Left the Burough Basement at 5:15, walked the empty, silent streets of Palmerton out to the highway and followed it up to the trailhead, where I arrived at 6:05. A steep, scrambling ascent over rocks and boulders led me to a construction site just below the ridgeline. Work is being done to continue the clean-up of this EPA superfund area, so the trail has been rerouted along grassy roads below the ridge. From this path you can see all the buildings of Palmerton laid out below you, including the Burough Hall and the Zinc Smelter. Easy to notice a bit more environmental devestation today because in some areas there are patches of bare ground while in others the only living things seemed to be the coarse grasses and blood-sucking ticks. I had to stop and pick a whole slew of them off my shoes and gaiters as they were heading for the exposed flesh around my sock line.Although there were some low clouds and hanging mist this morning, they quickly disappeared and it has turned into one very fine day. My zero day has refreshed me both physically and mentally as it has been much easier to deal with the rocks and mosquitoes along the trail today. Took my lunch break at Leroy A. Smith Shelter and luckily for me, didn't have to go far for water since the first spring on the blue-blazed trail was running.
After Wind Gap, the rocks got ridiculous again. The next seven miles to Wolf Rocks was covered with those jutting stones that test your ankles and leave you with nary a level space to place your foot. Required a high level of concentration to pick and choose the best route across the rocky jumble.
As the trail became somewhat even again I busted it to Kirkridge Shelter, where I thought I'd be spending the night alone until two hikers arrived well after dark and also took up residence.
Ascent Out of Palmerton
What My Feet Saw
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