter (where there is a spigot!). So why not also stash water at Little Gap in CanDo’s car. This would make our packs even lighter! I still carried a liter and a half plus Gatorade…but it felt super light with everything else stashed at Little Gap!

So here we go!

Car is locked, let’s go!

Climbing was steeply uphill through the woods at first. No problem!

When I saw we were coming out of the tunnel of foliage, I knew the hike was about to get real. My heart started fluttering…argh! too many darn YouTube Videos!!

The First Look Down

Not so bad…except the blazes go straight up after this. 🙂

I took a deep breath and just told myself “put one foot in front of the other. This is just another mountain, just another pile of rocks, I got this!” So I climbed along the exposed ledge. No problems. Doing good! Oh FRICK… WHAT THE HELL??? I have to go where???

I had a “come to Jesus” moment when I got to a place that really pulled on everything I got to get up on the next level of rocks!!! It was like this: My feet were teetering on a thin little ledge and my arms were fully extended, fingers curled into notches that were barely more than slight indentations in the rock face. I looked down…oh, absolutely NOT going back down! I looked up and like a mantra repeated the “F” word several times in a row. I told myself there is no room to be self conscious about how I get this done. So I hurled myself up hissing the “F” word, pulled with my arms inhaling the “F” word. I was pushing like crazy with my legs, my feet flailing and scraping the rock face..more “F” word mantra with occasional short grunts. Cripes, it felt like child birth!!! Pain in a different place, but still! But I had that baby, yes, I did!

My “Come to Jesus” Moment

No thinking, Just Climbing! (Thanks Google for the pic!)

Google & BoobOnARock
Making our way UP!

Crawling over the top…Not a pretty picture, but major concentration going on here. Climb up, throw poles, climb to poles, throw them again…

I continued to cleave to that mountain until I crossed over the top of it and had a nice sit down by the FLAG…God Bless Freaking America…where you are free to kill yourself on any mountain you want! Whew!!!

I made it!! Happy Day! This is so cool up here! 🙂 (Thanks CanDo for the pic)

We made it to the top in an hour and a half, unbelievable…we thought it would take much longer. For sure, wanting to get off those crazy rocks is a mighty motivator! 🙂

Once at the top, the walking is easy and the views are absolutely gorgeous. I went between feeling like Maria in Sound of Music, to Heidi in …well, Heidi. Wildflowers, cool temps and great breeze. It almost felt like hiking in New Hampshire. 🙂 🙂

Google on the ridge

Superfund Sign
To find out more about Palmerton & Environmental Travesty caused by Zinc Smelting you can access the Lehigh Gap Nature Center Site
http://lgnc.org/conservation

On the approach to Little Gap, Google stopped to talk to the Ridgerunner about the water situation. We were all mulling over different plans in our heads, but none of us was talking out loud about anything yet…just thinking. The Ridgerunner mentioned John Stempa, who we knew from the FB section hiker page. Google texted a hiker friend for his number…then we packed up our packs, refilled on water, WATER…like I was now carrying my full pack and nearly 5, FIVE, liters of WATER. Camel I am NOT!!

Up we climbed out of Little Gap, slowly. Very slowly up a rock jumble hill. Stepping oh, so carefully, I felt the swing of that water and tried my best to stay ramrod straight!

Arrived at Delps Trail and campsite at 4:30 pm. CanDo headed for the woods, while Google and I dumped our packs and started talking. The water situation. We had enough for tonight, but the spring at Delps was dry, so what about tomorrow?

Taking a break!

Nice Campsite, but no water!

We went back and forth. Google checked her phone and saw that her friend had provided Stempa’s number. She puts in a call, maybe he can give more info on the water situation.

John Stempa did more than that! What a guy! He enticed us to hike another 2.7 miles to Smith Gap by offering us showers, water, dinner and his garage to sleep in! We took the bait and hiked that last 2.7 like a boss (after ditching most of the water we had struggled to carry for the last 5 miles).

Dinner at the Kunkletown Pub with John Stempa. 🙂

If you are ever hiking in the area, look him up…a Trail Legend! $10 to stay at his place, extra for dinner at Kunkletown Pub!

