Closing the gap – The walk

I continue to share my trail stories.

PA in PA.

Last but not least

I was the last to arrive at the Eckville Shelter at mile 1235.4, on the rainy afternoon of July 14. I thought I was going to get the worst of it by having to sleep on the concrete floor of the Eckville Shelter instead of one of the bunk beds. It turned out that I slept better than anyone else. The bunk beds apparently weren’t as comfortable as they looked.

Dismantling of the shelter

The Eckville Shelter is a 100+ year old horse stable that has been converted to a 6 bunk AT Shelter. It is situated behind a caretaker’s house which has sockets for charging devices and offers a bathhouse with toilet and shower – quite luxurious as AT shelters go. You could be one of the last group of AT hikers to be able to stay at the Eckville Shelter. The National Park Service (NPS) is scheduled to demonstrate this next year. The caretaker, Mick Charowsky, has been here for almost 40 years. I hate being displaced from your home.

This popular shelter is being eliminated due to a new NPS policy that favors remote, primitive shelters and targets «non-conforming infrastructure» near roads.

How sad.

Lunch break at the Mirador

We hikers take every opportunity to eat good food. On July 15, I stopped at the Lookout Hostel with my hiking companions and we ordered Chinese food delivery. On the trail, I usually only snack throughout the day and don’t have a definitive lunch, but it was nice to sit with friends and eat my fill. We rested at the lodge and enjoyed taking in the incredible views while Ladybug and Kaleidoscope checked on the packages they had delivered to the lodge. I have to get a candy necklace and a bracelet from K’lied’s care package.

Knives out

After leaving the lodge too late, I had fun distracting myself from the impending doom of the next difficult section of trail by munching on the sweet gems. The Knife Edge cliffs in Pennsylvania went on their way quite fearfully. Rocks stacked on top of each other at precarious angles were nothing new on the trail, but the narrow edge and steep drop on either side gave me pause. However, I had no choice but to move on. I ran some lovely skates when I got to the other side. I’m not too proud to bend over and do a butt move when I feel like it’s the safest move.

Of maniac

I was kicking myself for staying so long at The Lookout when I didn’t arrive at the campsite next to the Bake Oven Knob Shelter until almost dusk. I still had to walk half a mile off the trail, down a hill, and over more rocks to get water. That was a nightmare! Poor Ladybug, who was also in the same situation as me, had to deal with my bad attitude on that particular occasion. I try to stay positive, but at the end of the day, when I’m exhausted and tested, I’m not always a happy camper.

don’t look down

The next day, July 16, saw more scary rock climbing and what looked like a rock climb from Lehigh Gap, Pennsylvania. After a good night’s sleep, I was at least in a better mood when Ladybuy and I tackled the big, scary climb. If I didn’t have a nearly 30-pound backpack on my back, it wouldn’t have been so bad, but as it was, it was by far one of the most difficult and stressful sections of the trail. Our backpacks were cumbersome, which made climbing the rocky ledges much more tiring and uncomfortable. I witnessed Ladybug almost fall off a high rock when she slipped while trying to take off her backpack to drag it to the next rock ledge. After that we decided to keep our backpacks on our backs. My hiking poles couldn’t collapse anymore, so I had to hand them to Ladybug or throw them at the next rock every time I had to use both hands to climb, which was pretty much all the time. The entire effort was a heart beat from both nerves and effort. I felt elation and accomplishment when we finally reached the top of the mountain and looked out over the Lehigh River.

That night I was relieved to see that my fellow hikers had climbed unharmed. We set up seven tents in a small space along the trail. It was Ladybug, Peachca, Thirstyboy, Kowalski, Dosido, Tracker and me. We spent a cozy little night all snuggled up.

keeping account

One misty morning had me counting newts on July 17th. The cool, wet weather brought all the little Red Efts out to play. I counted 30 of them while walking early in the day. I usually stopped to look at each one. I admire their bright color, their iridescent spots and their tiny fingers. I would slow my pace but widen my smile.

water for thought

There is a serious lack of drinking water on the trails in this part of Pennsylvania, so I was delighted to find a spotter hide. The gallon water jugs also provided excellent reading material. Whoever left the jars wrote funny quotes and sayings like: «I took a walk in the woods and came out higher than the trees.» -Thoreau

«When preparing to climb a mountain, carry a light heart.»

