Appalachian Trail Day 114 - Wind Gap to Ridge top campsite (Mile 1281 to Mile 1293)

 I slept amazingly well on the super comfortable bunk bed.  I am sleeping so well, in fact, that I don't wake until Merri turns on the lights of the basement room at 6:30 am. I consider pulling the blanket over my head, but I know I need to get cup and get moving. 

Merri has breakfast sandwiches made and on the table.  I pour a cup of coffee and sit with Merri and Terminated while the other hikers are getting packed. 

Kelly and I both have our cars here, so I throw the items I will need for the night on the ground while I go through my food resupply tub.  I literally have tons of food in a big Rubbermaid tote in the back of my truck. I realize I forgot to bring my disgusting hiking socks inside to get laundered last night, so I put them back on.  At least they are wool, which doesn't stink quite so much as cotton!

Merri is taking the other hikers back to Lehigh Gap.  This is probably the last time we will see Grit and Terminated.  Kelly exchanges numbers with Ladybug.  She doesn't hike as far as the guys, so there is a good possibility we will see her again. 

We get and give hugs and say our "happy trails," and Grit says "you ladies are rockin' it," and then they take off back to the trail while we finish packing. 

We jump in our cars to reposition Kelly's car at Delaware Water Gap, our final destination in Pennsylvania.  We then drive back to Wind Gap to Detzi's.  A restaurant about a half-mile from the trail, where Merri said it's a safe place for hikers to leave cars for the night.  She even texted Shiloh, the owner, to let her know we were coming. 

We pull in and I run inside the back door of the restaurant, which is still closed.  I let Shiloh know we are parking and she comes out to chat for a moment.  I ask her if there is a shortcut back to the trail and she offers to drive us!  Everyone in this area has been so kind and accommodating! I hope the restaurant is open when we come back so we can patronize her establishment.

Shiloh drops us off and we are off around 10 am.  A late start for sure, but we don't have a huge day planned.  I often like to say we have no where to go and all day to get there when we are on the trail. We both agree that we would like a campsite with either a view or a water feature.  Considering that water is limited on this ridge, we will hope for a site with a nice view, but beggars can't be choosers, so we will just hike and hope for the best!

The woods are pretty and other than a few decent uphills, the trail is easy with rolling ups and downs, which are my favorite.  The day is warm, but not too hot, and occasionally we are treated with a nice breeze. 

We reach Wolf Rocks, which is supposed to be the last big rock formation we will encounter on the AT in Pennsylvania. They are fun and easy to climb, and we can walk across most of them. We get a little view of the next ridge from the top.  I look under the rocks for a rattlesnake, but don't find one. I am a little disappointed that we didn't see any in this state, because they are prolific here. 

Two miles later, we reach Kirkridge Shelter. Of course, who do we see, but Daddy Long Legs!  He is here getting water, as are we.  I tell him we won't be around to stalk him anymore, since we are taking a few much-deserved and needed zero days at my home, and I am sure he will be far ahead of us when we return.  But you never know what will happen on the trail...

We get our water and decide we don't want to stay here for the night. It's too early, and we want to get closer to town so we can get an early start tomorrow morning. I mention that we could feasibly get to town tonight, but then discount the idea, because I don't think I can drive four hours after hiking 16 miles.  If I get too tired we will have to get a hotel room, and we both prefer camping out here over sleeping in a hotel.  

We are walking on an old forest road on the ridge, following the white blazes when Kelly is certain she sees a bear in the trees on the side of the road.  I look closely but can't see anything under the dark trees until the bear moves and I can see the silhouette of the bear. It is a big one!  It goes over the side of the ridge and is quickly out of sight. 

We are almost to the end of the ridge and losing hope on finding a suitable place to camp when we see a trail behind the fenced enclosure of a cell tower. We investigate and find a perfect place to set up for the night. And it's near an overlook of the Delaware Water Gap! 

We get set up and walk back to the overlook to cook and eat our dinner. I don't have a bear line to hang my food bag, but Kelly thinks she has enough room in her bear canister for my food bag. 

We enjoy the view and eat our dinner before returning to our cute little camp.  When my tarp is stretched out, the camp is indistinguishable from the surrounding trees, even though we are just off the trail. 

I am exhausted, and I call home to say goodnight before crawling in my hammock.  The sun is still in the sky but I pull my buff down over my eyes and I am out immediately.

Today's Stats: 12 miles, 1,480 feet ascent, 1,017 feet descent

Trail Stats: 1,293 miles, 258K feet gain, 266K feet loss