SO MUCH FUN!

There has been no shortage of exciting events since having left Duncanan. The first of many being our reuniting with some of our favorite trail folks!

Prior to arriving in town for our two day R&R, the trail had been very quiet. We hardly saw a soul on trail each day, and we wondered where some of our hiking buddies had run off to. Our first day back on trail answered that question though, as we ran into Old Buzzard again as well as Entropy, Tater and some other classic campers.

The weather was noticeably different as we traversed into summertime, you could cut the humidity in the air with a knife. Within 30 minutes of being on trail after our wonderful fru fru showers and laundry, we were already dripping sweat again and the efforts to be clean seemed to all be in vain.

Day two was full of fun because we came across some incredible trail magic from a few alumni thru hikers of 2021. While we listened to their stories of late nights, memorable sunrises and crazy times had on the trail, Peeta was rummaging through our bags and remembered…Chicken of the Woods!!!

Katniss had stumbled upon some Chicken of the Woods left by another hiker the day before and was eager to try it. For those unfamiliar, Chicken of the Woods (also known as C.O.W.) is a mushroom frequently foraged for its chicken like texture and is a fan favorite among vegetarians and meat lovers alike.

After having grilled up the sumptuous Chickie, it was determined by all those who dared to try it that it was…scrumptious!

But wait, there’s more! Our second day out, Peeta found the most incredible campsite that we had all to ourselves. Little did we know the danger that lurked!

Peeta took advantage of the river next to our campsite and while enjoying herself, had a gigantic branch nearly fall right on her! We heard it crack, and didn’t have any time to react before it came crashing down right next to her. Thank goodness she had left the little pool just a minute earlier where it fell. Talk about a close call!

Despite the nerve wracking event, we still enjoyed our stay, but made sure to look at the rest of our campsite for any lurking “widow makers” as the precarious tree branches are called.

My personal favorite moment of the last week? Peeta now has a romancer! His name is Pepe Le Pieu and he really took a liking to Peeta, so much so that he chased her a quarter of a mile down the trail! Maybe he liked her smell..🤢

The best part of the trail is meeting folks both new and familiar. Lately we’ve met some really fun people including Lady D, who started the trail on Fathers Day, Shorts, Bird Dog and Sparkles, Legs and Porkchop, a renowned Red Socks fan.

The last couple of days had us feeling like we were in Lord of the Rings because the days felt so long and there were many quests to be had! We went on a wild goose chase to return a forgotten rain jacket to its rightful owner (Sparkle) and we came across an wonderful man whose trail name is StarGeezer. He was kind enough to give us a tour of the local observatory which had some impressive telescopes and pictures to behold.

What really felt like Lord of the Rings was our climb to Mordor, which I have unaffectionately named our rock climb from hell. Hiking out of Lehigh Gap, we were met with an unforgiving field of boulders, where the terrain meant using your hands, knees and a great deal of sweaty determination to reach the summit.

While we didn’t get a great view at the top due to the smoke that’s been lingering, we pressed on with our hearts full of excitement at what lay ahead…

We had 15 miles to reach our next destination, where Al would meet us for a night in East Straudsberg. We boogied down the trail, but couldn’t resist stopping at some of the best trail magic ever!

We came upon Kevin and his father, who were some of the sweetest folks we’ve met and served us up some amazing fried rice and birthday cake! Kevin’s father had hiked the trail a few years ago and in doing so created a Chinese hiking community that came out to support him along the way. Now, each year they get together for hikes and to provide trail magic. They were so sweet, we could’ve spent all afternoon talking to them but alas, the trail beckoned!!

Al, tolerant of our sweaty smell as ever, picked us up from Wind Gap to enjoy an evening in East Straudsberg. Peeta is familiar with the area and raved about Sango Kura, a ramen bar that also happens to be the only sake distillery in Pennsylvania! So naturally we had to go…

As we waited for dinner time to approach in our rinky dink motel, a most special of guests arrived, Danielle!

Peeta’s sister Dani drove in to meet us for dinner since she lives near the area, and boy was she in for a treat! We rolled up to Sango Kura, and to our surprise there was a drag show at the restaurant starting in 30 minutes, and they had tickets! Katniss, Peeta and Dani had never been to a drag show before, and boy was it a treat! Glitter and makeup and heels oh my!

The night grew late and the Queens were weary from moving and grooving all night, so it was time to retire. We geared up for the another day on trail.

Since having reached the halfway mark, there has been a noticeable shift in the way we approach the trail. Every step now means we are closer to the end than our beginning, and there is a feeling of finality in our journey together that hangs in the air. While there is still a lot of trail left, we have taken more intentional time to soak in every moment as we continue northbound. And with that, we continue our trek! Til next time!