#167 George W Outerbridge Shelter to Leroy A Smith Shelter - Day 92: MM1259.2 - MM1275.9
Hey Sprawl, which way does the Appalachian Trail go? Up, of course!
4-18-2023
A couple of mice ran around in the shelter last night. None were a bother to us or our belongings, though one fell from a beam and hit my sleeping bag hood on the way down.
I hike the steep thousand-foot descent to Lehigh Gap’s Mountain Road, across Chain Bridge, over the Lehigh River, and then turn left on Hwy 248. It’s impossible to hitch a ride from here so I begin walking towards Palmerton PA.
There's supposed to be a trail around here that leads into town, but I can't find it. Copter told me earlier how to find it, but in the short time it took to get here I’ve forgotten how to get to it. So it goes with my mind anymore. I’ll just take the fun, and probably illegal, route into town.
The highway is ridiculously dangerous, so I jump median and walk along the railroad tracks for a while.
At the highway’s off-ramp into town, I jump back over the median, cross several lanes of traffic in true Atari Frogger form, then follow the road into town.
The main drag through town reminds me of my hometown in Kentucky - the old buildings, the small community park, the locally owned shops. Not the cutesy kind for tourists, but the kind local people use on a regular basis.
Walking into Bart’s Steakhouse & Restaurant is like walking into my past. The same music play over the speakers, the same people from my hometown sit in chairs and on stools eating breakfast, and the same vibe fills the room as in the local restaurants from my younger years. I kid you not, there are several tables pushed together in a side room where a bunch of ladies meet today for their weekly game of Bridge - just like home.
A touch of homesickness sets in.
A retired couple in the booth across mine strikes up a conversation about my hike. I sit facing the window and write down some notes while my electronics take turns charging. The waitress takes my order.
Copter comes over to say hey. He’s planning to stay in the hostel upstairs tonight, so this is most likely the last time we’ll see one another. I never did tell his story, did I? He’s a retired engineer who specialized in helicopter parts. He’d traveled the world working with militaries in many allied countries, never married, and now plans to hike the entire trail this season.
The waitress brings my food, then immediately brings a second plate and says they’d made a mistake with my breakfast. Other than missing the bacon I didn't see any mistakes. I asked if she was just going to throw the first plate away. She says yes. What a shame. I offer to keep them both and pay for both. She tells me just to go ahead and keep the first plate for free. Double breakfast for the price of a single - Score!!
Since the walk into town was so dangerous and took so long, I decide to accept the offer of a ride back to the trail by the owner of the restaurant. She charges me $10.00, which I’m happy to pay for safe passage. This will get me back to trail earlier than planned. I’ve got a long day ahead of me.
Back on trail I find the side trail into Palmerton that I should have taken earlier. If only I’d walked a quarter mile in the opposite direction of town, I would have come across it - who knew? Well, I did, but in usual Sprawl form, I’d forgotten.
Hey Sprawl, which way does the Appalachian Trail go?
Up, of course!
The trail immediately turns into a vehicle sized boulder scramble almost straight up. My past climbing skills really come in handy here. I strap my hiking poles to my pack because they were both useless and a nuisance climbing up.
To add a little more excitement to the climb the wind has decided to blow its forty-degree air extremely hard.
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