Saturday, 6/27

AT Miles =16.8 / 1246.6
Other Miles = 0 / 43.8
Total Miles = 16.8 / 1290.4

I haven't seen much wildlife thus far in Pennsylvania; just the usual rabbits and turtles and chipmunks and squirrels. Then this morning, a few miles into the day's hike, I startled a bear. I just had the usual view of the bear's rump as he or she crashed away through the woods.

A few miles later I scared up a deer, and later yet I actually stepped on a rattlesnake. I didn't plant my foot firmly on him or anything like that. Rather, I planted my heel just before him, and as I started to rotate forward and my boot made contact, the snake reacted and coiled up and rattled, and I jumped back and nearly fell on my ass.

So, it was an interesting morning. After that I was wondering what the afternoon might offer up. What I got for the afternoon was a ridge walk liberally sprinkled with bushes laden with sweet, ripe blueberries. I spent a soild half hour squatting in the middle of a blueberry patch stuffing them into my mouth as fast as I could.

While I was at Bake Oven Knob Shelter eating lunch, most of the crew I last saw at lunch in Daleville (the lunch the two Marines paid for) showed up. It was great to see them after all this time. They were all headed on into Palmerton for the night. I expect I will see them again tomorrow.


"Home is where I hang my food bag"

Monkeywrench
Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com
allenf.blogspot.com