And the most profound of all: “Hiking is simply walking where it is okay to pee.”

marty’s place

Ladybug and I stopped for a snack at Kirkridge Shelter on the way to

Delaware water breach on July 18. There we made friends with a hiker from Tennessee named Sisyphus. We ended up chatting with him for the next 6 miles into town.

At mile 1297.4 on the AT we reached Delaware Water Gap and arrived at Marty’s Old Yellow House. It’s a gold-colored house run as a hostel and B&B by a kind gentleman named Marty. There we meet an adorable black and white puppy and search through the clothing bins to choose clothes to walk around the city. The clothes looked more like costumes. We found some perfect items to wear for jazz night at the Deer Head Inn just down the street. There was a feather boa, a fur vest and old school hats.

take a turn

I took a shower and put on a red floral dress. Then I met up with some of the guys, Sisyphus, Dugout, and Burner at The Village Farmer and Bakery, where I got an apple pie shake. I made a turn to show my dress to Weast, Kaleidoscope, and Timber as they passed by. I hadn’t worn a dress in months, it was nice to feel more feminine again. My legs and armpits still weren’t shaved, but I still felt more feminine than I had felt the whole way.

Jazz it up!

Ladybug and I walked to the local stores to resupply. Since there was no access to a proper grocery store without a car, we did so. Then we went to enjoy some high society time at Zoe’s Ice Cream Emporium & Cafe’.

I convinced all the day trippers in town to go to Jazz Night at the Dear Head Inn. We discovered that you had to pay to enter, that didn’t happen on a hiker’s budget. We didn’t let that stop us from having a good time. We decided to sit outside on the large front terrace for free and try to see and hear what we could from the large windows. I sipped wine on a cushioned outdoor couch while chatting and laughing with day-trippers in the seats around me. With light jazz wafting through the windows and me in a dress, feather boa and hat, I felt like a lady from the 1920s.

Cry Me A River

I had a great time at Delware Water Gap. When I woke up on July 19, I didn’t want to leave. I stayed reading in the bed I shared with Ladybug in Marty’s old yellow house. I had been physically carrying a book for 1,178 miles. I got it for free at a community book box in Franklin, North Carolina. The book was At First Sight by Nicolas Sparks. I didn’t care about the characters. I found them unpleasant. However, that didn’t stop my emotions. Dam Sparks still made me cry! I finished the book and placed it in the book box in front of Marty’s house. The book will now catch someone else’s tears. Info lengkap: uas6sh. Soon the last pages will be illegible.

Goodbye and hello

After a late breakfast and coffee at The Mystical Mug, we left Delaware Water Gap. Ladybug and I crossed the Delaware River Bridge leaving PA and walking towards New Jersey. Goodbye Pennsylvania! Hello New Jersey!

Daily location and mileage log

Day 101 – 07/14/25

Port Clinton – Eckville Shelter 🛖

Mile 1,220.2 – 1,235.4

15.2 miles

102 – 07/15/25

Eckville Shelter – Shelter with oven knob for baking ⛺️

Mile 1, 235.4 – 1,252.8

17.4 miles

103 – 07/16/25

Bake Oven Knob Shelter – Unofficial Camping ⛺️

Mile 1,252.8 – 1,268.1

15.3 miles

104 – 07/17/25

Unofficial camping – camping ⛺️

Mile 1,268.1 – 1,287.7

19.6 miles

105 – 07/18/25

Campground – Delaware Water Gap, Marty’s Old Yellow House 🏠

Mile 1,287.7 – 1,297.4

9.7 miles

106 – 07/19/25

Delaware Water Gap – Fairview Lake View ⛺️

Mile 1,297.4 – 1,314.9

17.5 miles

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