August 2, 2024 3 min to read

AT Blog: 82 and 83

Exchanging Equipment

Day 82:

Starting in Bethel, and getting a ride early to get back on trail. The plan is to make it to Port Clinton today to ressupply and research. Before I go I make a waffle and some boiled eggs for a somewhat round breakfast. At the very least it’s not just muffins here.

It’s about 14 miles there, with lots of rocks and more.

By the time I make it to Clinton I’m in a rush, but fortunately I’m able to get a quick hitch hike into town. I first stop by the cabellas to get a few things. My shoes have lost most of their padding and unfortunately Cabellas does not carry the right shoes. I called ahead to a shoe store in Deleware Water Gap that has the shoes I need. So I buy some insoles to help me till I get there.

Besides that I also buy some food, and most importantly a new sleeping bag. The days have really warmed up now and my current sleeping bag is too warm now. I end up buying a down 40 degree bag. A down bag means it uses feathers for stuffing which makes it lighter. One downside with them is once they get wet they stay wet.

The Cabellas has some neat other stuff like a hill filled with taxidermy, an aquarium and various shops with baked goods.

Afterwards I grab some food and head to the post office to ship my old sleeping bag home. When I get there, there’s a humorous exchange. The office only has small boxes, nothing large enough for my winter bag to fit in stuffed. So I ditch the stuff bag and me and 2 other postal workers try our hardest to shove it into a rectangular box. We end up successfully sealing it and sending it out.

I end the day by going to Windsor Furnace shelter. I had to walk back to the trail from the post office since I was way away from any shuttle.

Day 83:

Wake up somewhat earlier than usual, due to the other hikers in the shelter. It’s not too early so I kinda relax in shelter for a while then start packing up. I prep a light breakfast then use the privy and head out.

There’s a lot of rocks like the past couple of days, and it can make it difficult to find the trail. I first encounter a small observatory with 3 main telescopes on top of the mountain. It’s a nice facility that allows hikers to wander through. After that is the Pinnacle, with a great view.

After Dan’s Pulpit I take a long break at a nearby spring, eventually heading out. I stop by Allentown shelter to use the privy and chat with a section hiker there for a few minutes.

After another 4 miles, I make it to PA. 309 with the Thunderhead Lodge Resteraunt right off trail.

It’s a great place to rest up, recharge my devices and eat good food. I get a house salad and a chicken pot pie. I chat with the wait staff about my trip, meet Shamrock another hiker doing the AT, then grab lava cake for dessert.

Afterwards I head out. It’s less than 30 minutes till dark but I meet Bleubs, another through hiker and he just finished in town. He takes lots of zeros but he is faster than me. I kinda ride his coat tails and decide to do some evening hiking. I manage to do another 2 miles and make it to the New Tripoli campground. I kinda regret going down to it, as most other campers were up on the ridge, and I had lost daylight by that point. At the very least I saved the trip down to it to get water the next day.