September 20, 2005 - Palmerton Jail to Bake Oven Knob Shelter
I was up in time and by the phone where Virginia called me and we talked for a while. I then got all of my gear
together and went across the street and had a big breakfast at a restaurant. I got ham and eggs and coffee. I
started to walk out of town and hitch and had no luck. I had to walk the whole way back to the trail this was rare for
me. I can usually get a ride. It was dangerous too because you have to walk on an elevated road through the gorge
and there is no where to walk out of the road. I got back to the trail and took a break at the next shelter. Outerbridge
Shelter is an old shelter and it has a little spring which is beautiful, right on the trail. This is the last water I will see
today so I will have to stock up and carry a lot for tonight. The next shelter is dry at the present time. I drank a quart
and cooked something to eat and will conserve to make it last. I will go to Bake Oven Knob Shelter by days end. I
made it to the shelter after a lot of rock walking. This shelter is lopsided and old but it looks dry. There are many
empty water bottles here but none with water. Trail angels have been packing some up. I need to go 6 more miles to
the next water and it may rain tonight. It was windy today and a little hot for me too. I had rice a Roni and tuna for
supper. It is amazing at how thirsty you get when you have to limit yourself. I think I have come to the conclusion that
my right knee is worn out. I will probably never get any better. But for now I will walk because quitting isn’t an option. I
need to find the outhouse. I never did find it. I think there is not one here. There is a lot of tall grass here. It is very
unkempt here. Pennsylvania is ho hum hiking full of rock no water and crappy shelters. I am here because I need to
finish the entire A.T. If not for that I would not hike this area again. There is no one on the trail except for thru-hikers
and they are few and far between. There is lots of wood around here though!
September 21, 2005 - Bake Oven Knob Shelter to Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
I slept very well through the night after going to bed at 7:30 p.m. I was out of the shelter after pepperoni and cheese
grilled sandwiches and a couple of cups of Joe. I only had a cup of water when I left here at 6a.m. I hiked up steep
terrain and rocky terrain to get up to Bake Oven Knob. Oh! What a view. I was here at scenic over look at sunrise
and it was spectacular. There used to be a fire tower here so it commands a fine view. I could see the ridge in which
I hiked all the way back to Palmerton Pa. There were many other fine views today from the trail. There were also
side trails to more views but you didn’t have to get off the trail much. As I write something big is walking around in the
woods and it is making the squirrels go crazy. I stopped by the Tripoli campsite today and got some much needed
water. I got enough to go to the shelter and drank a lot while there. I met Sam I Am a section hiker heading north
today. He seemed like a cool dude. We talked for about 10 minutes and then went our separate ways. Sam gave me
the low down on the water ahead and I caught him up too. This is valuable information in this dry area. Sam had told
me he got a good deal at Blue Mountain Summit last night. He paid $60 bucks for a room with a T.V. Big deal. I didn’t
have a T.V. but I stayed free on the trail. From the camp site where I got water to the next shelter it was on an old
road and very easy hiking. It was enjoyable after all the rocks of recent days. It was a nice clear cool day and the
shelter is not far away so I took my time and took several breaks. I got to a blue blaze side trail and decided it was to
the water or the shelter. I was right. The water was .4 miles down. It was very good water and I drank my fill and
carried up 7 liters to the shelter beyond. The shelter is a beauty. It is very well kept with a nice outhouse. It has a
nice overhang which could sleep 4 hikers and it has a cooking platform outside. It also has a checker board painted
into the floor. There was a sign here that explained that it costs $5100.00 to build this shelter and 1000 man hours. I
took a nap after getting here and feel good now a little later. I woke up as hungry as a grizzly bear! I ate some
cheese and fixed some grits with butter and had some coffee. I feel good Wow; I also got some dark Hershey’s
chocolate in town and had a small piece. I have seen 2 people on the trail today. The privy is a moldering one with
three windows and is has toilet paper in it. It has a fake flush handle too. This is a 5 star outhouse.
September 22, 2005 -Allentown Hiking Club Shelter to Eckville Shelter
I slept well last night after a nice fire after dark. I was up at 5 a.m. and out 90 minutes later. There are lots of rocks
on the trail today. I stopped by balance rock for views and 10 minutes later I was not paying attention and almost
stepped on a 40 inch rattle snack. Whew, that was close. It tasted like chicken. I stopped at Dan’s pulpit for another
break. This overlook has the heaviest trail box for the register that I have ever seen. I took a long break here and
cooked some rattle snack for lunch. I finally saw some water. I was close to Eckville Shelter so I waited till I got there.
