Jun 22 - Pennsylvania

DAY #97
START LOCATION: Random Campsite near Private Road
FINISH LOCATION: Delaware Water Gap NRA Information Center/
Bridgewater, NJ
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 14.7
TRIP MILEAGE: 1,285.6
MILES TO GO: 893.5

You won't believe it... Smokestack and I broke camp at 7:50AM this
morning. It's a new record for the Smoke-Dog team. Reasons for this
unprecedented motivation? Different for each of us... Smoke wanted
Panda. I wanted cow, as in steaks for dinner and new leather boots.

Besides a couple challenging boulder fields, we cruised into Kirkridge
Shelter, halfway through our hike to grab a quick bite and pound some
water. We were excited about the fact this shelter had spigot water.
No treatment necessary. Only problem... It tasted like you were
sucking on a penny.

We raced an impending thunderstorm all the way to the Delaware Water
Gap and won handily. Panda was waiting for us on a boulder a ways
south on the AT on the PA side of the Delaware River. I stressed to
them that I'd wanted my current footwear to make the crossing into New
Jersey. That way I could send them home happily knowing they'd touched
8 states along the AT. They whizzed past me in the car, hooting and
hollering, on the I-80 tollbridge as I proudly stepped foot into New
Jersey. Panda made a good point I hadn't picked up on.... The I-80
tollbridge only collects tolls on the westbound lanes. New Jersey...
you can visit for free, but you have to pay to leave.

We zipped off to Panda's folks house in Bridgewater, NJ, but not
without a quick stop to Wendy's to temper our voracious hungers. I
inhaled a triple stack combo before we even got back on the
Interstate. We reached the house while Pat and Stan (Panda's Mom and
stepdad respectively) were still at work. Panda immediately did our
laundry while Smoke and I got our showers in. All of this had to be
accomplished in order for Smoke and I to be able to step out into
society. We only average about 5 or 6 showers a month after all.

The visit to EMS in Bridgewater started out rocky. A socially inept
clerk assumed my boots that Panda had put on hold last week were now
not on hold. But, after Panda insisted, he checked out back... Sure
enough, they had them. Panda: 1, Socially inept clerk: 0. Things got
better, albeit expensive fast. I got new Vasque Breeze boots, new
water treatment, more anti-chafe, a new fuel canister, new trekking
poles and new sock liners. It was a good day. It was about to get even
better...

We arrived back at the house. As soon as we stepped in the door, we
were greeted by the heavenly aroma of real food... Not ramen, cold
tuna, instant potatoes or rice sides. I met Stan and reunited with
Pat, whom I'd met back in Damascus, VA in April. I looked outside. The
thunderstorm caught up. Dinner was amazing... Grilled steaks, grilled
potatoes slathered in butter, marinaded mushrooms and perfectly
ripened corn on the cob. Dessert was Cherry Garcia Froyo drizzled in
Copa del Oro. My god... It was heaven. Another treat... Pat and Stan
are amateur vintners. It's a full-on passion of theirs. Their
vinification depth extends all the way to branding... They have their
own bottle labels. We enjoyed their fantastic 2007 Chilean Syrah
before, during and after dinner. I stress again... Fantastic.

My hosts were kind enough to allow me to upload more photos from their
computer, so check those out. Also, I added a section on the right
hand side of the page that lists links to other thru-hiking bloggers.

Final thoughts on the Pennsylvania, PA: If hell has a hiking trail,
I'm sure some of it resembles PA's AT. There's a nickname for PA on
the AT... Rocksylvania. It wasn't all bad though. A few nice vistas,
some fantastic shelters and our trek through the Cumberland Valley was
in my top 5 favorite days on the AT. It also had a few excellent trail
towns... Palmerton and Boiling Springs were amazing. I was
disappointed in Duncannon. The people I've been hiking with in PA are
top notch. I've had a blast here as usual. My friends off the trail,
Jay, Steph and Donna were a great boost for morale too. I'm so
thankful for them. And back to those rocks... it was kind of fun to
complain about something for once. Life on the AT is that good.

-natedog