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike On!

June 30, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA New Tripoli Campsite to Lehigh Gap 12 miles

Day 4: June 23, 2015

This day garners a “holy shit” in my book. It began with a 0.2 climb out of the New Tripoli Campsite. That was just the warm up! The star of the hour was Knife Edge…we thought it was going to be the big event of the day…but were properly humbled by several more rock piles of boulders tipped at precarious angles just begging us to slip and fall!

When we got in sight of Knife Edge I thought, “Oh, and here we go.” I don’t know, I may have said it out loud too because just at that moment Google got a look at the Knife Edge and exclaimed, “Oh, I have to pee!”

The Knife Edge

Google showing her fancy footwork on the Knife Edge

Not to go into details, but the only place to go was on the rocks, and so she did. As she was in her compromised position, a man’s voice exclaims loud and clear, “That is quite a sight so early in the morning.” Haha…no room for modesty!! This was our introduction to ISO, a thruhiker, on his way north. You can read his account of that moment in his trail journal!

BoobOnARock on Knife Edge (thanks CanDo for the pic)

After the Knife Edge, we continued to climb up and over the rocks that make up Bake Oven Knob. At one point, during a descent, I stopped, completely puzzled on how I was to get down. I had come upon a sheer drop off of about 5 feet. How to do it? I stood there thinking as Google and CanDo approached from behind. I thought about sitting and sliding, but my legs weren’t long enough to ensure a good landing on the tilted rocks below. I thought about climbing around it and finding another way down, but after looking around and all the other RIDICULOUS options, I decided NO. There had to be a way down! I had been eyeing a tree that had some flexible branches with some interest. “Hey, I remember as a kid getting down from trees by holding onto a branch and letting gravity gently take me down to the ground”, I thought to myself, “Why not? why not do that now?” I did it! I grabbed onto the limb and jumped! It worked! I was down!

I turned to look triumphantly at Google and CanDo…I did it, I did it!…”Oh crap!” My pack was so heavy it began to pull me backwards…I was moving…falling…gently, but definitely headed down! I hung onto that limb as if my life depended on it. Well, my life was depending on it as I slowly bent backwards until, good lord, I was upside down! “If this limb breaks I am dead meat…Well, I am not letting go until I can secure myself.” Google and CanDo were rollling, and I was laughing hysterically. But I had to hold on! I couldn’t stop gravity!! I notched my boots somehow and pulled myself up into a sitting position. Success! I had Tarzanned down!

And while Google and CanDo may have thought me crazy…Google ended up catching that limb down for a ride also. Although, she did it more gracefully than me! Haha!! 🙂 🙂

On another rock jumble, we saw a beautiful rattle snake sunning himself up on the rocks. I didn’t even notice him, and for sure he didn’t see us as a threat! CanDo got a nice shot of him though!

Then the trail got a little nicer and we started making better time. We met three women headed for Knife Edge. They told us there was an approaching storm for later in the afternoon, hail, strong winds, torrential rains…oh joy. We picked up the pace!

In fact the reason I don’t have a lot of pics for this post is because thunder chased us down the trail! We stopped in at Bake Oven Knob shelter as the sky got dark and the winds were picking up. A little rain fell, but then nothing else. So we took off for Outerbridge shelter at a good clip!

Outerbridge Shelter (thanks CanDo for the pic)

When we pulled into Outerbridge, we met up again with ISO. Taking time to rest and have an actual conversation with him was great. He is a good guy and we decided since we were going to stash water for ourselves at Little Gap (on the other side of Lehigh Gap), that we would stash a gallon for him as well! There is no water on the ridge!

Hey! A guy offered us a ride on the bridge! (thanks CanDo for the pic)

We walked the final mile downhill to our car motivated by the fact we would be staying at a hotel in town while it stormed outside!

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike On!

June 29, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Windsor Furnace Shelter to Eckville Shelter 9.1 miles

Day 2: June 21, 2015

When we turned in the night before, everyone camping around the shelter had instructed us to yell if Scott Jurek ended up coming through. The buzz was up and down the trail, all of us wanting to cheer him on when he passed us!