The shelter is a building behind a house where the caretaker lives. It has a cold shower and a flush toilet. I got a
cold diet Pepsi from him. I took a very cold shower and rearranged things for tomorrow. I did a little laundry and
relaxed. The care taker acted like it was too early to stop for the night since I had only hiked 7.4 miles. I looked at
him and reacted, “It isn’t a race.” It is 2:30 p.m. and I am resting my barking dogs. [Sore feet] I am the only one here
at the present time. The care taker went to the store by himself and did not even ask if I could use a ride or needed
anything. The caretaker at this shelter has been at this job too long. He has the I don’t give a rip attitude and is a
jerk. I don’t know where he got his name at but it is fitting. Lazy was his name. I heard about this guy after and
before I got here and was ready for his attitude. I can see the ridge that I came off of in front of the shelter. There is
good water here, a picnic table nice lawn. I need nothing more than that. There is usually a refrigerator outside but it
has been turned off now late in the season. I had mashed potatoes and butter for supper. Three more hikers came
in later. Pig Pen, Tumbler and two others. I may try for Pt. Clinton tomorrow. I am 38 miles from Pine Grove Furnace
as of tonight. Tomorrow will be a tough day. [15 miles] My right tendon down low is giving me a lot of pain. I will take
some vitamin I and take it easy. It is a nice evening here.
September 23, 2005 - Eckville Shelter to Port Clinton Pavilion
I was up early after a poor nights sleep with noisy hikers in the shelter. I feel alright though and had a quick
breakfast outside in the dark. I left with the headlight and made it to the Pinnacle where I got outstanding views of
the valley. I had left with 16 pounds of water because there would be 16 miles and I may not see any more today. I
got to Windsor Furnace shelter by 11:30 a.m. I took a break and trudged into Port Clinton. I stopped at Pocahontas
spring and Minnehaha spring. I got water in one of them although both had water in them. I got to town by 3 o’clock.
A man gave me a ride over to the pavilion where I will stay. My feet were really sore so the .3 mile on the road was a
great ride. I wanted to get some supplies at the outfitter on the way but it was closed. I got lucky because there was
some usable food left by locals at the shelter. I am here alone in the 5 o’clock hour. The food I got here was as
follows. Crackers, spaghetti O’s, salmon packs, dry potatoes, apricots. It was enough to get me to next food drop.
This is Friday night and I hope it is quiet here tonight. I stayed here in 1981 at Bob Hayes house. He still lives in the
area but not in the same house. His son lives there now and I don’t know him. A lady told me that Daniel Boone was
born near here and got lost one night when a youngster and spent the night on the river near here. I went over to
the river and jumped in it to get clean. [Schuylkill River]
September 24, 2005 -Port Clinton to Eagles Nest Shelter
Two more hikers came in late and I didn’t meet them until I got to Duncannon Pa. Lady Bug and Big Fish. They
banged around for two hours until they were good and ready to do so. Oh well when I got up at 5 a.m. I wasn’t quiet
either. The main pull out of town was a long steep accent. I passed the train museum on the way out of town. In
1981 I followed a road all day. This time it went across the same road several times using new trail which was rocky
and bad. I guess they just had to get the trail off of the little dirt road. I saw a lot of deer today. There are feeding
plots everywhere and there are many living in the area. It has been a cool clear autumn day. It was around 70
degrees. No other hikers did I see all day. The creek is dry here but there were some puddles down a ways and I
was able to get enough to get by. A few more days through here and you will be out of luck. I have nice fire going at
a nice shelter. The outhouse here is a ball dragger. [Full] The outhouse has gutters on it to aid in the compost. Why
don’t they put small cisterns on shelters to aid in the hiker’s being able to drink water at the shelter? Just a thought.
My pack weight is great for a change. I have tweaked it all I can. I will go to 501 shelter tomorrow. I will hitch in on the
same road the shelter is on. The National Park Service owns a few houses near the trail and uses them for shelters
with caretakers. They are nice in these dry areas. They are also free. This area is the fall migration route for falcons
and eagles with as many as 20,000 in this area from August to October, and up to 150 a day. It is getting cooler
tonight.
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