Peanut Eater - AT - May 17, 2012 - Day 58
Today has to be the Day of the Rocks - they were everywhere. I think when the world formed there was a load of rocks left over and they all got dumped on Pennsylvania.   It all started off OK with a very smooth trail for probably four miles, but I was thinking at the time I was going to pay dearly for this and that surely turned out to be the case. First it got rocky and then very rocky and then all boulders. I was parallel to a rock cliff that was on the ridge line and I knew it was only a matter of time before the trail went up there, especially as the guide had The Knife Edge as the next entry. On top of the ridge, the Knife Edge was a narrow line of large rock slabs that I had to climb over. I put in a picture of just a small section that hopefully gives you an idea of the narrow ridge top and the challenge I faced getting along it. Once I got past the Knife Edge, there was another major rock pile called Bear Rocks that wasn't on the ridge but still required climbing over big boulders for several hundred feet. After that the trail was really flat but it was so riddled with rocks every step was a decision of whether to step on or beside one of several rocks in range of one pace. And this went on for miles with no relief. By the time I stopped for lunch I was really feeling the stress on my legs.   Water was also a big challenge as the only reliable sources were at the shelters. When I reached the second shelter of the day about mid afternoon I had the quandary of whether to risk that I would find a spring down an unmarked trail some five miles away or load up now and carry two more liters for overnight the rest of the day. I picked the latter option and good job I did because another hiker planned on the spring, couldn't find it, and ended up hitching a ride into a town just to get water. So that was a good decision despite having to carry the extra water up one of the toughest hills of the trip. But before the climb I dropped down into the Lehigh River Valley where I crossed the river on a road bridge but fortunately separated from the heavy traffic. Then I started the climb. It wasn't a big climb in that it was just 900 ft of vertical, it was just very steep to start with, got even steeper and then became a rock face climbing exercise. My poles were of no help so they were just dead weight to carry. It was well marked to indicate which rocks to tackle but about half way up the blazes suddenly stopped. I couldn't believe the trail hierarchy would intentionally abandon us hikers with such a tough climb to go but I couldn't find another blaze anywhere. I thought if I followed the same line up a little more then a blaze would show itself, but no such luck. I think in retrospect it took a turn to my left but there was no sign of a blaze over that side either. But I knew the trail went up to the top so up I went. The problem was the top was another knife edge ridge and the final part was almost sheer vertical. I did try one route that got me to the top but the other side was a sheer drop also. Eventually I maneuvered my way along the ridge, but just below the top, until I found a path that I could climb up and over to the other side which by then had become the less steep side. I quickly saw the trail on the other side and got straight back on it for the remainder of the climb. Even though this while episode was a little nerve wracking, I actually felt I enjoyed myself. Of course it would have been a lot easier without a pack and poles.   At the top there was a reroute called the Superfund Detour which is caused by some environmental cleanup that affects the original route. This actually gave me a littler respite from the rocks as the trail cut along a grassy slope overlooking the town of Palmerton. There was a large, what looked like a coal processing facility that was not operating but there were some nasty looking black mounds nearby.   Just before the end of the detour I was going up a shale covered hill and suddenly there was a loud rattle. It was a big timber rattlesnake that I had disturbed. Luckily he hung around long enough for me to get a shot although I had to use the zoom because I wasn't going to get any closer than about eight feet. Even then he coiled up and I think he would have reached me oif he'd decided to strike because when he did slither off I estimated he was at least four feet long and his body was close to three inches thick in the middle. That was a nice surprise on such a tiring day.   At the bottom of the last hill there were two hikers that I'd seen during the day that had just got back from getting their water in town and they were setting up their tents. It didn't look a very good campsite to me so I decided I'd climb the next hill and find something at the top. That hill was yet another rock pile, steep but not too long. As soon as I reached the summit there was a lovely campsite covered in pinestraw that I immediately decided was my home for the night.