"The filet mignon is from the small end..."

"...of the tenderloin area of the animal, which is non-weight bearing and not toughened by exercise, resulting in extremely tender meat."  -Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

August 28, 2001

To Port Clinton.

Stayed in hostel and ate a filet mignon [at a nearby restaurant].

Splurge!

View north of Port Clinton

Port Clinton is on the Schuylkill River and used to send coal from nearby coal towns to Philadelphia (or somewhere along the river).  

Now, there is only a population of 288.

"In matters of style, swim with the current;..."

"...in matters of principle, stand like a rock."
-Thomas Jefferson

August 27, 2001

Along the route today was Bear Rocks:

Bear Rocks formation

This is supposedly part of the Tuscarora Formation, a rock found along the Appalachian Mountains that is the hardest rock found in the region, thus resistant to erosion, and therefore is often found exposed along the ridges of these mountains.

So, I loved the exposed ridges along the AT, probably one of the main features that most hikers will say they love.

However, I must say PA was a low point in my hike, and many of my fellow SOBOs (South Bounders) agreed they disliked it.  Exhibit 1: in the Bear Rocks picture above is some graffiti all over the face of the rock.  This hardly ever happened anywhere else along the AT, especially not in the pristine state of Maine (where over hundreds of miles of hiking I never saw one piece of litter).

Exhibit 2: the rocks.  Rocks everywhere.  You don't really walk through Pennsylvania, you stumble through it.

Traveled to Eckville Shelter.

Eckville Shelter

Eckville Shelter is taken care of by a man named "Lazee".  I never met him because I got there late and ended up pitching my tent on the wooden platform in the yard.

I should have been more brave and explored though, because apparently inside the six-bed cabin is a flush toilet, solar shower, and honor system sodas.

Oh well, can't win them all.  Saving up for my good experience at 501 Shelter...

"Every creature is better alive than dead..."

"...men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it." - Henry David Thoreau

August 26, 2001

23.5 miles today.  I feel pretty good, too!

I went over the Blue Mountain ridge where Palmerton's zinc smeltering had devestated everything. 

Devastation due to zinc smeltering industry (an EPA Superfund site)

I felt like I was walking through a desert with all the dead trees and rocks.

Felt like hiking through the Middle East 

It was very hot and after a 16-mile stretch without water.  

There were a few springs marked on the map, but they were dry.  Then, as you enter the EPA Superfund site shown above, there is a sign that says: "We highly recommend you do not drink the water unless you like growing appendages." (well, something like that...).  So, I was getting low on water and a bit parched.

Getting thirsty!

There was a surprising rock climb down into Lehigh Gap, after about a hundred miles of nothing but flat.

Photo from here

I finally found a spring just as I drank my last water, but I found it swarmed by yellow jackets!!

I was mad.

As I approached the spring I was excited about a possible Trail Angel situation going on, because it looked like someone had left cans of soda (and we are talking about Coke and Sprite, not a Sam's Club knockoff brand here) in the spring to get ice cold.  My parched lips smacked invitingly!

And then as I approached I noticed all of the cans were empty, and thrown as clumps of litter into the usually pristine spring, and attracting 53 yellow jackets to swarm and prevent me from getting water.

I was mad.

After throwing rocks at them [to try to kill all 53 yellow jackets one at a time...], throwing a bottle tied to a string [to try to fill it with water from a distance], and other failed ideas, I finally put on all my clothes: rain pants, jacket, bug net, all tucked in [and it being about 90 degrees out]  and got my water.

"780 million people lack access to..."

"...an improved water source; approximately one in nine people."
-WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (2012 update)

August 25, 2001

We had to walk 0.5 miles, one way, just to get water!

Most of the time, water is found right on the Trail, from a stream crossing it, or from a spring bubbling close by.  Sometimes, especially at shelters were the water source needs to be a bit away from normal human wastes, it is only a few hundred feet away.

We get so used to water being within reach.

Of course, the water I was complaining about was at the bottom of a mountain, after hiking about 15 - 20 miles.  Not to mention then having to lug a few liters of water and a 20-pound pack 0.5 miles back up the mountain.

Still, at least there was water...

Beautiful views from the ridge of Delaware Water Gap (too bad there had to be an interstate).

Delaware River Bridge