Day 92, miles today- 24.2, total- 1,252.4

June 17, 2013

Eckville Shelter to George W. Outerbridge Shelter.

Before leaving this morning, I walked across the street to the tenting area to see Garbage Man and Little Foot. They said that they are hoping to make it to the same shelter that I plan to be at tonight.

I was on trail at 8:00 am. I could tell it was going to be a hot day. There were some nice views today.

By mid-day it was hot and humid. The trail in the morning was very rocky. At times the trail was full of small rocks sticking out of the ground four or five inches. They were all different sizes, shapes, and at different angles. They were so thick that most of the time I couldn't find enough room to put my foot flat on the dirt. I had to look for a place to put my feet for every step. Other times the trail was covered with larger rocks that I stepped from one to the other. They were also at different angles making it difficult. In each case it made for slow going.

I stopped at the Allentown Hiking Club Shelter to take a break. In the afternoon there was a section called Knife Edge. There were large slabs of rock at different angles. It was difficult and dangerous climbing over them. I also had to keep am eye out for rattlesnakes. They love rocky areas.

I also stopped at Bake Oven knob Shelter to take a break. My clothes were soaked with perspiration. I sat down in the shelter to eat a few snacks and drink some water. I was sitting there with my hands behind me as I leaned back a little to rest. I looked up at the top of the shelter, a few feet from my head. It looked like some tube type insulation between the logs was falling out. Then I saw a tail. That was not insulation, it was a big snake. It was a 5 ft black snake. I quickly got out of the shelter. I had been sitting below it for ten minutes.

At the shelter tonight are three section hikers.