Today was full of surprises. But the story starts with last night’s storm. When I arrived at the shelter, I checked the weather and noted that there was a severe storm barreling down on us. It was the end of the day and Palmerton was still another 9 1/2 miles away, so I knew there was no way that I could make it before it got dark. There was nothing to do but set up and ride the storm out.
Now there was a note in the shelter, saying that it was home to yet another porcupine. There was even a stick that was used to ward off the porcupine. I didn’t really want to deal with a porcupine in the middle of the night, so I decided to set up my hammock a little down the slope in the trees.
While I was setting up, a group of about six through-hikers including Dreamsickle and Lucky were at the shelter discussing their options. Being young and daring, they decided to go ahead and hike through to Palmerton. They departed, leaving me alone in the shelter. I got my gear set up and waterproofed as best I could. I then went up to the shelter to eat dinner. About that time Intrepid came in. She was staying at the shelter as well and decided that the storm warranted her risking the porcupine in the shelter.
The weather forecast called for rain all night and 100% chance the next day. Since my plan was already to stay in Palmerton, I contacted a shuttle driver and arranged for her to pick me up at a takeout point 2 1/2 miles away from the shelter. Originally, I told her to pick me up around 10 o’clock, but then I noticed that the next day was Sunday. Since I hadn’t been to Mass in three weeks, I checked for a Catholic church in Palmerton and found Sacred Heart. It had a Mass at 9:30 AM. I contacted my driver and asked her if she could pick me up by 8:30 AM, to which she said yes.
My next order of business was to find a place to stay in Palmerton. I checked the FarOut app and noticed that there was a recommendation for a place called the Sunny Rest Resort. I called them and made a reservation for the next night.
It started raining about 7 PM, but the real storm didn’t come through until about midnight. We found out today that the storm dumped 2 inches of rain in one hour. Surprisingly, my hammock set up worked perfectly, and I stayed dry the whole night.
Now, the trail in this section varied between a tip toe through the tulips and the murderous boulder rocks from hell. I decided to get up at 5 AM assuming that it was not still raining, pack up and get out as fast as I could. This I did. I was able to leave the shelter at 6:15 and I arrived at the extraction point at 8:15. Just as I arrived I heard some clicking behind me. Intrepid had decided that she didn’t want to hike in the rain either, and so she asked if she could ride my shuttle with me. Of course, I said yes and so we both rode into town, about a 15 minute ride. Jo Anne, our shuttle driver dropped me off at the church.
It was still an hour before the start of Mass. Not surprisingly, the priest was already in front of the church praying. I interrupted his prayers and asked if there was someplace that I could put some dry clothes on. He not only directed me to the bathroom but told me where I could put my pack and poles in the sacristy during the mass so that nobody will bother them. I made an offhand remark to him that I had not been to Mass in three weeks because I’d been on the trail. He responded by saying, “We’ll, the confessional is right there.” So I had my second confession in three weeks.
The Mass was a typical one, it being the 15th Sunday in ordinary time. The gospel reading was the parable of the sower from Matthew. Afterwards, I called the hotel and arranged for them to come and pick me up, which they did. When I got to the check-in, the first thing I noticed was that one of the clerks was a black transgender person with a shaved head, lipstick and low-cut dress. I thought this was somewhat peculiar. Then, while I was paying and signing forms, an elderly gentleman walked up beside me. I know I must’ve done a double take because he was butt-naked with his junk hanging out in front. It was then that I noticed that everyone at the pool was also naked, as well as several people walking up and down the streets. Somehow, I had stumbled upon a nudist colony. It must’ve given them a good laugh to pick up a hiker coming from church to stay with them.
I’ve never been in a nudist colony before. I wouldn’t say that I was scandalized, but perhaps embarrassed. This place was not just a hotel, but essentially an entire colony of small houses and manufactured bungalows. And everyone drives golf carts. It’s very strange to see naked people driving golf carts. After spending a day here, my observation is that anyone who feels the need to takeoff their clothes in public shouldn’t.
I ate some breakfast in the restaurant and met a lovely woman named Jill, who used to be a principal at a public school. (Don’t worry, Allyson, she was fully clothed.) Since I was the only person in the restaurant, we talked for a while. It was a normal interaction, which seemed very out of place in this place. Throughout the day, I was able to wash up, do my laundry, consolidate my gear, plan the next four days, and basically prepare for tomorrow’s hike. In the evening, I went back to the restaurant and had some Chicken Parmesan. It was interesting, because there was a band playing by the pool, and even the members of the band were naked.
Tomorrow, I will start the last leg of my hike. I should arrive in Stroudsburg on Wednesday. But I’ve planned for a layover day just in case the rocks are bad. More to come.
Today’s Mileage: 2.5
Total Trail Miles: 234.9