5/25/15 Delaware Water Gap, PA (Church of the Mountain Hostel)

     So yesterday didn't go as planned (as you can probably guess from the heading). Yesterday was supposed to be a 12 mile day to just outside of Palmerton, PA. However, the rocks were so unbearable that we were averaging like, .8 mph. We managed 6 miles or so in 7 hours. So I don't have trail legs quite yet but I can still do 13 some odd miles easy. Up, down, stairs, switchbacks, all doable at this point. Rocks? No, not when you have to watch where you step every step. Guaranteed there was less than .1 mile of flat, no rocks the entire day. Now imagine that's the 4th day in a row doing that and continuing for the next week. Yeah, that's how bad PA really is.

     So me and a guy I was hiking with (Rope) were sick of it. We both decided to try and call a Trail Angel to hopefully drive us into town. Not 30 seconds after we put our packs down, a car comes up to the parking lot. as the guy gets out I realized, "Holy shit, I know that guy!" It was a guy I met that I crossed paths with last year by the name of Soul Flute. The three of us get to talking and he's like, "yeah, I'm taking a guy up to Delaware Water Gap if you guys need a ride into town or something." Rope and I just look at each other, "Well, if you have room we are so ready to be in DWG." So an hour later, here we are at the end of PA.

     Thank God I'm done with this shitty state.

-Sam

(a stamp in from DWG)