Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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July 16, George Outerbridge Shelter - mile 1236.8

Ohhhhhh, my aching bones! I believe today was the toughest one yet, in terms of the physical trail. Although I'm not really familiar with the sport of "bouldering" what we did today is how I predict it to be. That innocent little reference on the map labeling the "Knife Edge" was some of the hardest climbing I've ever done. I know the REAL Knife Edge on Katahdin will make this seem like a stroll in the city park, but for today it was tough enough.

What made the rock climbing so difficult I'm sure, is that I let myself get nervous half way up the first set of rocks. Although I'm not afraid of heights, I am afraid of falling & as I climbed up on bigger & higher boulders, with nothing around me to hang on to, I suddenly started to sweat profusely & to worry about falling. That only made it worse, of course, especially since my poles started slipping out of my hands!

But I made it through - a full 20 miles to the shelter here tonight, which again is a bit more crowded that usual. It's because the mileage here between shelters is a bit unusual. & we have people arriving here from 14, 16, & 24 miles away (plus me, the oddball at 20). Some have gone on into the nearby town of Palmerton, though, which has a "jailhouse hostel". It's neither a jail nor a hostel, but a bunkhouse in the basement of city hall, & you check in for the evening at the police station. I was greatly tempted myself to enjoy the comforts of shower, food & a bed, but I didn't want the hassle of hitching in & out., especially since I'd like a really early start in the morning. We're tackling the rocks tomorrow morning that everyone refers to when they say "You ain't seen nothing yet". Plus we're supposed to get rain tomorrow, so I want to try to beat it by getting out early enough. Oh, the anticipation.