Bag Lady dutifully checked in late … just to see if he was really still in Port Clinton. She had a look of concern on her face…he is on the move! WHAT!!! It is raining, storming, lightning, thunder!! But the tracker was erratic…and by the time we figured out his location he was nearing Eckville Shelter. 😦 So much for technology! He passed us while we were hiding out in the shelter!! Records wait for no storm apparently.

All those who were looking forward to seeing Scott on the trail were just a little bummed out. We had been soooooooo close! Well, we had that I suppose.

Bag Lady was only hiking with us for the first two days and decided she was going to take a blue blazed trail to bypass Pulpit and Pinnacle. We tried to convince her otherwise, but she was ready high tail it out of these wet, wet woods and rocks. So we said our goodbyes, and she headed to the right on Hamburg Road and we headed up the AT to the left.

I never get tired of being in the woods after a good rain.

Headed up!

As we began to climb a rock pile near the Pulpit, we all agreed that Bag Lady would not have approved of this trail! It was not a bad climb, just a lot of rocks. I thought it was fun, but of course, you know…this is only the second day and the excitement of climbing over rock jumbles is still fresh. 🙂

Climbing the Jumble!

This is where we heard the voice from beyond…

As we neared the top of the jumble, we heard a voice from beyond, ” Deeeebbbbbiiiee?”. That is Google’s name, and we looked at each other and busted out laughing…Bag Lady?!!! Bag Lady had gotten turned around and had ended up climbing an even steeper hill only to end up back with us! Oh, the humility! Welcome back, Bag Lady!

We all came together at the view from Pulpit Rock. The rain was gone, but the heat and humidity was back in full force. The sweat was dripping down my back and when I took my pack off, the straps were soaked. But the breeze felt so good as it cooled me off considerably!

View from the Pulpit

Leaving Pulpit Rock we hiked on together and in a few miles we found a nice break spot at the Pinnacle and a found a few of our reptile friends as well!

Rock Pile at the Pinnacle

Climbing over the rocks to get to the Pinnacle Ledge

View from the Pinnacle

Look! Bag Lady is waving!

My Reptile Friend is quite handsome!

Then it was a long descent to the Eckville Shelter. The last part of the hike was a flat fire road which was pleasant but hard on the feet after a while. We had been hiking it for about a half hour when Google stopped and whispered “listen!” Bullfrogs! I found two frogs talking to each other on a log…so cool!

Then we kept walking, dodging puddles, as we made our way down the fire road until Bag Lady left us to get her car in the Gamelands Parking lot near Eckville. She was going to drive around to Eckville Shelter and meet up with us before heading back home.

A long, flat road…not as easy on the feet as you might think!

Arriving at Hawk Mountain Road, we turned right and walked the last o.2 miles to the Eckville Shelter. OH!!! What a lovely place! Hummingbirds, flowers, a barefoot quality lawn! And, and, and … a shower! That’s not all…the caretaker, Mic, gave us popsicles!!!!

When you ask a question Mic will ask, “Did you read the map?”

Love the Hummingbirds!

Hikers gather-A bubble of thru hikers came in.

The shelter

Sitting and Chatting with Mic

After Shower and Rinsing out clothes (thanks CanDo for the photo)!

And the final sweet spot…Bag Lady and CanDo went to get us Gatorade, cold Gatorade!!

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike on!

Girl Gone Hiking

One step, then one step more

Tag Archives: Appalachian Trail

Oh Fall…slow down!

Fogged in at Tentsite 43 with Sidekick Pauli (Day 1 – Friday 9/25/2015)

AT – VA Rt 601 to 2nd Parking Area South of Sky Meadows SP

AT – PA with Trail Dames of MD: Coming Together, Sharing the Trail & Making Memories

AT – VA Rt.725 to Jim&Molly Denton Shelter (and back!)

AT – PA Wind Gap to Delaware Water Gap (then to parking in NJ) ~18 miles

AT – PA Smith Gap to Wind Gap ~8 miles

AT – PA Lehigh Gap to Smith Gap ~12 miles

AT – PA New Tripoli Campsite to Lehigh Gap 12 miles

AT – PA Windsor Furnace Shelter to Eckville Shelter 9.1 miles

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