Appalachian Trail near Slatington

On Monday, my friend Clara invited me to hike along the Appalachian trail. We started just outside of Slatington, off 248, near the Lehigh Gap. It was a beautiful day, breezy, not too hot, relatively low humidity. The trail took us up a gradual rocky incline to the Outerbridge Shelter, where we said hello to a thru hiker from Rochester NY. We wonder if he was the one who found the body on the trail a few hours later. (that's another story --a 64 year-old man who walks his dog regularly in the area was found dead around 11 am...no foul play suspected.)

Past the shelter you pick up a blue blazed trail that takes out out to the ridge where the views are fantastic for almost a mile...and just grasses and scrubby trees grow. IT was quite windy and the windy was cool so even though we were exposed,we were very comfortable. At the cell phone towers, we took the road down a short ways and picked up the Appalachian trail again, which went back to the Shelter and then out the way we came. About 5 miles over all. The woods were thick with ferns and deeply shaded most of the time. Though a bit buggy, a little bug spray seemed to take care of it.

I was well worn out at the end. It took us about 3 1/2 hours but I move slowly and stay in my comfort zone. On the way out we heard the sirens and helicopters and went down to the Wildlife Sanctuary to have our lunch on the shaded porch and check out the action with the telescope they have there. We could see firemen and what looked to be a lifeless body up near the ridge. This wasn't a rescue mission, but a retrieval. Sobering to think that you could go out for a walk with your dog and not come home, but then, he was clearly doing what he enjoyed, right?

I hope to lead a group on this hike, perhaps in September. I'll send out emails to those on my list of locals.