Day 64 - Monday, August 15

Linda

Got a lazy late start today around 8:00. Hadn't walked very far when we came across some loaded blackberry bushes, so that killed another half hour for picking and gorging. Tasted great! Saved a quart for later. We came to our first field of big boulders at Little Gap, but it wasn't a very long stretch, so it passed quickly. The stretch between Little Gap and the descent to Lehigh Gap was almost all gravel road, so that much was a breeze. Stopped for a short break at one of the rare springs we'd come across. Had to take advantage of water whenever it presented itself.

The trail into Lehigh Gap winds through a huge rock slide with a lot of small, loose rocks and big boulders. Since it was a hot sunny day, we expected to see some snakes sunning themselves on the boulders. That possibility made me a bit nervous, and very wary, but we didn't see a single snake. We finally picked our way down to the Lehigh River, then back up the other side .7 mile to the Outerbridge Shelter for lunch. There's a good pipe spring there, so we again took advantage of the water and fixed a big lunch. Even made some pudding to go with the blackberries. A delectable treat! Walked on a ways after lunch and met two through hikers Kurt & Mike, and sat for over an hour talking and exchanging stories with them. Any hopes of a high mileage day were shot by now, but it didn't really matter. We hobbled on over the rocks for the next 6 or 7 miles to Bake Oven Shelter and called it quits for the day after 16.4 miles. Munched a little, then went to bed early. Will try for an early start tomorrow.

Ron

We awoke late this morning and didn't start hiking until 8:00. Our late start was even further delayed by a half hour blackberry picking spree. Trail conditions were good until we hit a boulder field at Little Gap. On the other side of the gap the trail was a road to the top of the ridge. We stopped at a spring for water then headed for Lehigh Gap. Just before the end of the ridge above Lehigh Gap the trail designated. At the edge of the gap the trail crossed a boulder field with extensive views of the gap and surrounding areas. I was surprised not to see any snakes coming down the ridge. The sunny boulders are often good places to see snakes. The descent into the Gap gave a sense of exposure that I had not felt since leaving the mountains in New Hampshire.

We stopped for our big meal at Outerbridge Lean-to. The only reliable water was around the lean-tos. We would eat our big meal there and stock up on water for the next section. A short distance from the lean-to we met a couple of Northbounders and stopped to talk for a half hour. We hiked along the ridge with only one boulder field to cross. We made it here to Bake Oven Knob Shelter at 6:00 and decided to call it a day. Up to now the boulders were not as bad as we had been led to believe.

(16.4 Miles - 915.9 Total)