Day 26: All Aboard the Meeko Train

Summary
May 21st

Lehigh Gap to Leroy A. Smith Shelter

NOBO mile# 1273.5

Tolmann’s daily mileage 16.2

Tolmann’s total mileage 249.8

So today’s goal was to get to Leroy Smith Shelter, as part of the staging effort to hit Delaware Water Gap by Tuesday. That is the last town before leaving Pennsylvania and entering New Jersey. 

The restaurant didn’t open until 8am, so we didn’t have to get up super early. I woke up around 6:30, and leisurely collected my things and packed up. We had a chance to chat with Hong Kong Phooey for a while, and Hops played around on the uke for a while. We started talking about chording on the uke, and Hong Kong Phooey started getting excited about picking himself one!

Then we grabbed a great breakfast (western omelette, hash browns and bagel w/cream cheese, and coffee!) and talked about the traveling we had done with our kids, and about music, and movies, and then we were talking about the Vietnam war, and the damage it had done to family and such, and then we were crying, and celebrating the lives of those who were caught up in it all.

We didn’t get our ride to the trailhead as early as we wanted (and needed to be able to get in the 16+ miles). 

  Traditional photo at Bert’s with waitstaff

But I do want to give another shout out to Tracy, the owner of Bert’s Steakhouse and Restaurant (and Hostel) for treating us so well!!! Many thanks, and anyone traveling through Palmerton, get the cheesesteak sandwich and a piece of pie!!  

The northern trailhead is at the bottom of a rugged climb through/over a boulder field, and has an iconic view down to the river and towns below. Tilly and I wanted to take the blue-blazed winter trail which switchbacks up the other side of the ridge, and Hops wanted to take the white-blazed route; we ended up blue-blazing (there is a plan to make the blue-blazed trail the official trail in the the next few years, so I rationalized that it was ok not to be a purist on this). I have to confess that I am not trusting my balancing ability right now, and a fall on that climb would probably result in a serious injury! There are more boulder climbs to come, I assure you!

The climb up the switchbacks was no joke, either, but I am stronger and need to rest less, so was up on top of the ridge relatively quickly. I found Hops already at the top, playing his uke and singing Dougie McLean’s “Caledonia”. We started to talk about transposing the song to his preferred key, so continued our chording discussion from earlier. What a blast!! (I know, I’m a music nerd)

The morning’s walk on the ridge provided great views of Palmerton, and was actually quite beautiful. All along the ridge is a super fund site because of the zinc mining and processing. But the reforestation is going well; one just shouldn’t drink water or eat berries. The guidebooks warn folks to carry enough water to get through.

The morning passed quickly with our late start, and I found a spot near a power line up on the ridge to eat lunch. As I was packing back up, I saw Tilly and Hops come into view (I assumed they had stopped to eat, too), and a young girl who had passed them and was heading my way. As she got closer, she asked if the trail came by me, and I said, “Yes.” Then we recognized each other; it was Meeko!! She had taken 3 zero days in Palmerton and had just come back to the trail. She was also headed to the Leroy Smith shelter.

I let Meeko go on ahead, then hiked on myself. I was starting to get nervous about the distance vs. time of day. I saw Tilly and Hops as I came off of a rest break with something like 9 miles to go. We were all a bit disillusioned. I hiked out fast ahead of them. 

Later I found Meeko again as she was finishing a snack break. I told her I didn’t think I was going to make the miles remaining. “Sure you are!” she said. That’s when I hooked up with what I will affectionately call the “Meeko Train”! Somehow I found the strength and endurance to stay with her for more than an hour. It was great to feel that strong, and to be able to keep up a conversation to take my mind off the activity. I was definitely skating at the edge of my abilities, because I did trip and go flying, catching my left shin again, and the palm of my left hand and my hip. But we try to shrug it off and walk away the pain.

In the end, I think we cut the distance at least in half. Then I knew that I could make it, so I told her to hike on and I’d see her later at the shelter. 

Tilly and Hops were nowhere to be seen, when I showed up at the shelter. Meeko was in the company of three older gentlemen and their dog, and a young SOBOer. I had decided to sleep in the shelter because the forecast was for rain, and it’s a far easier pack up in the morning in the shelter. I had some foreboding, though, because the shelter was full with the five of us, the dog was going to stay in the shelter at my feet, and the SOBOer was planning on hanging his hammock across the front of the shelter, making a midnight pee excursion a logistical issue. 

So I’m laying here boxed in on all sides. This should prove interesting…