5-28-11 Lehigh Gap to Wind Gap, PA

5-28-11

I finally finished packing at 1:30am. Weighed my pack in at 20 lbs. I need to work on making that lighter for shorter trips. Getting up at 5am to start Lehigh Gap to Delaware Water Gap. Leroy and I will be doing our final hike together before he departs for his new life in Colorado. Jack Masterson and Athena will be joining us again. Time for a 3 hour power now.

10 miles of PA hiking with only 3 hours of sleep. Started at Lehigh Gap, crossed the bridge, then started the ascent. The climb was almost 1,200 feet of loose rock. Some sweet views up on top of Lehigh Gap. It is literally a rock scramble. Really awesome though, I loved it. After we climbed up, we reached the ridge again. It was a beautiful grassy knoll. Only downside to that was the abundance of ticks! We found them by the tens, all climbing in our wool socks and up our legs. After that, we stopped for lunch just after Little Gap Road. It was hot, humid, and sunny. Another rocky climb, not too big though.

Lehigh Gap - At the top!

Taken on 3-14-12

We were running low on water and our only source for 5 miles was a .6 mile hike down steep switchbacks. After filling up, we went back up the hill and set up our camp. Had our tent up, bags hung, and I was out for a nice 2 hour nap.

Made dinner - Jamaican Style Chicken! Leroy and Jack made a fire, I went to the tent to catch up on sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night, Athena started barking at something in the woods. Jack thought he saw a coon in the tree. Athena kept our bags safe. Thank you Athena!

5-29-11

Started a 4.5 mile hike to Leroy A. Smith Shelter. It has 3 springs. The last for 16 miles, so we were sure to fill up. Stopped here for water and lunch. Shepherd's Potato Stew with Beef, so delicious.

Leaving Leroy A. Smith Shelter was difficult. Last water for about 16 miles. It was so nice there, I didn't want to leave. It got hotter. Sun came out, humidity sky rocketed... it truly sucked. Worst part was the flies. They would continually fly around us, irritating Leroy and I to our limits.

After a few more miles of hell, I thought about calling it quits. I evaluated the water situation, and was demoralized. We finally got to Wind Gap. This is where I said my final farewells to Leroy, Jack, and Athena. I called it quits. I could not continue. We decided it would be better if the had 2 people anyway. They could have more water this way, plus I could take some weight from them to help them out.

This was my final hike with Leroy, Jack and Athena for 2011. I enjoyed every moment. They made it safely to Delaware Water Gap, but they told me they barely made it with enough water. I couldn't imagine if I had gone with them. There are times when being a coward is the right decision, this is one of those situations. It wasn't worth risking my health.